The daily morning journal and courier., 1896-11-21
(. f. LONcLEY & co.

above him. With a skill born of pfac- tice, the reporter threw coil Of line which was attached to the bow of the skiff, and holding the slack in his hand, checked the jerk which came when the steamer commenced towing the skiff.
 The crew of the steamer knew what was wanted and at once lowered bucket over the side of the boat hold ing a couple of iron belaying pins for weights on the letters in the bottom Every man in the crew wanted news paper, as the voyage had been long, and the captain wanted two, but the re- porter had enough to go around. There was an order from the owner in CleVe- land to the captain of the steamer, sent by telegraph in care of the station at Mackinac, and to be delivered by the reporter, and two letters also to be sent to the station.
 See anything new coming, captain?'
 "No, nothing but gales of wind dead ahead, and little fog on Saginaw Bay" was the response.
 "All right, let go." A deckhand cast off the painter, and. giving pull on ti1ler line, the skiff was steered from the dreaded vortex at the propeller and | the first barge was boarded in the same way.
 There were letters to be mailed from i the barges, but there were no orders to | be given, for the captain of the steamer attended to them. By the time the last barge was left Mackinaw City and the l station were four miles astern, but the boatman did not intend to row that dis tance Coming along like train of cars was big, black hull, with tow l ering side, a pilot house on one end, and smokestack on the other, one ot the new 4o0-foot freight steamers. Its speed was terrific, and the sight of the towering mass tearing down with ir- resistible momentum, was appalling. But the boatman pulled directly in the path and waited. Like the other steamer this One slowed down not a I particle, but came rushing along al l full speed. Apparently the boarding feat was done as easily as with the slower vessels, for not hitch or miss was made, but whensthe steamer pick ed up the skiff the little craft was tow ed along with two-thirds of its length out of water, resting on the stern. The mate was left on watch and the captain came to the side.
 ''The steamer w. D. Reed is ashore on Hog Island Reef It is from Chi cago with grain, and went on during the night. It is hard and fast, anc wants a wrecking tug. Its consort es' capped and lies at anchor"
 This was the message delivered bS the captain of the steamer to the re porter It meant action. There wa: i work to do, besides the comparativel! uneventful operation of picking up steamers going fourteen miles an hou in a small skiff The business with th' monster towing the skiff was quickly finished, for there were no oredrs, anC only one letter to be sent ashore Th' captain gossiped with the reporter ; minute and then resumed his station ol the bridge
 The little boat was lowed to a poin abreast of d white house, right at tn
 waters edge at Mackinaw City an( then cast loose The ohIging captain
 had kept course so near the shor
 that the words Lake Marine News
 could be seen painted on the lake sid
 of the house The reporter quick. rowed to the dock, and, rushing into tn
 house, began writing telegrams. Tn first was to the owner of the strande,