Alpena weekly argus. [volume] (Alpena, Mich.) 1871-1893, 1889-12-25
Afoat with a Madman.

New York harbor, thirteen months
ago, bound on long cruise through
China seas, a meek looking little
Chinaman named Ah Sin occupied
the cooks galley. He was a strange
little man and positively refused to
have anything to do with any of the
crew. AS the voyage progressed it
was found that All Sin sat all day
long in his galley smoking opium, and
that often he continued his debauches
far into the night.
One raw, clustering morning, when
the ship had been out seventy-six days
All Sin, whose duty it was not only to
cook, but to attend the fore-sheet, was
ordered up by the second mate. He
positively refused to leave his galley
and, closing the door with bang,
went back to his bunk and his opium.
The wind increased to gale and all
hands were ordered aloft.
In the meantime the second mate
had reported All Sins insubordina-
tion to the first mate, Donald A.
Nicholson, who determined to investi-
gate for himself. All Sin, intensely
excited, met him at the galley door.
Before Nicholson could say anything
the Chinaman yelled out in broken
English that he was going to kill three
men-the captain, the steward and
the chief mate-and then, as quick as
thought, he pulled pistol from un-
der his long blouse and fired at Mich
olson. The bullet passed under the
chief mates arm and the interview
was abruptly ended. Mr.. Nicholson
went back to the captain and report
ed progress.
And now All Sin went to work to
defy the whole crew and to make his
galley an impregnable fortification.
The galley stood amidships. 1t has
three and four windows, and it virtu-
ally covers the deck f; the windows
sweep fore and aft, and the doors COW
er the starboard and larboard sides.
All Sin had a lot of carpenter tools
in the galley, and with these he sawed
off the boards of his bunk and nailed
them up against the doors and win
dows, taking care to leave a space be-
tween the boards through which he
could stick the muzzle of his pistol
and likewise watch any hostile ad-
vance. Having taken these precau-
tions against an attack, he began to
carefully load several pistols which
were in the galley. In some way a
number of boxes of cartridges had
found their way into the galley, and
when All Sin surveyed things he saw
he was pretty well able to endure a
pretty long siege. He had any amount
of provisions and ammunition and as
many pistols as he could handle.
BY this time the crew was hungry.
They had had nothing to eat because
there was no one to cook, and to add
to their discomfort cold rain was
mingled with the wind. The men
were thoroughly drenched and unhap-
py. A consultation was held, and
Captain Bailey promised that if All
Sin would only come out and 60 to
work all would be forgiven him. The
steward, who was also Chinaman,
was despatched with this message and
a flag of truce. AS soon as All Sin
caught sight of him he opened fire
and the steward promptly retreated.
A couple of sailors who we're forward
attempted about this time to go aft
and the vigilant All Sin made it so
hot for them that they were glad to
give up the attempt. All that day
and all the next things remained in
this condition. From behind his port
holes All Sin swept the deck. When
ever a head was put up he blazed
away at it.
All this time the wind was blowing
a gale, and the Southern Cross was
bounding along, with the waves break
ing over her and practically no one to
direct her. The sailors were afraid
to move about. for the vigilance of
All Sin was never ceasing, and wheth-
er the men attempted to climb mast
or creep forward or aft, bullet whistl-
ing by their ears warned them that
their only safety lay below.
On the morning of the second day
a keener edge was added to their ap-
prehcnsions. First mate Nicholson
heard sound of cutting and ham
mering at the deck coming from the
galley. He knew that there was stor-
ed away just beneath the insane Chin
aman some 500 cases of gasoline and
twelve tons of cartridges He also
knew that the cook was aware of all
this dangerous material aud that lie
was cutting his way down for the pur-
pose of blowing up the ship. 1t was
not pleasant thought away out there
in mid-ocean, not sail in sight, with
a gale every moment increasing in vi
olence behind them.