Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1896-03-19
TANKS LUCK.

fCopyright, 1895. ]

gcstion respecting HE habits is covered by
that statement. Tank was simply ia
mlinr abbrevietion OF his baptismal name,
Tancred, and catfish arc caught In western
waters by Juggling" He lived some 20
miles above Alton, Oh tho Missouri side Of
the river, and used to send down, by the
river boats, to that city and St. Louis his
catch Of D:t, doing quite good business
n tho season.
That fact is perhaps OF littlo interest to
anybody hut himself, however and Is only
incidentally mentioned as tho basis Of cir
cumstance out Of which grew very sim
gular illustration of the queer ways Dame
Fortune sometimes takes to bofriend q
man whom she is in q good huinor.
Tank deserved credit for going out "jug-
giDg' ono particular morning three or
four years after tho war, for he went
through sense Of duty-to get some cat
FISH he had promised to send down to an
Alton hotol-whcn he didn't feel bit like
doing that or anything else but sleep.
He had been sitting up" very late tho
night before with Almira Lightfoot, doing
his best to win her reluctant consent to be-
coming Mrs. Tank Peert.
A month before he thought he had her
safe enough, but tho storekeeper at the
crossroads had not then brought down his
wifcs brother Bob Mather, from Chicago,
to clerk for him.
Bob was q dressy, good looking, spright-
ly young fellow, "a right smart, clover
chap" rs Tank fairly recognized, and in
all probability not at oil responsible for
Almira's hayward fancy, but the fact ex-
listed, all the same, that since his advent
shc had grown cold to her former lover.
The question that worried Tank and kept
! ivs xrb bn nt hpf fhat
night was whether 1t would be altogether
just or quito polite to liam the life out'n
Bob" He had not yet determined 1t when
gray dawn appeared, and, hopeless of rest,
he arose and went out on the river with
his Juggling outfit.
Padding to favorite bend where tho
current was sluggish no Sc, afloat dozen
gallon jugs empty and tightly corked to
the handle Of each Of which was attached
q short line carrying big hook baited
with pork, and as they slowly drifted down
the stream he foated with them. The fish
did not seem to be hungry, for in long
time no jug bobbcd. The sun was hot, and
Tank dropped into dozc.
Suddenly he awoke to find. four Of the
jugs performing violent antics, darting
aimlessly to and fro, or making frantic
efforts seemingly, to get beneath the sur
face. One sailed Off down stream, like
racer, second went skittering away to-
ward the Illinois shore and the Others ap-
peared to be struggling to effect q mutual
smash Tho fish down below were not only
hungry now, but active. Naturally Tank
addressed himself to tho two fighting Jugs
first Leaning too far over the edge of his
light skiff to catch tho lines holding the
fish and being only half awake physically
as yet, he overbalanced and plunged head
foremost deep down in the river.
When no arose to the surface tho skiff
was some yards away in the swifter cur
rent of the channel and going much too
fast for him to overtake, since he was not
} particularly good swimmer Giving ID
up with q broadly comprehensive anathe-
ma upon things in general, he turned to
} swim ashore and was dismayed at seeing
how far out he had drifted.
He struggled bravcly, but soon his breath
came hard and painting, his water soaked
clothing was dragging him down, and he
realized that he was in great danger Of
drowning. He tried floating on his back,
but was overweighted by his clothes and
: boots. Then he lost his head and began
} splashing cxcitedly and ineffectively see
ing nothing and already taking In great
gulps of water. A few seconds more Of
those proceedings would have finished him,
but just then something hard hit him a
rude Jolt on tho shoulder. By an instinc-
tive effort he threw his arm over It, found
himself supported and began to regain his
senses
For several minutes he did not venture
to do anything more than hold on and
breathe. Then he put a little more effort
into tho arm grasping the object support
ing him, drew himself up facing it and
looked to SEQ what had saved him. Tie
sight of it so shocked him that he came
near letting go again and sinking. 1t was
a coffinl
.. For the moment Tanks mind was rot
, quito clear as to whether he was really
floating alongside coffin or WAS already
drowned and inside the grewsome box.
Luckily for him, his muscles held on
though his brain let go and in a few mo-
Inents more he grew able to think. Then
he understood the situation and realized
that it was not so extraordinary after all.
Tho Missouri river amuscs itself by con-
stantly eating away its banks on one side
and depositing them on the other, SO shift
ing its channel that old pilots declare the
only safe rule for navigating it is to Ego
one season where you couldn't go the sea-
son before" In this process Of erosion it
often carries away graveyards, the collins
from which generally sink before floating
far. But this one, Tank noticed, rode
high, as If it were sound, water tight and
lightly laden. Somehow an impression
gained upon him that 1t was untenanted.
He managed to climb aboard, and with
leg dangling on each side steered 1t TO q
low sand bar, where by good luck his skiH
had already stranded. Having his boat, he
felt himself master Of the situatisn, and
with fully regained confidence and the aid
of a hatchet that he carried in the skiff to
kill catfish proceeded to investigate hismys-
FERROUS raft. 1t had been carefully calked,
it's joints filed with tar, It's screw heads
sunk and puttied, its outside coated heavily
with thick paint. Prudent men have had
themselves buried in asbestus cof1ns but
such precautions against damage by water
seemed extraordinary. With excited hope
though no did not know what he hoped
for-Tank welded his ratchet.
Ho found, carefully wrapped in paper
and securely packed, two armfuls Of solid
slverware and bag containing over sl,-
900 In gold coin! Neither upon the silver,
nor the paper, nor anywhere else, was
there any mark of ownership. Doubtless
the treasure had been buried somewhere
up the river by some one hopeful OF secret
ing it from the hazard Of war years before.
Tank found no difficulty in disposing Of
the silverwsre In St. Louis for . sum he
never precisely stated, though more, rs he
admitted, than the amount OF com he had