Thomas County cat. [volume] (Colby, Kan.) 1885-1891, 1885-09-10
IT WAS ONLY BLACK SAND.
Thrilling Experience of a Captain on the
Erie Canal.


A New England skipper. shipping
clerk and the Captain of a canal-boat
sat on the lee rail of goldfish schooner
and discussed the decline of the Ameri-
can merchant marine. The clerk was
wise in fine points of law. the skipper
was filled to overlooking with wrath
against the land-sharks at Washington
and the Captain assented with cheerful
readiness to the most conflicting of
opinions. The clerk wanted to reform
Congress by congressional legislation.
the skipper was on the point of blowing
up the Capitol with dynamite, and the
Captain conceded with both opinions by
remarkiag that either remedy, if sue
cessfully carried into effect. would pro-
duce astonishing results. Still. he VEN
tured to suggest, it would be measure
of precaution to use gunpowder instead
of dynamite. as gun-powdcr in even the
shot gun of the South was more deadly
than all the dynamite in the British
isles.
But it's so dangerous to handle"
said the skipper.
'.How so?" inquired the clerk, who
had handled uncounted tons of explo.
sives.
You never cap tell it from black
sand"
There was silence for several minutes.
Then the Captain spoke.
us black sand particularly danger
ous?' he asked.
mighty dangerous
How SOP asked the clerk, with a
tinge of humiliation for his ignorance
when you're down on the Chinese
coast, and YOU load up your guns with
black sand in mistake for powder to
repel an attack by pirates, you're always
sure to be murdered, because the black
sand will not 90 Off
Wont it2" asked the Captain. in q
tone that implied that it would.
Il never heard" said the skipper.
The clerk was dumb through newly.
found ignorance.
"You see that scar" said the Captain,
pointing to red ridge across his cheek
well, give us the story urged the
skipper.
1T was years ago." began the Cap
tain; l was running fast packet line
on the Erie canal from Albany to Buff
falo. l had beautiful boat and four
fast horses every few miles. We carried
the mail and always had big load of
passengers. One trip we took on board
lot of small barrels labeled black
sand One of the barrels was acct
dentally broken open, the cover lost.
and quart or so of the black sand
scattered about the hold. The barrel
was set out of the way near the wine
cask. and apparently was forgotten.
At dinner time some more wine was
wanted by some of the passengers, and
l went down to draw It from the
cask. As the hold was dark took a
broken piece OF candle for light.
Scarcely knowing what l did ] stuck
the candle upright in the black
sand,' and sat down on the floor
to draw the wine. 1 had been up
all night and was very tired, and
some how or other l fell asleep. l must
have shut off the faucet while asleep,
for when awoke the wine pitcher was
filled and the faucet closed. As |
reached out my hand to take up the
candle saw a sight that froze nv
blood with horror. While l had slept
the candle had burned low and was on
the point of Pickering ont. In another
instant the'flame would reach the pow
der-for of course it was powder, and
no black sand-and blow boat, crew.
and passengers to atoms. l died
thousand deaths in an instant. l was
paralyzed with fear, and could only
wait with staring eyes for the end.
Death was already at my throat. The !
sound of laughter in the cabin came
strangely to my ears. They were feast
ing in the face of a terrible death At
last the end came; the light fiickered
for moment. fared up for the last
And them" whispered the skipper
and the clerk with breathiess interest.
.'And then went out. As it was
nothing but black sand for molders'
use. nothing occurred beyond the up
setting of the pitcher of wine as fell
forward in faint"
But the SCARF" asked the clerk.
clicked by mule; usual way with
canal men. Y. Times.