The morning call., 1893-11-19

hood began Engineer Peter McTaggart to
q group of listeners on board an outward
bound Australian liner steaming SOUTH
ward across the Indian Ocean. All people
of Highland birth have it in their System
from the eerie stories they hear told by
their grandmothers. who believe as firmly
IN the power of uncanny mortals as they
do in Old Hornie himself. l drank in
eagerly tales of the fairies, and witches,
o. and folks with an evil eye while was lad,
told in downright earnestness as if it was
gospel history. and l used to creep to bed
IN little upper room up creaklng stair
. case expecting to be the victim of any
capers the neither world and its agents can
play on the unwary. With my head
snug under the clothes I felt a bit
safe, but any unusual noise, or the
soughiug moan of the wind through the
trees would give me a shiver and fill me
= with weird, undefinable presen timents.
You may laugh at these phantoms of
: credulfty, as many people do, but find it
" hard TO Danish the feeling that strange
things occur beyond our ken or fathoming,
and that if there are not spirits around,
ghosts that walk the earth andihaunt the
sea, there are some influences just as
potent and queer which turn events to
ponder the why and wherefore. There is
such thing as a hoodoo on a ship, and
those inclined to doubt it are welcome TO
suggest natural explanation of what be-
fell steamer on which l served thirty
years ago.
That steamer was the Paramowra, of
1000 tons, then co. sidered a respectable
size for ocean traffic, but a mere jolly
boat to the big craft of to-day. She had
been two years IN the Brazilian trade as
the Parana, running between SOuthamp-
ton and Rio de JaneIro, and then a COM
pany bought her for passenger trade be-
tween Melbourne and New Zealand, and
Joined her on the voyage out as second en-
gineeT, under engagement to stay at the
antiD0des. From Southampton she came
round to the Clyde for rechristenng and
oVerhauling in her boilers and engines and
some changes In her cabins necessary for
her ne W trade, and l was engaged just two
DAYS before she put to sea. taking the
place of another man called Sandie
Thompson. who had signed articles but
had deserted her or not been seen after a
spree ashore.
The chief engineer was a big rawboned.
sauint-eyed, red-haired Welshman from
Cardiff, David Evans, and the captain
Hailed from Leith-Arnold Jameson. We
were 10 proceed to Australia under SAIL |
for in those days the ocean steamers were |
not big enough TO carry coal and use their |
propellers all the way, and clipper ships |
were still the vogue in The immigrant trade. |
Unless the unforeseen happened-which it
. did rather curiously-David Evans and |
would have very little to do except 10 take
a. a. look at the engines and see that they did
not get coated with rust in the tropics, and
for my part looked upon myself more as
passenger than mechanic drawing pay.
r Captain Jameson was a strong, bury
SEAMAN who had weathered it in command
OF sailing vessels in many chimes and knew
= We'll how to handle ship in any weather;
but he had never been in charge of a
steamer before. and ! do not think he
much liked the prospect of 5000 miles in
the ParamOwra. She looked as long as a
street, with a very sharp bow, narrow
beam and sixteen feet clear of the water
line to her main deck. which gave her
sides good chance to make leeway.
-. We had no passengers, and the gorgeous
staterooms were all housed under linen
coverings and kept locked. There was a
long saloon between the rows of berths,
and it was rather forlorn 10 have dinner
served to the captain, first officer and an
owners agent at one end, while Evans,
Second Mate LaTkins, Third Mate OBrien
and myself had our disappointing fare
served at the other. My berth was in the
usual den provided for a second engineer
;. on the starbOard side, at the head of the
engine ladder. and Evans was on the op-
pOsite side in room trltle larger with
two parts.
= AS far as fittings and ixings went the
Paramowra was comfortable and for those
: times handsome, but | can assure you no.
body had day free from anxiety from the
:. date we left the Clyde. and if she had gone
to the bottom it would have been a relief
to some of US. For vessel $50 feet long
: drawing q feet of water and IS feet beam
we had very little sail. She was bark
rugged but spared lightly, and in fact not
many captains would have taken the re-
-. sponsibility of navigating her. AS il was
:. and good topgallant sticks added, and as
much sail as could be clapped on was
stretched, but it looked as if it would take
a regular gale TO keep her on her course
To give US as good start 81 a poor ship
could get, the agents allowed the tug to
tow us from the Tail O the Bank at Green
OCk below the Tuscan Light off the SOUTH
east coast of Ireland. a tow of two DAYS
allowed the Men To get sober. They were
as beggarly lot of swabs as ever stepped
on deck, and. TO add to the trouble the
first officer, Robert Duncan, was sheep
ish sort Of fellow. too quiet to stir up
crew, and the second mate was hangdog
lout VINO could swear plenty and spoil or
q. ders, but was worthless to lead or drive
with pluck. Things were so bad at the
start that the captain had to go into the
fOrecastle himself and drag the lazyboDes
out by the scruff of the neck and heave
of his boot before they would so much as
take in the slack of a rope.
However, they knew before we SUNK the
Pladda what sort of skipper they had If
they shirked duty. and, as things fell out,
j did not blame him for tough discipline.
1t was scratch crew and no mistake, and
the agents we're to blame for not doing
better. Evans, my chief, had served In the
eneine-room several voyages to Rio and
mlght be supposed to know the ship and
her behavior. but Of her qualities under
san ne was ignorant and cared nothing.
FROM the odor of rum that haunted him
anu made his little squint eyes fierce as
qeVlls when out of humor, as often he was.
. concluded that the ups and downs Of the
voyage would not worry him and left him
W us Laclturnlty and the blues, in which
: Ne was plunged, as much as be desired.
we had at least a fair wind for a week
aIler the tug cast off, but had it been twice
as breezy the Paramowra would still have
run up slow log. At the best. 100 or 120
miles DAY was all that could be done and
al ofa,nafy san vessel would have dropped
we only logged fifty or sixty miles and
what with tacklng off and on we were only
ID latltuoe III deg. north, longitude 80 deg.
west. IN the mludle Of nanaubar .I,ho,,rL