The Ohio Democrat. (Logan, O. [Ohio]) 1886-1906, 1890-08-09
WONDERFUL CAP'N NYGS.
An Ancient Mariner Who Knows How
Handle Icebcrgs.

| An Ancient Mariner Who Knows How to
Handle Icebergs.
80, tell yeh, them icebergs are dan
gerous things!' remarked the bos'n as
he finished the splice and threw the
rope aside. 81 allus was afraid of EN-,
but Cap'n Nygs, he never was. Never
saw such man in all my life, never
did. He'd handle 'em just like so many
horses, fix 'em up and do whatever he
wanted to with 'em. Why, one voyage
here, set down, and I'll tell yeh about
it. Yeh see, we'd started from Hong
Kong to Melbourne, and one night,
bout four days out, when it was as dark
as an African and foggy as tn inside OF
a steam biler, we ran smack agin an
iceberg. Bow all stove in, foremast and
spirit broken, water pourin' in, all hope
gone among the men. But Cap'n Nygs,
he wasn't frightened! In about two
minutes he had bow line around one
pinnacle, and a stern line around an
other, and the ship hauled up and fast
ened tight and strong alongside the
berg.
Here we all were, adrift on q big
lump of frozen wetness, with banged
up ship, and shore near a thousand
miles away. But Capn Nygs, he warn't
alarmed. He jest set all us men to
work, and in two days he had the screw
and engine and biler out'en the old ship,
chopped place in narrer end Of the
ice-hunk, layed down sheetiron bot
tom from the engine-room to build fire
on, rugged out rudder from cabin
door and the broken spirit, had one sail
up on the fore pinnacle, mother on the
mizzen pinnacle, started up the bilers,
got the screw into workin' order in the
water and jest started the whole ker-biz
back to Hong Kong.
sect there? Ye bet we did, colors
fiyin', edges all trimmed off with
hatchets, stairways cut up the peaks
and saloon carpet laid on 'em, flags and
bunting fastened to all the pinnacles,
and the bow chopped into the shape of
the head of an American eagle and
painted red, white. and blue.
"Cap'n Nygs, he stood in pretty lit
tie ice grotto in the bow, where the
bridge would be, a-wavin' his hat, and
the crew all mustered out in full dress
uniform amid-bergs. The first mate
and head steward had smoothod and
holystoned spot just in front, and were
givin' an exhibition of fancy skatin
and the engineers was all crowdin' on
full steam aft, and suckin' icicles to
keep cool from excitement. And how
them heathen natives nocked along the
shores and stared! They'd tnever seen
nothin' like IL, neithcr'd /, neither'd
anybody!
swell, sir, we jest sailed right up to
the city and anche red the whole ker-biz
alongside the com pany's wharf. and the
cap'n, as cool and calm as yer please, in
vited the president of the company and
the Emperor of China aboard TO look
around. Then while they were a-talkin'
over things and eatin' ice cream in the
gro,'o, the crew and deck hands got all |
the sails they could find and made big
tent and pitched it over the whole thing
and charged the natives ten yen apiece,
children full fare. to see the show.
"Ah Cap'n Nygs, he never let no OPP
slip. Why, one time
"Got ter 20, have ye? Well, as was
l-sayin', them icebergs is dangerous
things unless ye know how to handle
en-, and Cap'n Nygs, he-well, good
Dye, goodbye. sorry you're in hurry"
--pc.r Froo Press.