San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1890-09-30
TRAMPS ON SHIPBOARD.
A CHAMPION DEADHEAD THAT IN
TESTED A STEAMSHIP.

He Beat a Mail steamer After Being Aban-
doned in the South Seas-How the Vagrant
of the Deep Excels the Land Tramp In
Ingenuity and Skill.
1.-THE best illustration | can give you Of the
nerve of the regular sea tramp is the case of
stowaway on the Mariposa on her last trip
down TO Australia" said ship officer
1t appears that when the Mariposa was
steaming out past Alcatraz she was boarded
by a couple of policemen who had a warrant
for the arrest of one Mike Culligan, a burly
city front celebrity who had belabored a
companion in brawl so that the fellows life
was despaired of. The policemen searched
the steamer from stem to stern, but found no
trace of the missing Culligan, though they
had received positive information that he had
slowed away. OF course the ships officers
were interested in preventing any stowaway
from beating his passage, and assisted the
policemen to the fullest. 1t seemed impossi-
BILE that the fugitive could be aboard, and
the search was given up and the officers dis
embarked.
This was in the afternoon. and about six
hours later, when the steamer was well
out to sea, up walks the missing Culligan
from his hiding place somewhere between
decks. He was promptly hauled before the
captain, and as 1t was not possible to land
him anywhere, and the law could hardly
have justified throwing him overheard, he
was sentenced to the hardest kind Of shovel
ing in the fireroom. The sentence had no
apparent effect on Culigan, who was big,
strapping Young fellow, and he took off his
coat and handled the shovel in the cOalhOle in
a way that showed he was an able bodied and
expert fireman. The energy displayed by the
stowaway won him the good opinion Of the
subordinate officers, and as one of the fire
men fell sick Culligan was treated during the
trip to Honolulu like regular hand
PUT OFF AT HONOLULU.
Before reaching the islands the captain,
who heard of Culligan's good work, read him
a lecture full of good advice, and winding up
with the declaration that he would be put
ashore at Honolulu and prevented from going
any further on the Mariposa.
Culligan pleaded hard to be allowed to pro-
coed to Sydney, as there was poor show of
making a living in Honolulu and he could
not Immediately return to San Francisco,
where the record of his murderous ASSAULT
was still fresh on the city front.
The captain was infexible, however, and
Culligan was fired at Honolulu, but not till
collection had been made up for him, with
which he disembarked in high spirits, prom
Using TO return in time to accompany his ben
efactOrs TO Sydney.
Having had considerable experience with
sea traynpS before, the captain ordered a
sharp lookout to be kept to prevent Culligan
from sneaking back but some one failed in
his duty, for when twelve hours out of Homo
lulu who should stroll up Oh deck but the
irrepressible tramp. There was the usual
scene, of course. The culprit was hauled be-
fore the captain and again sentenced to the
hottest spot in the fireroom. This was no
light punishment, for the weather was in
tensely tropical; but Culligan took his SEN
tence smilingly and once more resumed the
shovel with energy, thinking that the rest of
the trip TO Sydney was smooth sailing
LEFT AT SAMOA, HE REACHES SYDNEY.
The captain had planned little surprise
for Mr.. Culligan, however, and few hours
before we sighted Tutuila, in the Samoan
islands, called up the burly tramp and told
him to get ready to go ashore.
Culligan pleaded hard to be let work his
way to Auckland at least, for the prospect of
a cocoanut diet on the Samoan islands for an
indefinite period seemed to worry him. The |
captain was determined, however, TO mako |
an example and Culligan was shipped on a |
canoe and padded ashore by a couple Of Sa- |
moan natives, after getting another small |
subscription from the tender hearted crew |
and some passengers. The last seen of Guilt |
gan at TutuIla he was standing Oh the beach |
with a cocoanut under each arm and sur
rounded by natives, to whom ne was describ-
ing in the city front vernacular the hard
ships OF a sea voyage without ticket.
The officers of the Mariposa congratulated
themselves that they had seen the last of the
champion sea tramp, for the prospect of Gull.
gan getting away from Tutuila in many long /
day without paying for his passage seemed
very slim. Their surprise can therefore be
imagined when, on reaching Sydney, the ubi-
quitous Culligan was found quietly sitting on
the wharf awaiting their arrival
SLOW on earth did you manage to get here
ahead of usG" asked one of the astonished
crew, and Culligan smilingly solved the rid
die by admitting that he had slowed himself
away in the fire room Of German man-of-
war that had called at the Islands on its way