Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1881-01-29
CRACKING ON SAIL.
~. T. Goldrick in Hartford Times

A large Der centage OF disasters st sea are
directly due TO the passion OF driving or crack
ing on. American shipmasters excel In this
particular-no other ships are so recklessly
managed and no ships in the world are so
poorly manned. Then, too. If a man has a
general idea Of seamansnip, and wealth, or
wealthy friends, he iS at once put In co nmaud
Fertility In resources, energetic and prompt to
execute, and other namelesS qualifications
ought TO DC essential elements In the man who
assumes the discharge OF a ship officers duties,
and Jet ship owners seem TO ignore All that
seeking 10 Md the half, The third, or even the
quarter, Interest as or a deal more Importance
II is very true that good many cool seamen
wealth or Influence for the distinction But the
ruie Is 20 give the vessel TO tue man who puts
the U0st money IN the venture without regard
TO the Necessary ability 10 handle ship.
he MesSrs. Blunt, Eich 4 WadAigl We're
ship owners, and their Office 10 South sJret did
a large South American business. They ID
several ships Ia the Liverpool trade. not speak
Ing OF tue round dozen or coasters owned by
this firm. The film always insisted on a money
qualification In a captain, and the result Was
that TIT ir ships were driyea until they were
almost worthless. Then they were loaded up
with odds and ends, heavily Insured aud sent
10 sea They rarely came Dlck. IL they came
back they were sure 10 disappear the next Trip,
and the captain was bound 10 find new saip
waiting for him. occasionally the Msssrs
Blunt, Fitch & Wadleigh would lose q ship un-
eXpectedly, but as long as they were safe on
the underwriters books they did nos mucl
care about the ships COMPANY or i.drire n,
anybody was saved.
The ship Planet belonged to The above FIR A.
and when my story commences she was in the
Waterloo dock taking 10 em!srants aud their
stores. Her destination was Ia New YORK ard
che was advertised TO sail la a day or two
She was half clipper. heavily spared. and
bearing the evidence about her that she was
lot allowed TO loitef by the way. Size had all
the features OF q safe and Trustworthy SHY, and
so there was no difficulty found In securing the
4G0 AID ODD passengers that were about TO trust
Themselves 10 the tender mercy OF the Atlantic.
inc captain was Siouchy Individual, with
Dioaied features and suspicious rednesj Ia bis
lace. but ne rarely came on deck or interfered
with the first officer, who performed his duty
with great flourish, evidently calculated TO
impress The passengers with due sense OF his
Importance.
The day before the ship hauled out into the
stream quiet ,gentlfmanly appearing man came
on Doe I'd. and, after keen stare al the mate
Ind glance at the cabin accommodations, en-
gagged state room. AS this man eiDowed his
way among the passengers those who noticed
when their safety depended upon his ability TO
handle ship. He did not stay long, but
FASTENED away TO send his traps on board.
The next morning, as the ship was hauling ont,
marked "E. S. W." were slowed away In the
hold. small leather trunk and valise were
transferred 70 his state.ro0m, after which he
disappeared from View.
ship had cleared the channel and vas running
to the westward with light breeze under q
perfect Cloud OF canTaS-Stutding sales on both
sides up TO The main to' gallant sail, and the
crew, a ardlooking, vicious gang Of Liverpool
men-the hardest characters In the Horid-Were
etlhg driven about from sheets to braces. The
captain was engaged In his favOrite amusement
OF "curslng and blasting the eyes, OF the man al
the wheel, and il was evident at glance that
that red face and those blear eyes were the re-
suit OF a long debauch. Each lurch OF the ship
caused him 10 sway to and fro by the backstay,
which was his usual hOlding-on place when
slightly sprung. The mate was fair seaman.
bull standing in mortal fear Of the captain
the same might be said OF the other officers
who stood In mortal fear OF the mate IL was
the mates watch, and he was busily engaged In
securing things for the long trip across the
western ocean. The passengers Ia open eyed
wonder locked at the crew as they scurried
about the decks, surprised that Hlau could
calmly take such hearty abuse without at least
resulting 1t by word or look.
After day or two out things became shaken
into their places. The captain In port and the
same man at sea were altogether different ind1-
v1duais- Now he was cross, sulky mau, with
a yillainous odor of whisky clingtng to him
There were about dozen cabin passengers
and after each Of them had received snub or
Two, they preferred 10 let the captain alone
The quiet man didn't seem TO have eyes for
anything but book. which was his constant
companion. Occasionally game of chess.
checkers or Spanish poles enlivened the cabin
people, and when these things failed 10 interest
they would saunter about the deck until tS was
Time to retire. The other passengers. mostly
Irish and Dutch, had hard time or 1t, and
bitterly complained OF The trashy stuff served
our 10 them. as If they were dogs.
For the first ten days battling winds and
nasty head sea did not tend 10 make the captain
a very amlabie man. but on the mOratng OF the
eleventh day out fresh breeze from the north.
eaSt overlook her, and all the morning the
hasty trampng or the sailors lntimated TO those
below that there were lively times on deck
The hOaTSe orders OF the mate were succeeded
by The still hoarser roarS OF the captain set
ting studdfng sails, and when the caDin pas
sebger5 began 10 crawl on deck the ship was
covered with canvas from the lower sails TO her
royals
AL that day the wind increased In violence
and in the dog watches, was Increased TO
gale. sun those in the snip did not notice that
SO much on account or the tact that she was
running from IT. The sea, too, came In regular
ridges, and the heavy pressure on her masts
kept her steady; so she skinned along with a
grdnC motion Towards night II ne,nc tha
mates watch, he took in the studdng- sails and
hautd the royals. He was getting ready to
cleW up the main sail. when the captain stag
gered on deck, aud, lurching In the direction OF
the back stay. he managed to grasp lie as he
roared cut:
'.Hic: What the - are you doing, Jamlson?
DIDN'T tell you TO crack on with This wind In
our starn? Send the hands up TO loose those
royals agin. and just pack that mains1 on her
you luDberly coward. What In - are Vol,
afraid ot-a capful OF wind; hey?r
The mate strobe up TO the back -Stav and eX-
planned that there was an OCCASION squall
passing over; that she was steering vii I, and so
he thought he'd ease her a little. '.Saeps 90
Ing twelve knots now, whichfs fast enough |
take it."
"You clap that mainsail on to her, you fool.
Dol t you suppose know what I'm about: and
II you're scared go below and put your head in
bag"
The mate strobe away; the three royals
were set, the mainsail sheeted, and the Planet,
trembling In every joint, went boring into the
night that was now fairly shutting down on the
by Ing ship aud the heaving ocean.
The captain chucking to himself at his own
daring, crawled back 10 his state-rOotn TOOK
another NIP" and reeled back to his post at
the back stay. After bit he got 1t through his
head that the studding- sails were taken 10, and
he roared out
stand by to set the ma.ntopmast STUN
sail :"
This order made the men express hope that
he'd take the sticks out OF her, and the mate
had the haIdihOod to say that the Old man was
either very drunk or getting crazy but he went
about the difficult JoD OF serttng the studding.
sail, aid after an hours labor succeeded Ia SET
ting II.
AS the night wore on, the wind increased In
volume, the waves grew higher and broader
and The ship began TO sheer wildly. Occa
sloDally big sea would overtake her and la %
inooard over the rail She beg IN 10 roll
heavily, and the watch below 10 the rorecastls
turned out ana graVely discussed The unusual
Incident OF a ship running away from Il tempest
under press OF sail.
The morning brought Do change In the as.
pect or affairs only worse. The tempest rOared
through The top ham uer, and the maStS benz
aId tuckled under the heavy strain. The steer