Evening capital journal. (Salem, Or.) 1888-1893, 1889-04-11
7 AN OLD SALTS YARN >
A Treasure Found in a Cleverly-
Made Wooden Leg. -
The Whale and the Clam-A Jonah-Lile
Escape from Death-A Novel Combina-
ton of Wine Cellar, Bank and
~ Safety Deposit Vault.

ton of Wine Cellar, Bank and
~ Safety Deposit Vault.
An old man sat on the edge Of the string.
piece Of a South street dock ingenlously
splicing hawser, and his only companion
was short, black clay pipe, from which he
puffed spasmodically clouds of rank plug
tobacco smoke with much energy and sat
isfaction. His age, says the New York
Tribune, was about sixty his hair long and
gray, and about his withered but kindly
countenance there were many signs of the
hardshlps and privations he had expert
enced during "a life on the ocean wave"
Yet his appearance was not particularly
nautical, aside from a sou'western and a
few brass buttons which adorned an an
cient ''reefer." Nor would he have attract
ed much attention had it not been for an
old-fashioned wooden leg which was devoid
of all external covering below the knee ex-
cept a coat of white paint 1t was, more
over his right leg or q necessary substi-
tute for that useful member, and consisted
seemingly of a straight piece of timber
which tapered very awkwardly down from
his knee into thick brass ferule at the
bottom.
There was no crutch beside him, and the
reporter was curious to know how he man
aged to get about the deck of a vessel with
such primitive-looklng limb, when he rose
from his occupation and hobbled vigorously
over narrow plank from the dock to the
deck of a ralish-looking little schooner,
with remarkable cat-like agility. Then
along the deck and down into the Eliza
Anne's cabin the tall, angular and eccen-
trio figure disappeared for a few moments,
returning to his work with a large Jack
knife, with which he proceeded to trim off
the waste or ragged ends of a neat splice.
''Kinder spry, for an old fellow with
timber leg-ain't II" he observed, noticing
the writer had been watching him.
"You are, lndeedl" empahati cally re-
sponded the astonished reporter, taking a
seat by his side.
"Yes, and few on 'em's smarter nor me
to this day at sea-as 1 always says to my
eldest son, Bill, who owns part of that there
schooner. But, of course, 1 amt up to
much scaling riggin' or going aloft nova
days-which was the cause of my losing my
right leg, and subsiquant adoptin' of this
here apparattuss."
"How long have you worn itF'
''Thirty-yes, thirty-two years ago last
October, was blowed off the yardarm of
Capn Samuels peerless clipper ship, the
Dreadnaught-going to the BASTARD. There
was gale, and all hands were piped up to
reef and shorten sail, when the fust thing
knew kinder lost me footing on the stir
rups' of the lower foretopsail yard and was
.hrown on deck"
And"
"And this here leg that used to be was so
badly broken that it had to be amputated ut
he knee the next day by the ships surgeon,
Ind when we arrived in Liverpool 1 was
aiken to the Seamen's Hospital and laid up
or repairs.
'Then,' continued the ancient mariner,
Ifter regarding this wooden extremity with
nuch admiration for several moments, 81
lecame acquainted with another crippled
ailor who died of consumption. Take
bis, Joe,' says he, pointing to this here leg.
Faint much, 1 know says he, but may be
lseful when you get welp and with that he
he'd"
"Did it fit?r @gF -44,a,---,ss--..s
'Yes, to 7, and one day was examin
ng of it's wonderful mechanical construc
lon inside, when l found beneath a secret
lug in the hollow part of the leg here
gad of bank notes that took my breath
way Two hundred and fifty pounds, sir,
s true as Pm Cap'n Joseph Saltus, of
Holster"
our heart, put 'em back again and never
BIT on to nobody I'd found 'em for fear lin
onfidentiul whisperl his poor relations d
lear of the discovery and expect me to set
le up. Then, after had been in the hos
ital two months, 'Cap'n Sam visited me !
,ersonally, kind soul and insisted on my
eturnin' to his ship and accepting of a job
b the galley My cruise as assistant cook
board the old Dreadnaught came mighty
lear ending in a watery grave"
elbow was that?"
''You see we were bound for New York,
nd just off the banks got into calm, and 1
bought I'd try my luck fishing. So took
ig cod hook and line and sat on the for'ard
all, batting the hook with a whole clam,
nd, after tying the line to this wooden APP
endage for a fishing pole, cast out to star
oard for bite. / sat there for whole
our and was almost asleep, when all of a
hidden there came such a tug that / went
yerboard. 1t was whale. Just when l
expected to be swallowed whole like Jonah
omething gave way and was picked up on
he port side of the ship. The worst of 1t
vas there wasn't but one man aboard who
Ielieved whale had pulled me overheard. !
''You see most of the crew were asleep,
nd to make matters worse, me and themate,
man VINO refused 10 eau my apple uuIlp-
his, wasn't extra friendly, and he swore
hat was drunk at the time, which asser-
ion most on 'em believed until we arrived
ii Sandy Hook and discovered dead
Vhale,"
Another !" murmured the astonished re-
orter, preparing to hear a fresh whale
tory
"No,' interrupted the Captain, with an
rtful wink, ''the same whale that hooked
II the Banks"
"But how did you know itl"
"Why, by the line that was hanging out
I its mouth with this here leg attached to
!, of course"
"What, you lost your leg, thenl"
eyes, for the time being, and l was
Eighty lucky had one to lose, for might
ave lost my life if hadn't parted with my
g."
'Truel But what killed the whale"
'"rhe clam - insisted the Cap'n, ''which
las the biggest and toughest clam ever
aw before or since / baited that hook in the
pring of '5S ON board the Dreadnaught.
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