Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1885-02-12
ROUTED BY A TIGER.


Water Used With EGect-A Captains
STORY of the Dangerous Passengers
gecapture.
Papt. Peter Healey, Of the tug-boat
Hercules, which came up the river
Last night after towing the bring
Helena Morris as far as Lewes, Del,
reported having rendered assistance
40 the schooner H. L. Whitford,
This side of Lewes under very exciting
and unusual circumstances. The
Whitford was not damaged and con-
4inued on her voyage after she had
seen hauled off by the tugboat.
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 always.been noted
Cor his pluckinoss and hardihood.
Leaning bac~ IN a comfortable chair
In the coy little cabin of his tug boat
last evening Capt. Healey related his
story:
81 LETT the wharf here on Friday
afternoon with the Helena Morris in
1ow. I was to take her as far as
Lewes, as they were Ia hurry to get
20 sea. The wind had veered from
the northwest TO northeast, and blew
straight into our teeth. It was 3
o'clock IN the morning before we got
down to Lewes, so after casting adrift
car tow-line from the brig [ decided to
come to anchor and lie there until
21orning, thinking perhaps / could
get q vessel to tow up to the city. It
was blowing pretty fresh, but gave
the tug q long range of chain, put up
an anchor light, and turned in, leav-
ing one man on watch in the pilot
Aouse.
81 think it must have been about
half-past 3 o'clock when the man on
watch ran down to my bunk and shook
nae up with the startling news that
there was schooner drifting down
sIpon us broadside to. l slipped pea
Jacket on and ran on deck, and sure
enough there was a fvo-hundred-to 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 broadside to the
wind with her canvas on. The only
way / could account for 1t was that
Aer anchor was down and dragging
the bottom
''She fortunately did not collide with
the tug boat, and, as she drifted past
Z shouted In hopes of waking up the
people on board, for, to tell The truth.
L thought they had all turned in with
out setting any anchor watch, and
that the schooner had simply drifted
from her moorings. You can imagine
my surprise when at least half dozen
voices answered my shout Some of
&hem came from aloft in the riggings
of the schooner, and another answer
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
Eoretop-mast crosstrees, with a red
handkerchief tied in the rigging above
his head; another stood up ia the
rnaintop, 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
fafrail. AS they drifted past one of
the men in the yawl got up and shout
ed:
=" Come aboard of us, for Gods
sake! We are helplessw
lat first [ could not imagine what
wase he matter, except that the vessel
was in the hands of mutineers. This I
thought probable, as there only five
een to be seen. There were still two
= sgh,8e men to be accounted for,
d dging from the scho0ners size. The
men Of the boat still kept shouting
4aGad waving at US, SO called the tugs
crew, got our anchor up, and started
In chase of the drifting Schooner. She
was not more than half mile distant
when we put after her, and the tug
gained on her very fast. She was
drifting in shore, and by the time we
got within a cables length OF her she
grounded. By that time [ had made
preparations to board the vessel, and
capture the mutineers who [ supposed
had possession of her. I shouted to
the men IN the yawl to cut adrift and
come on board of us, but they had
only one oar IN the boat, AS we got
HEAR b1lS SC1OOACT uuSb6E0u bL0 live
men on board the Hercules, and
counted our weapons. We had three
revolvers and shotgun.
"'Now let her &C for the schooner
Z yelled to the pilot, as [ reached up
FOR the signal-rope, and blew three
sI1rill 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
aand had barely time to pull two bells
10 back her, when the vessels touched.
There was Jar, the schooner trem-
aIed, and as the tag slowly drew off,
another terrific roar drowned the noise
of escaping steam. \ great monster
of tiger sprang from behind the gal
lighthouse. Three revolvers and a
shotgun were pointed at the brute.
Hold on. bows [ said. 'let AS make