The Bottineau pioneer. (Bottineau, N.D.) 1885-1895, 1890-02-08
Truthful TARS.
Some Pretty Stir Yarns Concerning Fog
from tho Fo'cas'le Chest.

tnO t1rOI JAnSs
some Pretty Stir Yarns Concerning Fog
from the Fo'cas'le Chest.
was sitting on the stun'sails secured
on the starboard sido Of the to'gallant
fo'cas'le one night during our run from
Cape Horn, when the trades blew stead
lily, and the watch had nothing to do but
spin yarns. We were homeward bound
from three years cruise in the orient,
and had settled down to the monotonous
life Of run up the trades. Yarn spin
ming was the principal occupation of the
men, and they let no moment that could
be filled with this pass unimproved,
their great endeavor seeming to be to
reach the height Of the improbable.
Three Of the most inveterate yarn
spinners Of the crew were seated on the
focas'le chest, just opposite me. They
were Jack Kelley, the captain Of the port
fo'cas'le watch; Tom Hutchins, the chief
boatswain's mate, and Bill Williams, tho
signal quartermaster. It was diamond
cut diamond with them always, when
yarns were being swapped, and knew
I had treat in store the moment WILL
Jams said:
"Well, boys, we'll be on the coast in
time for the March fogs. Hope they
won't be SO bad as had them once in
the gulf, when I was on the blockade, in
the Moga."
"And you had a fog experience In the
gulf. did your Well, Let us hear about
It," said Kelley.
1T was in june" said Williams; i've
had left Key West, bound for Mobile,
with important dispatches, 50 we could
not hold up for anything, and the morn
ing after we sailed the fog metus. Well.
it was 90 thick that we had to have q
man with a shovel at the pinnacle to
scoop the fog away, so that the wheels
man could see how to keep his course"
"And you call that thick fogT' said
Hutchins, with tone of contempt in his
voice. "Well, it don't compare with one
I met coming from the Mediterranean,
in the Brandywine. in the forties. I
was an apprentice then, and it was my
first cruise, and, Of course, was anxious
to get home, 80 every day I got the
reckoning. Well, we were going along
about ten knots, with the wind on the
quarter and all sail set, when, just after
meridian, we bucked up against fog.
The wind kept fair, however, and the
sails were full, 80 we thought nothing of
it, though we did not get sight Of the
sun for five days. Itcleared off about II
in the morning, and the sailing master,
as we called tho navigator then, came up
and took the noon sight, and I'll be eter-
nally smashed if we were not exactly in
the same place we were at noon five days
before. That confounded fog was &C
thick. that it had just held us fast, and
we with all sail set, and fair ten knot
breeze to help U.S."
"That was something Of q fog," said
Kelley, "and yet don't know that il
can quite come up to one that I made the
acquaintance Of when I was sailing in
the merchant service just before the war
I had been home. up the Kennebeck, and
they had just finished new 8,000-ton
clipper for the New York tea trade. She
had taken in ice to carry as ballast, and
I was asked to help take her round. We
set sail, with a strong north wind blow.
ing down the river, and just before we
got to the mouth we met q fog. Oul
skipper was an old cruiser in that lati'
tude, however, 80 he kent on. I noticed
the ship had a curious sort Of bobbins
motion, but the fog was so thick you
couldn't even see the water, and as the
sails kept full, though the wind slack.
eped, and we kept going ahead, why, ]
didn't pay much attention to it.
"Well, We sailed along for nearly 9
week, with the fog as thick as. pudding
and then all at once we gave q dive ani
dropped nearly fifty feet. The shiI
swayed and cracked, and we were al
Knocked off our feet. Luckily she WA
. pSw craft and the damp weather had
kept her rigging taut, or her masts mus|
have gone by the boazd. When sh<
quieted down and We could get on ou,
legs once more we looked back, and
there was q thick wall Of fog, that w
had tumbled from, and you can believe
it or not, just as you like, but that ship
had been sailing ON q fog bank for 4
week, and when she reached the edge o!
It she jumped of and dropped"
"It's time I hove the log" said Will
Jams, and with that the party broke up
and Kelley, with an air Of great satisfac
ton, walked over to the rail and gayl
the jib sheet q critical examination.-