IAGenWeb - Scott County
MISSISSIPPI RIVER FOLK BACKGROUND
FULLER SMITH Clears up mystery
Pilot Fuller Smith Explains the Low stage of water.
George M. Waters, Moline Correspondent of the Waterways Journal, has the following interesting bit of pilot house profanity and philosophy charge up to him.
Moline, Ill., May 30, 1898. Do you Know Fuller Smith? If not, I will introduce him to you: Mr. Editor, Mr. Smith, pilot on the Verne Swain for the last nine years, making two trips a day over the rapids."Now, there is a sly old fox of a wheel spinner that can juggle a boat and is up to all the tricks. He knows all the little pickets, ct offs and openings to put his boat into and through when the water is low, and in a race he will beat you every time. He is a lovely talker. You should hear the ornamental language he uses, especially when the bridge tender is slow to open the draw.
When a new engineer came on and asked: Mr. Smith, which is your slow bell? He answered: "H--! Got no slow bell! What you want a slow bell for? This boat"s slow enough without running on slow bells. When you get signals, twist the wheel out of her; that"s what you do, Huh! Slow Bells? Nit!"
While coming down yesterday from Hampton on the Swain I was always in the pilot house, and asked Smith about the stage of water. "Water? Got no water! Just had wheels put on her bottom! Can't you feel her when she runs over the rocks?" "They are moving freight down below." "No, sir; that's rocks-hard rocks. As long as they allow street sprinklers and sich to pump the water all out of the river and spread it over the ground, just so long we'll have low water, Gad! I drove a (racial expletive removed) off up at Le Claire the other day that had his mule down to water, and the next morning he came down to the land and says: "Please Mr. Captain, can let my mule drink out of your river?"
Source: Davenport Sunday Democrat, Davenport, Ia., 12 Jun 1898.