Smyrna times., 1894-09-26
For the Smyrna Times.
The Lost Cigar Holder.
BY JAMES b. SCOTT.

BY JAMES b. SCOTT.
Here goes a story worth the telling,
not only for its nncanniness but for
that other and greater charm, impena-
trable mystery, whose solution is as far
off now as it was the time it happened
years ago.
One clustering March day in the
year IS, | found myself at the end
of pier in the port of BaltimOre-ship
hunting. The excitement of the Cali
fornia gold discoveries was then on the
wane. Many of the Argonauts, the
49's era of history, had returned. Some
never returned, and the only induce
ment then existing, was to take the
voyage around Cape Horn, and, per-
haps not see land for ninety days A
strong breeze that day was whistling
through the rigging of the most speedy
Baltimore clipper that one could desire
for such voyage. | stood on the
wharf hesitating about going on board
to see the captain about applying for a
berth. | knew him well enough.
Raines, Bloody Raines," more often
called on account of his cruel discipline.
One other fault he had which l did
mind was that he blasphemed. Even
at that early day, for l was just cut of
my apprenticeship, | had conceived a
horror for blasphemry which the wears
have only strengthened, in not, if pos
sible, to nave much to do with any man
who haOitually evoked the name of
the Almighty III vain. BY such course
you will undoubtedly lose money.
Perhaps | did. TO stand up for the
honor and dignity of God IA sacrifice is
called for, aud as it happens, it is a
money loss. You may lose in the opin-
ion OF some, but you display IA strength
OF character by uOt swearing. With
some it goes for weakness, iu any event
you lose ground, and lose it steadily.
save one thing, our own peaceful, calm
justification. So let Capt. Raines and
the gallant clipper ship pride of the
sea" make the voyage to California
without me.
Next, l had the choice of the ship,
Washington Booth" a West coast of
South America trader. l knew all
about the ship, for We had built her at
the yard. Capt. Pescquard, her COM
mander, would gladly have taken me
as she was new and was in need of
many outfits. l thought of going be-
cause l could reach Callau, or Val.
paraisiO,in her and make my way north
to San Francisco in any of the numer-
Gus traders along the coast. However,
before saw Pescquard / met Captain
Kane, of the "Barque Lapwing," and
was just the one he was looking for, to
go with him to Barcelona, Spain. So I
engaged. The Barque speedily finished
taking in her cargo of -four, and in g.
little while we were off the capes of
the Chesapeake, steering due east in.
stead OF for me, due south in the long
voyage around Cape Horn.
AT this time, Lieut.. Maury's ocean
currents appeared, and later his cele.
brated ocean lanes for steamers. Capt.
Kane had read up Lieut.. Maury, and
as the existence of well defined SUBJ
marine currents appeared to be clearly
proven, he was somewhat chary of
iccbergs brought south ia great num-
bers by the powerful Artic underAow
at this time of the year, making its way
from the frozen north, we'll freighted
with the dangerous bergs. So we
hauled of shore about four degrees of
Longitude until we struck the north
east trade winds, then more ship, and
we stood west southwest for the low
attitudes. Formerly the Lapwing was a
Rio coffee trader, aud no mean sailer
and while not Il new ship, had been
well taken care of, and at that time
was not ageing.
One morning l sounded the pumps
and found the BarQue leaking badly,
now leak is alway the unexpected: il
comes as does the thoughtless spoken
words against ones reputation growing
with each repetition until the stately
ship or stately man or woman bows to
the inevitable, and the leak and the
SANDER triumphs in absolute wreck,
We were not much dismayed,
| however, our company were all
young and vigorous fellows, not
easily frightened, and calculated to
take the ship through any difficulty.
This was one of them. We had been
sailing easily along for some days to
the eastward of the Gulf Stream, in.
tending soon to change our course
north by east and steer for the Azores
Islands. when this mishap determined
Capt. Kane to adopt another course to,
if possible, stop the ship from leaking
and that was to sail through the Sar-
| gossa sea, our position then being in
| proximity to 1t. So the ship was
brought around on the starboard tack,
/ all sail crowded on and we stood for
the famous sea of matted grass, that
| seemingly is kept in position by the
gulf stream on one side,a the equator
ial currents on the other. A dense mat.
ted plot of grass, extends for miles. Ia
which the Flotsam and Jetsam of the
ocean adds many gruesome relic OF
ship wreck, and the havoc of the
sweeping coronado, There is a tradi.
tiOn that Columbus mistook this sea oi
grass, above whose sluggish waves
myriads OF sea birds scream, for that
far India he was in quest of, and that
the long line of green extending to the
distant horizon served to waVer the
mutiny growing among the crew, that
land must surely be near, which it was
in one sense-that of wreckage.
Even after We passed through the
Sargossa sea, the leaking continued, il
being the object of the grass to work
in the seams and partially, if not al
together, prevent the inflow of water.
Other measures had now to be taken,
The crew were constantly at the
pumps, and always there is a limit to
human endurance.
Just previous TO leaving Baltimore
the Lapwing had been fitted with new
Centrifugal pumps of powerful cali
bre, and something that was occurring
set me to thinking that the pumps had
something to do with the vessels leak
ing. ! noticed as ] stood by, and from
time to time sent down the sounding
rod to ascertain the state of the water
in the hold, whether gaining or de
creasing, that particles of chopped up
wood came out of the nozzle on the
port pump, at each revolution of the
wheel. Had it been -four would have
taken no notice of it, but where did
this wood come from? l knew that
both pumps bad strainers were they
rested on the timber frames. 1t seemed
the faster the pumps were worked, the
more of this chopped wood came up.
reported to the Captain, aud he became