The Ohio Democrat. (Logan, O. [Ohio]) 1886-1906, 1894-04-14
ON A LAWLESS COAST.
A Night Adventure at an Alaskan
Cannery.

Cannery.
1t was my first glimpse of Alaska
Naturally, then, as i climbed over the
steamers bulwarks and dropped into
the dory on the choppy sea alongside,
took but little notice of the boat or
the rough fishermen who were my fell
low-passengers My eyes were fixed
on the black, beetling cliffs against
which the white surf curled and thun-
dered two miles away, and con the
naked mountains that lowered, white
and mysterious, in disordered ranks
be hind.
This dorys leakin' like basket,
jun; you'd better drop yer oar and help
bail her out"
Where's yer bailer?"
Amt it under yer seat?"
NO"
Then there amt none aboard"
This conversation reused me from
my revcrie. We were still mile from
shore, and about the same distance
from the steamer. The water was
more than six inches deep in the bot
tom of the boat. and it was pouring in
now at every joint. The dory had
stood beside the smokestack on the
steamers deck during the whole voy-
age, and its timbers had shrunk fear
fully.
Pull with all yer might fer shore!'
The cry startled the oarsmen, and
they gave away with will. But it
was too late; the boat was filing rap
idly. hung to my rifle and satchel
and began wondering how long swim
mer could live in such an icy sea.
Suddenly one burly, low-brcwed
rower, Jim Murphy, dropped his oars
We've got Jonah aboard he NUT
tered with superstitious glance
toward my end of the boat
''Heave him OUT cried another.
My heart stopped beating for mo-
nent until l glanced over my shoulder
and saw that all eyes were fixed, not
upon me, but upon Chinaman who
sat behind me.
1t was Mong Ho, the foreman of the
Chinese gang. or the China boss as
he was called. He was a broad-faced,
we'll built fellow, with IA strong chir
and intelligent eyes, and was neatly
dressed in American clothes; his queue
was bound around his head He wa.
the mental superior of nine-tenths o
the white men on the expedition, anc
spoke English quite well. My chum
Charlie Smith, and had had several in
teresting talks with him during tn,
voyage.
"fIe's hoodoo," muttered Jim
"''raiu't no use tryin' to get nowhere
with him aboard"
stop your silly nonsense and bal
the dory out with your hats"
The angry voice of my chum drew
all eyes toward him; and at the sam
time ne set the example with his owl
hat.
fortunately Charles idea took will
the fishermen. Water-dogs thougl
they were, the situation had nov
grown serious enough to alarm evel
them. and they forgot their supersti
tious race hatred for time. All hat
went TO work with will, and enoug
OF the water was bailed out to let u
almost reach the shore. But when w
got into the roll of the breakers in tn
shallow water the dory was swampe
and every body was drenched.
''We were lucky To save everything,
said !, after had dragged my wate
logged satchel out upon the beach.
I'D a been willin' to lose every b
of the stuff aboard" replied Jill
Murphy, 'if we could "a drowned thu
sneakin' Chiny."
1t was amid such associates tha
Charlie Smith and arrived at the AL
max salmon cannery, on the coast {
Alaska peninsula, where / was to /
storcSeeper and he boolikeeper W
had been schoolmates together, an
seventeen days before had shipped frol
San Francisco in quest of expericnc
Thus far we had had our stomachs fu
of experience and painfully empi
otherwise.
We found the cannery TO be lon
low frame shell OF building, tn,
looked like machine shop inside.
snowdrift lay along its northern sid
the huge accumulation had been eve
with the comb of the roof, but the la
wees in April had come, and it W;
now only ON level with the caves.
Charities bunk was upstairs with Il
fshermen: mine was on the lower ho'
in the store. In fact, my boudoir WI
store. Office and bedroom all combine
and was only ten feet square at tha
A bare wooden bunk, drygoods bt
laid on one side for "a counter a barr
capped with a salmon case by way of
dcsls-these were my sole articles
furniture The sides of the room we
crowded with shelves on which we
piled a chaotic stock that inciud
black souwesters, blue woolen unde
wear. plug tobacco sugar, rubber boot
soap, nolasses and tish-oii
had not been in the place ten mi
utcs before my first customer appesre
''lse you the storekeeper?'
A burly Norwegian, clad in hip-boo
and torn shirt, asked the question.
4ad the Rrixzled head OF viking al
Nm aru. like that Of prize fighter.
"Yes. sir" said ], thinking II poli1
u 10 address such Goliath respectful
He Glanced r. his ragged cloths