The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1892-04-06
A STERN CHASE.

sailors you happen to come across salt OF
the good old fashioned kind, with bar
naoles on his back and a full rugged ship
tat:ooed on his shaggy, moss grown chest.
Brethren, whenever you meet such an in
dividual, cherish him in your bosom, wrap
him up in cotton wool and place him gen
thy in a glass case. For believe me, the old
"shellback" is becoming scarce and is fast
being gathered to his fathers. In little
while he will become extinct like that gi-
gantic bird the roc, so graphically de-
scribed by Captain Sinbad, which has van
ished from the face of the earth, leaving
not even feather or a fragment of egg
shell for ornithologists to ponder over.
While cruising down South street thu
other day was fortunate enough to cross
the bows of an ancient mariner-not one of
your artificial kind, but one of old Nep-
tunes private stock. He savored of the
salt, salt sea to such an extent that l verify
believe that if I had tapped him with a
knife North Carolina tar would have ex-
uded from the wound and not blood.
He was backing and filing, bound to the
Battery, some three sheets in the wind,
with rivulet of tobacco juice running
down his oakumlike beard. AS l got
athwart his hawse l hailed him.
'Ahoy yourself" he replied, ''you can't
play any tricks on an old sailorman like
me. Pve got nothing to give to your
burned longshore missions, neither can
you shanghai me. I've travelled"
Isoothed him in nautical fashion, con-
WINGED him that was neither missionary
nor crimp, and made him spin me yarn.
He told me of the time his ship was chased
by the Alabama. / would give good deal
to be able to tell the story in the quaint
way of the old sea dog, but unfortunately
haven't the faculty, SO l must tell it in
my own feeble way.
His ship was the Blue Rocket, one of
Donald McKay's fastest clippers, hailing
from New York and engaged in the East
Indian and Chinese trade. She was re-
markable for her fast passages and her
captain used to boast that nothing that
carried canvas could pass her, while the
ordinary steamship of those days wasn't in
the procession with her. In the fifties and
sixties we had feet of merchant ships
the finest in the world The Yankee clip
per and her smart officers were seen in
every port, no matter how distant, and the
contrast between them and the Slovenly
British cargo carriers was as great as that
between yacht and scow. The Yankee
ships were kept as bright as a new pin and
as pretty as putty and paint could make
them. Their yards were always square"
while in port, their running gear swayed
up as taut as harp strings and no Irish
pennants" were ever to be seen trailing
over the sides. 1t used to be the pride of
their captains to make them look as smart
as a man-of-war.
The Yankee clippers glory is departed.
The stars and stripes are no more to be
seen waving in foreign ports, but there ara
some glorious memories connected with
those days when our ships commanded the
commerce of the world.
The Blue Rocket had taken out cargo
consisting of nearly everything under the
sun. She of course made rapid passage
and discharged her cargo in various East
Indian ports. There were rumOrs of war
when the pilot left her off Sandy Hook
and the ship set cloud of snowy canvas
and pointed her prov to the southwark.
The Blue Rocket did good deal of coast
ing trade, having from her reputation as q
clipper, secured a number of lucrative
charters. She took flying trip to Aus
tralia, bringing back to Madras couple
of hundred horses for use in the Indian
cavalry, her spacious and we'll ventilated
tween decks making her an ideal ship for
this purpose.
And all this time the captain was piling
up the dollars and his owners were getting,
richer and richer. The skipper, whose
name was Randall, was shrewd down
easter, smart as they were made in those
days and as good a seaman as ever passed
a weather earring He was kind to his
crew also, his theory being that Jack will
work harder and is more to be depended
upon in an emergency if he is treated like
a human being. He had worked his way
up from before the mast until he had
reached the rank of captain. His younger
days had been passed. in the forecaStle OF
one of the old Indlamen that hailed from
Salem, Mass, and thus he gained consider
able experience which stood him in good
stead when he became commander of the
Blue Rocket.
AT last he grew homesick and determined
to load up for New York. He wouldn't
take the ordinary cargo of rice, sugar and
hides, but reserved his space in the lower
hold and tween decks for silk, indigo
spices and similar fancy goods, which COM
manded the highest rates. He put into
Singapore TO take aboard the last of his
cargo, reaching that port in December,
1863.
Singapore is delightful harbor from a
sailor point of view. Rum and tobacco
are cheap and tropical fruits are plentiful.
When the Blue Rocket got there there
were plenty OF American ships at anchor,
but all were dismantled, their crews paid
of and their captains wandering about the
town looking wretched and demoralized.
The climate is rather enervating, the
island being situated within deg. of the
equator, and who could blame these skip
pers with no occupation if they took too
frequent pegs of brandy panees
Let me tell you the origin of the word
peg" which has the same significance as
the American nip or smile So far as
/ know. it is only used by Anglo-Indians
but it originated with those renownet-
drinkers, the Anglo-Saxons, who were
equally good with tankard or trenche-.
An old friend of mine, who resides in no
mantle manor house in the county of SSls-
sex, England, is an archeologist OF some
repute- Among the interesting relics In
his possession Is a peg talkar1 a Zinc.
old fashioned piece OF plate, holding two
gu8rTs-not the scanty measure that dos
sGCy FOR half 4 gallon in the Cnited States,
but = generous, full two quarts Of cid Eng
liSh standard perhaps equal to a lnos!err,
Aew AogS gallon Inside ms noble cup IS 8
row OF e4ght pegs, one above the other
The grand ola e5Istom was that each com