Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1882-12-26
PART II.

until the loss was made up.
PART II.
SIXTY CENTS WORTH
wonder how many passengers on the
Oakland ferry ever speculate seriously
on what they would do-in fact, on what
would happen-should they fall over
board on the trip.
If such gloomy calculations filled theil
minds, and, impelled by them, the pas
senger strolled forward or aft on the
main deck to inspect the life boats, he
would not need to possess a very in.
innate knowledge Of nautical affairs to
be ominously impressed by what he
would see.
OF course, we all know that general
law requires each steamboat, in addition
to other ife-saving facilities, to provide
a number of life-boats in proportion tc
the steamers capacity. These are, in
the language Of the specifications re-
lating thereto, "to be slung on the main
deck, kept in constant working order,
ready for instant use, and the deck.
hands familiarized with the working of
the same by weekly drills"
The inquiring passengers referred to
would notice, we repeat, that on the
ferry lines referred to the regulations
are practically ignored. The boats, lie
would perceive, are slung on davits,
stout by rust; the lowering tackle solid
fled into iron like rigidity by the use Of
paint; the life boats themselves covered
by an deliberately fastened canvas hood,
and the oars fastened in sort of rack,
and the whole apparatus tied, strapped
and incumbered in manner perplexing
to the most ready-fngered sailor, much
less to the chuckle-headed, slow-moving
deckhand of the period.
A very impartial little calculation
would then show the astonished passen-
ger in question that should he fall over
board, or jump Over and then repent
him Of the act, as most suicides do, ii
would be at least fifteen minutes, IN all
probability, before he could be reached.
Adding this cheerful result to the fact,
statistically proved, that not more than
four persons out of a thousand, in
GLIDING swimmers, can keep afoat for
ten minutes in smooth water with their
clothes on, the passengers would doubt
less conclude by keeping as far away
from the side railing as possible, and
even read the next published account of
ga Determined Suicide" on the ferry
line with as much skepticism as interest.
And yet our steamboat inspectors do
not look as If few hundred indirect
murders weighed very heavily on their
possible minds, somehow.
It was December again, and, lacking
few days, a year had slipped by since
the lion had reversed the fable by gnaw-
ing the net for the mouse to escape.
That morning the merchant, who, for
some inscrutable reason, resided in that
corporate cemetery known as Oakland,
had fired the imagination of his little
daughter by reading at the breakfast
table the inspiring news that two baby
tigers had just been born at Woodward's
gardens. As necessary sequence he
had finally yielded to the mandate Of
the domestic despot that she should be
conveyed forthwith to that realm Of
juvenile delight. So papa. mamma and
the golden-haired midget in the family
lead took an early boat for the city-the
grown folks gravely pretending, for
| some ridiculous reason peculiar to grown
folks everywhere, that they did not
| themselves care to look at the animals,
| but that it wouldn't do to trust the
nurse, altogether, in such place.
AS the ferry-boat neared the wharf on
the city side, the mother was in the
cabin engaged in the discussion OF
nursery mysteries with some neighbor.
ing matron, while the merchant, who
had descended to the lower deck with
the child, was head over ears in pclit-
ical disquisition regarding the new Cab
met. Little Lille, at length getting
tired of hanging to the unresponsive big
| forefnger of her fathers hand, trotted
| off unnoticed to the side of the boat to
peer timidly from beneath the gangway
rail at the great, tall poles that were
sweeping close past as the boat entered
the slip. They reminded her of SO many
soldiers on parade.
AS the steamers bow crunched against
the piles with more than usually vic.
lent preliminary jar, sudden inarticu.
late shout of terror rose from the pass.
engcrs. The little bundle of chubby
prettiness had tottered and disappeared
over the side.
my God!'' shrieked the paralyzei
father, as the crowding of the boat
against the slip shut the drowning
child from sight and rendered help i'm.
possible; 'sshe will be crushed under
the wheel"
"Back back I" shouted the passen
gers to the pilot, and, while the frantic
screams Of the hysterical mother chilled
their hearts, and dozen kindly hands
restrained the insane father from aim.
lessiy leaping from the opposite side, the
engine bells jingled furiously, and the
huge mass halted and then began slowly
&c move outward again.
Hoping against hope, the coolest Of
the passengers crowded to the rail with
boat-hooks, until, after what seemed an
eternity of time to the white, watching
faces above, narrow streak of water
was revealed, which grew wider and
wider.
"Well, Tn ~" said one of the
deck-hands, who was peering under the
| side, "if wharf-rat hasn't got it."
But the shudder caused nv thi,