The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1878-02-09


days and fifteen hours,--a distance of
nearly three thousand miles. The hulls of
these steamers are of iron, the masts are of
iron, the rigging is iron,-iron is around
you everywhere. Huge bolts and screws
and nuts seem to bid defiance to time and
wear and storm. Giant anchors hung at
the bows, linked to vast cables, strong
enough to hold the world if it should hap
pen to get adrift. In fact | could not help
thinking if we could run one of those
gigantic mud hooks out to Mars, we could
take it in tow, aud then settle at our
leisure the question whether there were
more than two moons OIL not. But look
( ing at the grim outside, or up at the smoky
sails and yards, you never appreciate the
ocean steamer as you do when you 90
down in the grand cabins and see the
/ magnificent state room revealing the finest
| apartments OF our tirst-class hotels, bath
rooms, and loungng rooms, and smoking
| rooms. and reading rooms. with a luxurious
! table loaded with the freshest of vegetables
the rearest of fruits, and the choicest OF
/ fish. flesh and fowl Ocean-travel is not
now the severe trial that it was in former
! times, and men talk now of going to China
| and Japan with less fear than they formerly
made the passage between New York and
! Boston. The City of Berlin" of which
| spoke, is the model steamer, as well as
one of the largest steamers that goes out of
the port OF New York, her measurement be
/ ing between five and six thousand tons, and
her capacity for passengers being some
| thing over two thousand. the united meas
urement of the fleet being forty thousand
tons, with monster engines, aggregating
seven thousand horse power. This has
! been severe season for our steamship
/ lines. The emigration which a few years
ago amounted to between three and four
! hundred thousand annually has dropped to
! less than sixty thousand. Freghts have
been lower this season than they have been
suffered severely, the Inman suffering
less than the others on account of the pop
| ularity OF their vessels and officers, and
their unequaled facilities for transportation.
Near Fulton Ferry lies the "James
Foster" one of the Black Ball Line. l
never pass her without a shudder. About
tnree years ago she arrived in this port,
with her crew and passengers in condition
That would have shamed the Black Hole of
Calcutta. The horrors Of the slave-ship in
the terrible middle passage were revived,
and the sailors say that on stormy night
at sea the ghosts of dead men at sea can be
seen dancing on the bowsprit, or sitting on
the yards, while means and cries come over
the stormy sea like the shrieks of drown
ing men.
1t is not pleasant to be compelled to
| travel along the docks at night. 1t is true
'iat every block is patroled and the river
police are lynx eyed and strong, but the
men they are placed there to watch are the
most daring, desperate and reckless in the
world 1t has been remarked by some
philosopher, whose penetration was only
equaled by his benevolence, that thief
looked very much like an honest man in a
crowd. Your river thief does not belong
to that class. No one could possibly
mistake him for anything but what he is
a low, bruIalized, murderous ruffian. He
| began life as a wharf-rat, he robbed
market women of apples and children of
| their candy and toys, broken bales of
cotton opened to him untold visions of
Paradise, till at last lie stole boat aud
set up for river thief. Utterly brutalized
and degraded, he has neither humanity
nor fear. In a letter few weeks ago |
mentioned about the death of Dan Skely
who was killed by the mate of the Ocean
King, and about which such a sensation
occurred at the time Ii was on the night
of the Sth of December, 1876, the ocean
King was anchored in the middle of the
river, nearly opposite the landing of the
Fall River steamers; the night was dark
and stormy, not star to be seen, the only
relief to the ;nky blackness being the twin
king lights that iiIckered on either shore.
The captain had left the ship, and the chief
mate, William Graham, was in command.
AS night closed in he looked to the anchors,
saw that all was taught aloft, gave strict
orders to the watch on deck to keep a
sharp look ont, and then retired to his
cabin; he had fallen asleep with his head
on the table when he was awakened Icy
some one trying the cabin door; the lamp
had gone out and he was in the dark, lis
teuing for a moment and not being able to
divine the cause he went up the steps and
opened the door; seeing nothing he stepped
out on deck to look for the man on watch,
when he was Immediately seized by some
one from behind who tried to throw him on
the deck; struggling toward the side of the
ship he seized an iron Delaying pin, and
freeing himself with desperate effort he
dealt his assaiaut a blow which laid him
senseless on the deck; almost at the same
instant he was struck down himself by
blow from an unseen foe, and blow after
blow were rained upon him with terrible
and murderous effect; the second officer
reused by the noise and cutlery, reached the
deck Just as Dan Sicily had recovered from
the mates blow, and blinded and bleeding
as he was, he prepared to take hand in
the fray: he seized a capstan bar to strike
the PROSTATE mate, when pistol shot rang
out sharp and clear, aud Dan Sicily lay
lifeless on the deck, the other pirates leap
ed into their boat and made for the Jersey
shore; the report of fire arms had alarmed
the river police, and on their way to the
scene of the bloody fray they met the flying
| thieves Then commenced one of the most
exciting races on record, for it was race
of life or death; both crews were active
and strong, and both knew every point of
the river. They had emptied their pistols
and now lay to their oars, the boats fairly
flying through the water; they had almost
reached the dock of the Erie railroad when
a man in the stern stood mp, and, flourish
ing his pistol, swOre he had one shot left
for any one who should attempt to board