The Mount Holly news. [volume] (Mount Holly, Burlington Co., N.J.) 1891-1942, 1894-12-04

We entered the after cabin ON the
3 port side and stood listening. A small
heave of swell ran through the lightly
wrinkled sea. Sounds of the straining
of cargo in the hold were audible, and
you heard now and again the sudden
shock and jar of the huge rudder turn
ing with the swell, then sharply arrest
ed by its gear. But there was no need
to hearken long.
In minute or two distinctly heard
fountainlike running of water. 1t was
nearly dark. / babe the steward jump
for light. He returned with lantern,
and on throwing the light against that
part of the lining or inner wall whence
the trucking noise proceeded I instant
ly discovered two anger holes neatly
plugged.
Good mercyp' shouted in a sud
den fright. ''The ship has been holed
and will be sinking under our feet as
we stand here y
1 told the steward to remain in the
cabin with the lantern and rushed on
deck, shouting for the carpenter to lay
aft. While Shirley was coming I re-
ported what had seen to the captain,
who stiffened himself with dramatic
start of surprise.
Muttering in a low, solemn, preach
ing voice: lis it possible? Who has
done such thing?' he went below with
more alacrity than 1 had ever before
witnessed in him.
l hastily explained the stewards dis
oovery to the carpenter, who rushed
forward to his tool chest. He came
along quickly with the boatswain, and
we three went below, where we found
the captain in listening posture, view
ing the plugged holes by the light of
the lantern he held.
The carpenter quickly whipped the
plugs out, and sure enough in the outer
side or wall of the ship were two holes
through which the brine was gushing
with diamondlike flash in the lantern
tight as the streams arched betwixt the
outer wall and the inner skin, slowly
filling the hold.
The holes were promptly plugged and
the well sounded Two feet Of water
was made. The pumps were manned
and presently sucked, proving all tight
and well with the anger holes.
There was an ominous growl of Won
der and temper among the men as they
piled the brakes or stood near, waiting
to relieve the pumping gang. The cap
tain called me and asked if / had any
suspicion.
"None, sir, answered. 81 can't
imagine any man aboard capable of SO
diabolical a crime.
He took several turns, lost in thought.
see him now, pacing abreast Of me,
skewered up in a sort Of frock coat,
hands behind him, figure erect.
The dusk had gathered around. The
sky was full of brilliant stars, a hover
ing sheet Of prisms and crystals, with
scar of young moon in the west and a
great play of lightning down upon our
port quarter. Presently the captain stop
ped and addressed me afresh, but our
talk led to no other conclusion than
this-that some one aboard had at
tempted to scuttle the ship.
All hands passed very restless night.
Captain Jortin was necessarily up and
about. During the middle watch, which
was mine, his shadowy figure was re-
peatedly shaping itself out of the COM
panion hatch and fitting in a ghostly
fashion about the deck.
| / had some earnest conversation with
the boatswain and carpenter, but none
of us could make head nor tail of this
piece of rasoality nor in the dimmest
degree conjecture who was the villain
who had attempted the atrocious act.
went below at eight bells-that is,
at o'clock in the morning-first TAX
ing care to go the rounds of the after
part of the ship, very carefully looking
into each cabin and peering and listen
ing. Somehow had fancy that there
might be a stowaway on board, intent
on criminal purpose, in league, for all
l knew, with some one interested in the
vessel to defraud the underwriters. See
ing and hearing nothing, Withdrew to
my berth and turned in.
slept soundly and at O'Clock turn
ed out and went ON deck The first per-
son met was the boatswain, Matthews
He said to me, 1.-THE captain seems to
have made up his mind, sir. +"
ION what2''
GAS to the man who's holed the ship"
''Have they discovered himY'
"Jackson's in irons. That's all can
say, SIR" he answered, with singular
expression of incredulity and temper in
his face.
Just then the captain came out of the
cuddy, and Matthews went forward.
''Mr. Fletcher, said Captain Jortin,
reckoning me to him and speaking in a
low, level, preaching voice, eve shall
be able to prove that Jackson's the man
who attempted to scuttle the ship.
''Indeed?' said /, vastly astonished.
jackson was an able seaman in my
watch l had always found him re-
spectacle, willing, alert sailor. "What
In that man has excited your suspicion,
sir?''
ST heard him muttering the other
day. said he, when he was at work on
sail stretched along this poop. Every
time I passed he glanced askance at me
and muttered don't like the mans
looks. He has a hanging face. Then
again yesterday afternoon he was OBJ
served to go forward as though he was
just come out of the cuddy.
"Who saw this STRIP
''It's so, +" he answered abruptly with
short, spiritless stare at me and then
stepped to the pinnacle. In the course of
that morning I asked the steward if it
was true the man jackson had been seen
to walk out of the ouddy. He answered
that, happening to come up through the
steerage hatch, he had seen jackson go
ing forward close from the cuddy front
as though the man had just stepped
from the cuddysitself
"Well, but, said /, ''you were in the
storage, and had he been there with
an auger you d have seen him, wouldn't
your"
81 don't think it was him that did
it, )" said the man.
looked hard at him, for, to be sure, if
the thing was not the work of stow
away-of some one hidden in the steer
age-it must at least be the act of per-
son living aft with access without sus-
pioion to the cabins.
Well, nothing happened for three
days after this. Then, as well remem-
Der, 1t being very beautiful. glowing |
forenoon watch, the wind a light breeze |
right aft, and the ship swaying upon
the delicate pulse of swell with scarce
more than steerage way on her, the car
penter came from the pumps, where he
had been sounding the well, and stand
ing under the break of the poop, with
the sounding rod in his hand, called up
to me;
There's three foot of water in the
hold, sirl'
The steward was ON the main deck
when this was said and instantly ran
into the cuddy. The captain was walk /