St. Landry democrat., 1889-02-02
AN OLD SALTS YARN.
How Peter johnson Was Used as FA"s
to Stop a Leak on Shipboard.

HOW Peter JOhnSS)n WAS OscA 90
to Stop q Leak on ShipD0ard'
Old Peter Johnson. familiar landmark"
of South street, and who in the memory VI
the oldest deck hand in this city, mas never
been known to stir away from his seat Oh
an old box at the corner of South street ana
Coenties slip, tells the New York A0enatg
Sun most remarkable tails Of the troubles
through which he had to pass to become an
American citizen, and to run away from MS
birthplace in Sweden. - ----~-
It seems that Peter, whose name Is no'
Peter at all, but some thing in which al tne
letters in the alphabet are combined, was
born in a little hamlet in Sweden EVef
since he first read a translation OF "hopih-
son Crusoe," at the age Of ten, Peter hau d
violent passion for the sea. One day ne
heard of America. He asked how lar OIL
this great land might be, and his 1atner re-
piled that it was on the other SIDE OF Tue
great Irish sea and across the AJlantlc'
The next day Peter made up little bunoie
of necessaries and started off to IND TINS
glorious Ell Dorado He reached Lels,
small fishing port on the coast OF Sweden.
Walking along the wharves he saw
bark of about eight hundred tons that was
advertised to start for New York on that
very day. He had never heard OF New " rk
but as he clambered over the port rall oi
the little ship he blindly hoped that II was
somewhere near his goal. On board ne
found all deserted. BY accident Peter
stumbled into the hold of the ship. he Sc
creted himself among a number OF barrels,
and as he was very tired he fell asleep
About ten hours afterward he was aWak-
ened by peculiar clanking noise The
ship was rolling horribly. Her wooden
sides were being strained to the utmost ex-
tent and Peters heart stood still.
"Well, the end of it was" said the OLD
man last evening to the writer, " that
went on deck. was mighty SICK coiloose'
can tell YOU. But l wasn't too sick to see
. that something hor' BILE had happened. Inc
capn stood near the wheel looking nope
lessly toward shore, and didn't even notlce
me. The sea was runnin' high. neaVy
gale had caught US to leeward and we had
sprung leak. Our ship. was pretty last
and we were out of sight Of land. the
leak was big one and our ship was hllln
fast. All the men were at work at tue
pumps, but the water was galnln' on EN-
and they were losin' heart and nope.
When the cap saw me he didn't fire on ana
cat-tail me. No; he just caught me by the
shoulder here and he jest looked up 10
Heaven thus way, and he jest said, 'Ihanh
Godn sorter happy like.
"Then he hurried me down into the hold
and then he said somethin' to one OF the
men as was at the pumps. The man went
away, but he soon come back N told the cap
that all was right
"Then the cap'n took me down into the
bow of the old hulk. That's wher' she'd
sprung leak. Their was a hole bout the
size of your body on the starboard SIDE
The capn, he and the man then cotched me
up, an mates, would you believe it, they
lust stuck me in that hole up to my
armpits, they did, blast me if they dldn'ts
1t was mighty uncomfortable to me, but 1t
stopped the water from foWin' in. After a
while the water was all pumped out, an
then the carpenter fixed the hole. For my
part of the work the cap'n gave me Tree
passage, and here am" ...
And then Peter johnson closed his teeth
on an old clay pipe, nor would he open them
again to say one word in explanation OF nus
| strange adventure.