The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1895-12-05

he took were peculiar and characteristic
= Of the man
/ The diving captain first called Mate Lor-
I euisen 10 mis- bedside. To him ne said 4
am about 10 die. I have here $50 in Pc
ruFian money. I have certified checks Tor
much more money. which were obtained
T by the sale Of the Oakiand's cargo TIE
money redily belongs 70 me, ana lS 10
apply TO the Indebtedness Of her owners
7 10 me FOR money I have advanced. ] want
you 20 take the money ana tne clec-L1 a- 4
keep them. Head the vessel for San Fran
cisco. ] am dying fast. and ! cannot live
until the bark reaches san Diego, as /
hoped Fully impressed with the solem-
n.ty OF the moment, the mate answered
u VIII, sir"
Then captain 8eGuier called the stew
ara. after first telling the mate TO with
draw The steward Of the bark is John
| Williams. He has the look of an honest
man, and doubtless the captain esteemed
him as such. John Williams had been,
on ana on, Tor ten years steward on SHIPS
commanded by blum old Capt McGuier.
lie had been with him on the bark North
west ana on the bark Nonantum. He re-
spected and loved the rough Old master.
John" said the captain, Il am about
10 die. have given all my money to the
mate, and told him 10 deliver it to Henry,
the sailinaker, in San Francisco. The
sailmaker is the best friend / have, and
want him to have charge of my affairs
when 1 die. Will you see that the money
ana the checks get there all right
~ viii. sir" said the steward in turn.
Thus il was that Capt McGuier laid the
seeds OF the trouble that arose on the yes
sci after his death. He passed away when
only the two men on guard were by his
hunk, out the mate and the steward were
hota mindful of the promise they had
made, and felt fully its sacred nature.
Only two men were i'm the captains room,
because at the moment a storm was rag
ing outside. The captain died as he had
lived, feeling the power of the wild sea.
IL was almost an omen that that very
day the schooner Beulah was spoken. This
schooner left San Jose the day the oak
NnF md 2 ~
as the bark had been, by calms and adj
verse winds. More strange still, the Beu-
ian signaled that her captain had been
SICK Tor two weeks and might die, and
that she was short Of provisions.
Inc next day the body of Capt. McGuier
was buried. 1t was stretched out upon
a plank. sewed up In canvas, and iron
weighing 100 pounds was fastened at the
teet or the corpse. The remains of the
kinC-hearted old captain were then car
Ileu art, ana Mate Lorensten read the
words Of the service for the first time in
MS life The body was then consigned to
the waves. 1t shot out of sight the mo-
ment Il struck the water.
W hat happened the next day there is "a
ulHefence of statement about on board
the vessel The mate says thatsthe stew
ara enueayored TO take charge of the
snip. and he vows that therefor he will
nave the man arrested. The steward on
the other hand, declares that the next day
ne broke the news to the mate that the
provisions were short and that the mate
| insisted that his meals should not be cut
cewn, Thereupon, the steward says, he
refused TO give the mate more of an al
lowance than the sailors would get.
Al any rate, as all hands say, there
was a wordy quarrel, andsthe mate and
the steward nearly came to blows. The
steward applied an odiOus remark 10 the
mate and dared him to do his work. As
the men nearly all sided with the steward
in the matter, the result was that the
mate feared mutiny and did nothing at
all but arm himself From that moment
Mate Lorentsen was never without a
revolver In his pocket day or night. He
slept but little, and then with one eye
open.
1t was a long, slow passage into port
AT times it seemed that the bark would
never reach San Francisco Bay. Such a
long, tardy trip in southern waters had
made her bottom most foul. When a gale
was blowing the mate spread even the
main-topgallant sail, and ran before the
wind, and even then the Oakland made
little over six knots. In her better days.
when clean, the bark easily sailed her
fourteen knots.
For nearly two weeks the men had moth
ing TO eat but bread, sugar and coffee.
The cook made coffee and the men had
water to drink as well, but very little.
On finally arriving in port the bark had
left 400 pounds Of -four and fifty gallons
OF water. Another day or so of Gains
and contrary breezes would have brought
the men face TO face with starvation
When the bark was towed in the mate or
dered her taken far down below Mission
Rock, almost half way to Hunters Point,
and, of course, the boatmen did not both
er her, and even the quarantine officer
did not find her. This long tow was taken,
as the mate wanted a chance to go
ashore first to complain of the steward.
| The steward held out on the forecastle
deck, waiting and almost praying for a
chance TO get to Stuart street to tell the
sailmaker of Capt McGuier's last ex-
pressed wish. II was, indeed, a strange
| had been ended. Although in harbor, the
mate still carried the revolver.