Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1885-02-13
ROUTED By A TIGER,
A Schoonerss Crew Terrifed and the
Vessel Aimlessly Drining-BoiIinS
Water Used With Effect-A Cuptaiu's
story efthe Dangerous Passengers

|
| Hercules, which came up the river
last night after towing the bring
Helena Morris as far as Lswes, Del,
reported having rendered assistance
to the schooner H. l., Whitford,
/ this side of Lswes under very exciting
and unusual circumstances. The
Whitford was not damaged and CON
tinued on her voyage after she had
been hauled off by the tug boat.
Capt. Healey is bluff and weather
beaten old mariner, who, several
years ago gave up deep water sailing
and bought controlling interest in
| the tug boat Hercules, because foreign
| voyages took him too much away from
his family. He has Salways.been noted
| for his pluckinesS and hardihood.
Leaning bac@ in a comfortable chair
in the cozy little cabin of his tug boat
last evening Capt. Healey related his
story:
II left the wharf here on Friday
| afternoon with the Helena Morris in
.ow. | was to take her as far as
LeweS, as they we're iN hurry TO get
to sea. The wind had veered from
the northwest to northeast, and blew
| stra. .ght into our teeth. 1t was 2
o'clock In the morning before we got
| down to LeweS, so after casting adrlft
oar tow line from the brig I decided TO
come to anchor and lie there until
morning, thinking perhaps | could
| get vessel to tow up to the city 1t
was blowing pretty fresh, but l gave
the tug long range of chain, put up
an anchor light, and turned in, leav-
ing one man on watch in the pilot
house.
II think il must have been about
half-past 8 o'clock when the man on
watch ran down to my bunk and shook
me up with the startling news that
there was schooner drifting down
upon us broadside to. l slipped pea
jacket on and ran on deck, and sure
enough there was a five-hundred- ton
schooner bearing down upon us with
all her sails set. She had her side lights
up. but there was nobody at the wheel.
What surprised me was that she
should drift almost broadsae TO the
wind with her canvas on. The only
way could account for it was that
her anchor was down and dragging
the bottom.
''She fortunately did not collide with
the tug boat, and, as she drifted past
| shouted in hopes of waking up the
people on board, for, TO tell The truth.
thought they had all turned in with
out setting any anchor watch, ana
thai the schooner had simply driftGd
from her moorings. You can imagine
my surprise when at least half dozen
voices answered my shout. Some Of
them came from aloft in the riggings
of the schooner, and auotGer ans wer
ing shout from the water AS the
schooner loomed up through the
morning mist / made out the situation
of the men.
There was one man standing on the
foretop mast crosStrees, witt. q red
handkerchief tied in the rigging above
his head; another stoed up in the
maintop, shouting, and in the yawl-
boat astern were three men, one of
whom stood up in the bows of the
boat with an oar in his hand, as if he
were waiting for somebody or some
thing to show up over the schooner's
taffrail AS they drifted past one of
the men in the yawl got up and shout
ed:
"'Come aboard of us, for Gods
sakel We are helplessW
cat first / could not imagine what
was the matter, except that the vessel
was in the hands of mutineers. This l
thought probable, as there only five
zen to be scen. There were still two
three men to be accounted for,
Idging from the scho. ner's size. The
men of the boat still kept shouting
and waving at us, SO | called the tugs
crew, got our anchor up, and started
IN chase of the drifting schooner. She
was MT more than half a mile distant
when we put after her, and the tug
gained on her very fast. Sse was
drifting in shore, and by the time we
got within a cables length oil her she
grounded By that time | had made
preparations to board the vessel, and
capture the mutineers who | supposed
had possession of her. ! shouted to
the men in the yawl to cut adrift and
come on board of us, but they had
onlv one oar in the boat. As we got
near the schooner | mustered the five
men on board the Hercules, and
counted our weapons. We had three
revolvers and a shotgun.
"'Now let her &c for the schooner,
I yelled to the pilot, as | reached up
for the signal rope, and blew three
shrill whistles. The last shrek had
hardly died away when a terrific,
blood curdling roar that almost took
| us off our feet came from the schoon
er's deck We were almost alongside
and had barely time to pull two bells
| 10 back her, when the vessels touched.
There was jar, the schooner trem-
bled, and as the tag slowly drew of,
another terrific roar drowned the noise
of escaping steam. A great monster
of tiger sprang from behind the gal
ley-house. Three revolvers and a
shot gun were pointed at the brute.
Hold on, boys said, let us make
up oar minds what is best
'sThe schooner's crew, who were
perched in the rigging, yelled for us
to shoot low and kill the beast
pulled one bell and stopped the tug.
By this time the men in the yawl-boat
had cut adrift, and they clambered
over the side of the tug. They were
Capt. Petit and the mate and cook Of
the schooner. There was no time for
explanations We had to work sharp,
for a sudden veer in the wind might
blow the schooner off and start her
adrift again. Capt. Petit had a heavy
navy revolver with him, and we now
slowly steamed around the stern Of
the schooner and crept up alongside
as close as we could with safety.
''His majesty the royal Bengal tiger
tay DOING on the starboard side of
the galley house. As / pulled the
gong TO stop the tug he raised his head
and l gave the word, 'Aimt' he look
ed at US for a moment, and, as he
opened his mouth TO roar, shouted,
'Firep The conteats of four revolyers
and a shot gun were poured at the
tiger, and with roar of rage and pain
that you could have heard mile off,
the animal rose on his launches. One
of his fore paws hung limp. The beast
tried togather himself up for spring
but he could not manage it; he had
been peppered in the legs.
"I don't want TO Kill the tiger,
said Capl. Petit, if we can get him |
to go back bet 9een decks, where his |
cage is. I am afraid the consignees |
won't pay freight on him il make |
away with him.
AFTER that we threw chunks of |