The following text may have been generated by Optical Character Recognition, with varying degrees of accuracy. Reader beware!

June, 1909 atid small whistle sounded and. the crew on the consort waved back their reply as the steamer slowed up in response to the whistle. The Pathfinder Drops Her Tow. "Ready, let go.' "This time only the sharp engin- cer's signal sounded and after a little slackening the powerful whaleback, without a consort and with terrific speed, headed for the piers. "She was about three times her own length astern of the McWil- liams and about 21 miles from the piers. Great volumes of smoke rolled' from her stack. The: sound coming up from the engine room was to the master's experienced ear a sure indicator of not only increased speed but sufficiently so to satisfy him, and after swinging to port Just a little, gave the order, 'there, that will do,' lit another cigar, got a firmer grip of it in his teeth and remarked to himself, 'now it's up to the engine, and I think we have got it.' ""At first any change in the distance between the two boats could not be noticed, but soon the experienced ones saw it. The crews and_ finally the passengers could notice that slow- ly but surely the whaleback was comme up. ihe . three. lengths dwindled down to two: and then to -one. The shore, now in full view, seemed to be running astern. They met two boats just coming out, both going well to starboard. Steéadily on.comes the Pathfinder, first her nose abreast the after cabins of the Mc- Williams, then abreast the pilot house and finally presses on. until the forward part. of the whaleback was ahead of the McWilliams. The pilot house of each boat was just about abreast each other, in other words the Pathfinder was in the lead by 150 ft, and the Duluth canal about ahead. : Watching the Race From Duluth. "Boats loaded with coal are watched carefully by vessel agents, tug of- ficers, cargo agents, coal agents and others as to their progress along the lakes. Their passage at Detroit and the Soo is reported to a minute in all the principal lake port papers, and in this instance it was known to quite a number at Duluth that the McWil- liams had a chance or not a chance, according to one's appreciation of the respective boats, based on their re- ported passage at the Soo. The tele- Phone at the tug office as early as 3 p. m, asked if either was in sight. The great amount of smoke on the horizon was suggestive and the de- Spatcher was not definite. 'Call again of disturbed water "THE MARINE. REVIEW in 15 minutes,' he had said for the tenth time. Ten times he had come down in as. many minutes, it seemd, from' a pinnacle above -his office; to answer the phone. ""I can't make them 'out, There's something out there coming like the devil,, but whether one boat or a fleet; can't Say.. Call'agaia in. 15 min utes. Soon he was joirtied on the lookout by one tug captain and an- other. The very strongest - glasses 'were spying them out,' and gradually the two ships were recognized. The telephone, which rang continuously, was now disr garded and all eyes were fixed on the huge freighters as they poured forth volumes of black smoke. " Guess: Jil go down and 'take a line from the consort, ; said I, and immediately there was a-rush for my tug... That. would =be a good vantage point to watch from, and as we passed out through the piers and down along to the contestants the discovery was made that the consort had been dropped far behind. "By Jove,' said I, 'if the Pathfinder wins I'll get a long tow on that consort, and if she don't she'll have plenty of time to go back and get her.' "We got to the shoreward of them, about two miles out from the piers. They were coming like racers. Both semed to be crouched down behind a wave. Foam rolled from their bows like billows, while from their stacks smoke galore poured skyward, wan- dered off on the horizon and seemed. to 'form. @ base tor the great apex that. could. be traced diagonally from the bow of each boat and reaching far astern. The day was perfect, every move elear--to - our. view, -and...as. they rushed by us the whaleback was in the lead by one-half her length. Pathfinder Unable to Increase Her Lead. "The Pathfinder was about 15 miles from the piers when she attempted to pass the McWilliams. They were some distance apart, sufficiently so as to have no eftect on each other in the sense of 'towing, as boats pass- ing in close quarters at a good rate of speed invariably do. Something seemed to hold the whaleback. Her nose was half her length beyond the McWilliams and there it stayed. The first mate inquired of Capt. Stone, 'what's the reason? Are they going faster or have we lost our steam?' 'The trouble is here,' said Capt Stone, glancing at his indicator, 'she is not turning up.' 'towards for One by one those of the Pathfind- er's crew not busy went below to see what the arouble was--new firemen, choked fires, poor coal, let the trou- ble be where it was, for the eight miles right to the piers the whaleback was in the lead, side by side almost the metal racers seemed to fly by Lakewood, then Lester river and then for the piers.' Out-bound craft, tugs and pleasure boats gave them right of way and as the distance narrowed down to four miles, three miles and then two, each master was seen on his respective pilot house coolly and. watchfully noting his position as re- gards the intersection of a line com- ing from midway between the piers - but running directly parallel with them--in other words ~ which boat came nearest to pointing directly down the center of the canal. Uncle Sam's instructions are clear. If you are the overtaking boat you must pass clear around the other fellow before you lose this particular dis- tinction--If a direct course. which you are sailing brings you to your entry or goal while in the open lake you need pay no attention to the other 'fellow. He has to go round you. He is not sailing a direct course and ;on him: patticutariy rests the observance of the law governing such cases. Now that it was practically assured there would be no change in their relative positions and the hope that each one's position was the correct one or could be improved by crowding over, but not enough to endanger his craft but sufficient to show. the other fellow he. could only have his own, those two masters, with nerves of, steel, stood close 'to their. wheelsman, rushing along. reso- lutely to an entrance through which only one dare -enter. at a time, .Dhe government's rules must be observed. Neither master would risk any. foolish- ness, and from the nature of their ac- tions it was clear they had absolute confidence in themselves and in each other. Closer and closer they edged each other until the - limit was reached and then straight down the center of that canal they pointed, or tried to point, as' their respective positions were, until. finally about. one mile away it was apparent to Capt. Stone that his boat was a little, too far 'in shore, 'or, in other words, he was heading straight for the inner pier while his more fortunate rival was heading directly for the center of the canal and entitled to' her. po- sition until he passed clear around and ahead of her. Still the master of the gallant whaleback held on, hoping