Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1891-04-04
PURSER WATKINS.
A PRIZE STORY.

IL
get Sound between two rival lines of
steamers. Fer long time one company
had controlled the traffic between Vic.
toria and Tacoma, but when some enter
prislng men started an opposition line,
there was sharp struggle between the
Two.
! obtained position as assistant en-
glneer on one Of these opposition boats.
She was steamer called the Occident
brought from San Francisco, where sba
had been used about the Bay.
The chief engineer wes named Georre
Starr. He was grim, elderly man, who
never spoke unless he was addressed, and
then replied in the fewesG words posi-.
be. He was good mechanic, and kent
the machinery in as good working orde,
as 1t was possible to keep it.
The Occidcnt's engine was probablv
the most complicated and untrustworthy
piece Of machinery afoat. Sometimes
the steamer would make excellent time.
easily dlsiaucing any steamer on the
sound, AT other times she could, only
with tie greatest difficulty. be made to
moe at the rate of eight miles an hour.
Ordinarily the trip from Victoria to
Tacoma, touching at Port Townsend and
Seattle, occupied about twenty hours.
Sometimes we would do it in seventeen.
and again we would be twenty-five OF
thirty hours on the trip. Once, to our
great chagrin, We were forty hours on
the way.
Our orders were TO make time at all
hazards. The travelling public on Puget
Sound cared little in those DAYS for
safety, AID great deal for arriving at
their destination in the shortest possible
time,
The Captain knew every foot of the
Sound by day OF night. lie never tied
up for storm, fog or darkness, but drove
the Occident to her destination. Years
of exposure TO the rains and fog had
given him disease of the lungs. Often
he stood in the pilot house all night when
he sfcu d have been in bed, but he had
fan ily dependent upon him, and must
keep going,
The pursef was young man who had
been educated to the business on the
Columbia River. He was bright, dappcr,
euoIget,C, wIue,awa6e, red nalred and
red-moustached. His obliging disposi-
ton made him great favorite on the
Sound, He was, too, always looking out
Tor the interests of his employers.
The steamers Of both lines left the
terminal ports, Victoria and Tacoma, at
the same hour, and the boats lay at ada
cent docks. Competition had reduced
fares and freights to q very low figure,
and the rush of business was tremend
Gus. Our lower deck was crowded at
every trip with freight and Cinnamon,
while every state room was occupied, and
the saloon floor often covered with mat
tresses.
As the hour for departure approached,
there were crowds shouting, pushing and
struggling on the docks; freight was be-
ing rapidly run on board, and carriages
and wagons were in seemingly inextrica-
BILE confusion.
On these occasions Harry Watkins,
our purser, seemed to be everywhere at
once, securing business for his boat by
means that were extraordinary and often
comical.
One evening we lay at Tacoma, pre-
pairing for the trip north, The hour OF
starting was ten o'clock, and it lacked
but twenty minutes of the time. Our
trip down had been the fastest on record
We had distanced our competitor By
more than four hours, and taken the
cream of the business at Port Townsend
and Seattle.
Twas in good spirits, and even George
STAIRS grim face relaxed little when he
looked over the machinery, which, after
hard work, We had succeeded in getting
into passable shape.
eff we don't beat our own record this
trip" said, clambering down after
making some complicated repairs, Sim
mistaken very much"
Don't be too sure, said Starr.
Having few moments to spare,
went to the gangway of the boat and
glanced out. 1t was cold, dripping
night. The fog was so dense that the
lanterns on the dock made little points
of yellow light, revealing nothing.
Trucks loaded with freight were com
ing down the gang plank with crash
and a rattle.
| was just turning away when Harry
Watkins came sliding down the gang
plank. In one arm he carried a little
girl, while with his other hand he dragged
a bow about nine years old.
''IIadn't time to go around by the
passenger gangway," he said, breath
lessly. "Here, Billy" as he caught
sight of me, ''stow these kids about the
epgine,room somewhere where it's warm.
They're most frozen, poor little things
I'll take care of EN- when we get under
way
Thrusting the little girl into my arms,
he was off like Cash
The little girl, who was about four
years old, was trembling violently from
/ cold and excitement l made my wa7
carefully among the piles of freight ard
crowds Of Cinnamon that blocked the
main deck to the engine-room, through
narrow passage piled high with freight.
The engine-room was a comfortable
/ place There was a broad cushioned
/ seat across the end.
As came in, the Captain was leaning
over one of the half.doors that opened
into the side passages, talking with the
chicf-engineer He was on his way to
the pilot-house to spend the long, COLI,
wet night there. No one else on board
was capable of running the occIdent in
such a fog as this His glistening eyes,
hollow checks and harsh, hacking cough
told plainly enough that he should have
been in his bed rather than in the pilot
house.
placed the little girl in one corner Of
the cushioned seat, and told the boy to
climb up beside her, and keep perfectly
/ quiet
Starr growlcd little az having thc
cngine-room "Iittered up with passca-
/ gers.
"oh, We can't be particular these
times, said the Captain There's na
part of the boat where Watkins wouldn /
stow peon,c for the sake Of getting hgsi-