The morning call., 1894-07-09
ALLEN KEPT FAT.
He Didn't Eat Very Much
Either.
BUT HIS FLESH WAS SOLID.
He Drank Plenty of Water and
Browsed Extensively.
YET GRASS WAS RATHER SHORT.
Peculiar Case of a Stout Seaman
Who Positively Refused to Get
Thin When Starved.
YET GRASS WAS RATHER SHORT.

Mr.. James Allen of the James Allen is
stout. There is nothing very remarkable
in the fact that a fellow-citizen is inclined
to corpulency, but MIR. Allen has grown
fat and did wax heavy under such pecu-
liar circumstances that medical science is
called upon to explain how it could hap
zen that man gained flesh while all OF
his comrades grew hollow-eyed and slim.
The case of Allen Of the Allen calls for
special attention
Mr.. Allen is an ordinary seaman. He is
not particularly table," except when there
is a steak in sight, or. In the event OF
famine, a good, juicy bale of hay. He has
demonstrated that there is vast nourish-
ment in cool swigs of water, and that the
human frame is capable of being clothed
with flesh built up from a diet of old
ropes, straw. gum boots. and, yes, de-
parted frie
James Allen shipped on the whaling
bark James Allen strange coincidence as
a sort of a mascot, but he proved bit of
Jonah. He didn't intend to be drawback
t O the good fortune of the vessel, nor was
he in reality until it came to dividing up
mess. Then all the luck was on the side
of the Individual Allen. for he invariably
got more than his fair share Of the good
things to eat.
VIII en- the whaler's nine survivors went
into camp al Numak Island Allen was with
them. He didn't have any more food to
all appearances than his shlpmates, but
nevertheless his weight was not reduced
particle by bslinence from meals of hard
tack and baked beans. so 1t was
currently rerorted about the island that
James must have discovered a particu.
| larly fresh pasture of uncrOpped grass and
that grazing was little more regular with
| him than with the balance of the crowd.
Jim declared that he was surviving by
| keeping his system chock full of water.
| He looked as fresh and rosy as human
| being possibly could look ana alarming
! ruulors of his possible sudden demise from
! dropsy began TO be formulated.
| With the less fortunate eight of the
| Aliens crew the retaining of such flesh as
is ordinarily required TO pad out their
| frame was question OF great seriousness.
They tried to solve the problem by making
a meal out of peck or two of musse
| shells, but the experiment was a dismal
| failure. There was no trying to get
| around it. Nature was favOring Jim and
| every body enved him.
But the funny part Of the story is that
| Jim suffered more mentally than any one
of his companions. His digestive organs
proved capable OF producing more nour-
| ishment out of piece of fried boot for
him than could those of the other sailors,
but his mental capacity refused to be
strengthened by any after dishes of fish.
Jim complained of gradually losing his
mind, but his stomach stayed with him
like balloon does to its basket; it was
| the biggest yet the lightest part of him.
| A consultation of those interested in
vacuums was held, it being strongly sus-
pected that Jim had swallo too much
of the last Arctic gale that passed his way.
hnr hn6 hoap nj in hn ND har
would undoubtedly have been an opera
ton performed on the jolly looking tar
that might have been painful to him and
caused him to collapse. An honorable re-
gard for Jim's feelings was the only thing
| that saved him.
After the nine had been rescued, taken
on board the Bear and treated to regular
meals, the entire lot of survivors put in
most of their time on the trip to this city
trying to explode the mystery that sur
rounded the lads f1eshlness. but when the
latter took to eating ravenously of the
Bears food it was found that Jim won Id
burst himself before that happy juncture
was arrived ar.
Andrews. King, Barton and the rest of
the rescued party walked about the cut
| ter's decks for a week looking like skee-
tons, and feeling as If a strong gale might
! disturb their cOmposure seriously and de-
poslt them in the sea, but in twenty-four
hours Allen was as spry as ever, and so
fat you couldn't have moved him with a
derrick. unless he stood in with the der
rick.
He was joking and laughing all the
time, for jim is a jolly lad. and got to polk
| ing fun al Andrews for allowing his lower
to become the most conspicuous portion of
himself. When he arrived at San Fran
cisco his face was as full and healthy
looking as that of new born babe, and
there wasn't sore on his body.
How old are you, Mr. Allen ?" asked
the reporter.
Eighteen years." was the reply.
He looked every day of "a, and what's
| more had growth of whiskers that looked
a trifle ancient for youth.
Then you really did get stout eating
grass?"
yes; [ can eat anything now from a
wire mattress to bale of straw and not
| loose my health. When the captain came
l had my bed half eaten, and intended to
commence on the blankets the following
| day."
Allen seemed to consider it good joke
that he had been the only survivor who
wasn't reduced in flesh by starvation.
His future inten tions are believed to be
a trip TO the South Seas to join the lieu