Democratic Sentinel, Volume 8, Number 12, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 18 April 1884 — Stories of the Roustabouts. [ARTICLE]

Stories of the Roustabouts.

The steamers John J. Roe and Thome as E. Tutt were moored with their prows close together in front of Gen. William T. Sherman’s headquarters at Young’s Point during the investment of Vicksburg. The firemen, roustabouts, and deck hands congregated at night on the forecastle of the Roe to rehearse their exploits while working upon different steamers pn the Western rivers. Sitting upon the boiler deck of the Tutt one night, the following colloquy was heard: “Say, Pete, did you ebber see de stemah Libberpool ?” “No, sah, I nebber seed her,” said Pete. “Well, sah, she war jes a little de sasses stern-wh'eel boat dat ebbah run| de ribbah* One time we war gwine up de Arkansaw, an’ a nudder stemah got aftah her, an’ we poked in de wood, an’ de coal, an’ de tab, an’ de rosum, an’ a couple ob no count lazy niggers, like you is, an’ jis made her sizzle. De in* guneah pulled de frottle walb wide open an’ made dat wheel fly roun’ so fas’ dat it jumped out of de boxes, an’ flew clar ober de harricane deck an’ lit slaj> dab on de fo’cassle. Dat war de kin’ ob a dugout she war. ” “How did you finish de ballance ob de trip?” said Pete. “Well, you see, she was undah such powfull headway dat she made twenty miles to Little Rock, wid a bob-tail flush, in a roun’ hour by de watch. An’ we had to sling de anchor ober to koep her from scootin’ pass de town. What’s you darkies laffin ’bout?” “Lookey heah, niggah,” said Sam; “I spec’ dat you nebbah seed a steamboat on stilts, did yer?” “No, sah; I nebbah seed one ob dat kin’,” “Well, sah, when I fiahedon de bully Red Rober on de Hio ribbah, she had stilts fastened to her sides, an when we was cummin’to one objdem riffles, or shaller places, we put on a full head ob steam, drapped de stilts an’ jtimp her obah.”» “Wiiat, jump her obah de riffles?” “Yes, sah; an’ one time we forgot to drap ’em, and she stuck her snout into a sanbar an’ turned a fus-class summerset an’ nebbah ’sturbed a single ting abode.” “Don’t you call me a liah. I tole you, it’s de reglar ole hunded troof.”— Chicago Harald.

The Cypress.—The Southern bald cypress (Taxodium distichum) is a remarkable tree in many respects. It is perfectly hardy at the North, and, although a conifer, is not evergreen. The branches look peculiarly dead until late in the spring, not showing signs of life until most other trees are putting out leaves. In summer it is as beautiful as it is odd in winter. The tree often attains a great size and age. A section of a trunk in the Botanic Gardens at Cambridge shows the tree to have been 545 years old. The largest tree of the species known is in Oaxaca,- Mexico, 118 feet in girth, larger than the largest redwoods of California. It is only 120 feet high, however.