The piano goes to america part 2

The piano goes to america part 2

fiction
edward w pritchard

I wasn't much help to the crew of the canal boat at first. My contract forbid me to just ride and let the mules pull me with the piano. I wouldn't have done it and it was moot anyway because the captain was overloaded and since there were no women or children nobody rode on this trip. I ended with the lowest job on a canal boat crew. I walked behind the driver and mules with an odd looking broom and swept up mule droppings. It was the kind of detail that history tends to forget but that's what I did in 1844 and how I ended up in Clinton, Ohio on a Saturday night with nothing to do.

The Captain had been in a foul mood for several days and I had been with the crew long enough to be treated as just one of the boys. We had lost three crew members at once last Friday night, after they got paid all three headed back to Pennsylvania, they had enough, maybe farming wasn't as bad as they thought. They were brothers and good workers and I sure miss them. I miss them because both me and the captain are no longer gentlemen of leisure since they left. He is steering the canal boat alone, usually a two man job and I told you what my job is. The Captain is a bit of a dandy and to see him sweating and straining in his expensive clothes is kind of funny, but none of us working stiffs would laugh, the Captain is a tough character.

I come from Land's End England. I work for the Company that built the very expensive piano now on this canal boat traveling through, Ohio in 1844. A rich farmer down near Dover, Ohio has bought his new wife a present and I am along to see that it gets there. I also am a sort of sales man and along the way I have a few calls to make until we deliver the piano and then back to England for me. The piano was changed at the last minute, which was good for me since I got the higher commission but the Captain has been "at" me ever since. Because of the switch to a better piano which weights extra as well he is over loaded. Weight is serious business out here on the Ohio Canal in busy season. This time of year mules are more valued than men, and maybe that's partly why three men walked off last week.

The Captain and his son have business nearby Clinton, Ohio and we, the other four of us on the crew are waiting for the boat to go through the two locks which will take about three hours or more. We have decided to make a side trip to Rogue's Hollow which is supposed to be pretty wild and have some Parisian style dancing girls. I studied music in Paris and I have been telling my younger crew mates about the women in Paris for over 200 miles {on both the Ohio and Erie Canals] and they are anxious to get down to Rogue's Hollow. It is supposed to be a tough place but it can't be any tougher than day in and out on the canal. The fights at the locks to see who goes first are fierce at times. Our Captain is one of the toughest but he won't be with us this trip to Rogue's Hollow. The Captain surprised me and said we could go over to Rogue's Hollow, even me. The captain asked his brother in law who is over 40 years old to watch the boat and piano while the Clinton crew walks it through the locks, so I could go also. The Clinton town canal crew is doing the work at the lock special for us, which is unusual, because of me. My company has been shipping a lot of freight down this way and we are being given the royal treatment. They don't realize I am just a delivery boy I guess.

My two young friends on the boat look up to me. First I am from England and that seems romantic and far away to them. Second I have been to College and have studied and played piano professionally. Third was my accomplishment in the fight at the locks near Akron a few days ago. True it was a minor skirmish as far as canal fights go but I represented England bravely. We were in line to go through the locks, acting in a gentlemanly manner and another boat was trying to cut in front of us. We had a skeletal crew just me and the two youngest crew members. Everyone else was off boat for a well deserved break. The other crew had six members and looked pretty challenging. Unfortunately for them they had all cleaned up and had on their best clothes to go to a dance up in Akron. Well I charged them with my Mule dung sweeping broom and they backed down, four of them quickly and wisely retreated and even the captain had to laugh when he heard that story later.

It was about five miles over to the tavern in Rogue's Hollow and guess what- There are no dancing girls, never were, and this place isn't Paris, France, heck it isn't even Akron, Ohio where we were the other day. The girls in the bar here are about 50 years old and even the two teenagers won't get interested. We have decided to eat, have one drink and then get back to the boat for the miners down here seem pretty tough and we have been warned by the Captain's brother-in law that they don't like canal boat people who usually come into town spoiling for a fight.

I saved the day again and helped us to avoid the battle of Rogue's Hollow. As we ate coal miners just sort of drifted in to the bar like birds coming to bread at a garden party and before I knew it there were 10 of them and 3 of us. All seemed to be Welsh and I have a noticeable English accent so I thought it wise to stay quiet. One of the miner started calling us mule skinners, which I understand is some kind of American insult. That's when I decided to play the small broken up piano. I played Beethoven Fur Elise which broke the tension well but I had a brain storm and as I finished looked at the room and said to the mostly Welsh miners. "That's by Beethoven, he's part Welsh you know". From then on we were treated very well especially me. I played a few more sentimental songs and those Welshmen who like their Countrymen back home love to sing joined in.

We each got four drinks bought for us, and I'll just say it wasn't quality scotch whiskey and then somehow stumbled back to the boat. That's what I did one Saturday night in Clinton Ohio in 1844 on my way to delivering a new piano to a farmers wife in Dover, Ohio just down the canal. That woman loved that piano and I miss being on the Canal boat. I am back in England now and when punting on the Thames I sometime tell my lady friends about my battles on the Ohio Canal over in America.