The sun., 1896-06-21
YARNS THE SAILORS SPIN.
BoW TIE Carpenters MATE
SAVED THE AMLRARTH SbOOP.

| the Suicide OF an Ingenious shark that
| Failed In an Attempt to Play Trick
on a Yankee sailor or Kingston.
1t was In the days when the old steam frigate
| Minnesota used to iio at anchor In the North
River of the foot Of West Twenty eighth
street, with her masts on ond and yards squared
by the lifts and brocos-in the days when,
although a receiving hulk for naval apprentices,
| she was still shipshape and Yankee fashion.
| Tho crew had Just eaten supper, and were sit
| ting In groups around the gun dock, for tho
| most part smoking their pipes, when 1t was OBJ
| served that the carpenters mate was putting at
his huge briarwood with unwonted vigor as he
| sat on the deck with his back to u gun carriage.
| Whats achin' fye, Chips2 asked the Quar-
| termaster from his seat on the deck beside tho
| adjoining gun.
| II was jeat thiukin' OF when WAS In the Am
| arnuth steam sloop on the China station. Did
| ever tell ye what clus shave we had to foun-
| dern' in q run from Hong Kong to Nagasaki2 ?"
| Cant say as you did, Chips, but l calculate
| the Amaranth was ono Of tho tiRhtest ships In
| the navy In them days"
"In course sho was. Jack. Don't know after
| sarvin' In her for threo years3 But she had
I mighty olus shave OF It, all tho Same, MS I'm
tellin' OF ye. Let me see. We'd been out O.
| Hong Kong about seventeen or eighteen hours
| no. We hadn't neither; wo TUX our departure at
eight bells at night. an It were Jest gone six
| bells OF tho mornin' watch when tho lookout
| see foatin' spar eend on under tho fore foot.
| an afore he could pucker his mouth TO re-
| port 1t tho Amaranth caught 1t on the
starboard bow sech = shockin' blow as opened
| butt two feet below the water limo. where
| thore never ought to ha been any butts. an
wouldn't ha' been, but that the Amnranth was
| on the ways when the French capturin Of
| Mexico an they be to hurry tho launchin' OF
| her 'gainst we were to jine in an help oust
You Gar gan guess thing thnE' was nret,y
an the eosun piped all hands to save ship. An
what was worse they found S there ere, weren't Weren't
an nothin' 'ud do but to start tho pumps"
I'm" intesr1p,ed i! the Quartermastter, I'm
| Rtonshed ye didn't turn gray from thfnkin' OF
yer clus shave afore they got tn" pumps started,
"So ye amt neither. Jack, for that was only
the besnnin' OF the trouble, Why. the mo
ment they started the starboard pump the
steam on to @ port % she boWod out the ' cylinder
head afore she's made the second stroke. Then
some OF en- hadn't no feathers and the rest was
| choked W ith dunnage which was all along Of tho
chief engineer and executive officers hsyn' had
| too much fun ashore in Hong Kong. You may
| ha' thought a started butt matter Of small
you sh'u'd ha' been there to ha' seen the sober
face as Capt. Dick Lennox drawed when he said
-. Chips said he, what ever p he says, an
"True for IT, CAPTAIN; It's hard chance
Then touched my cap respectful an said:
"a like to Suggest a. ho" can ' free
In course; he.vs ahead, said Cant. Lennox.
@ f3r Il do say It as hadn't oughter the Captain
| the crew as was OF an envious disposition uset
to call me the Captains favris. So says to him.
Captain, did ys ever tax notice. as in course
counter when the screws q turnin', sirr To
-, True Tor i, Chips. There do be consider
1r thA afl. yha,
the screws kiclin' of 1t away into the wake
1knowed you'd seen it. sir I says. AN
knowed you knowed as the water had to come
from under the two counters, cause there
% "We" says he, bein - as OH aha,s % all plain
ssailn;' cay. he: .Whsts thai Eot to do With
in thro' that ere started butt says he.
Akin pardon says ]. fer bein' SO bold
approved Of it. sir says. was was thlnEin' Of
turnin' that ere flood as is comm thro' the
started butt into siuice whore 1t 'u'd feed the
With that ws5Ty puzzled look comes 9ys.
had the chance to explain myself in detail. but
hove ahead as fast as might be. an said:
Ra qn sSovo sSs water
hand wiz that :rs slaiso o yoHrn II you've got
Aye. aye. sir; immej!t' says l. 'rn les
@ ao o The ak ade s bs the
dead wood OH the level OF the orlop deck. an
alongside the starn post in the wake OF the
screw says ]. an make fair way for the
water thro' them holes to the suckin' of the
| "Sav. Jack. ye may believe me or not, but the
momsni Capt: Lenpox catehed the idee he
Chips ho says, God bless ye You've saved
49, yond been there s sG.se shs water often
left 70 wet swab,,you'd ha' said he didn't say
The, old Qpartermaster removed his pipe
from his mouth. threw one arm up across the
trunnion Of the gun, leaned his head back and
mouth up against the beam four or ilve feet
above his head; Then he resumed his usual
Let me see. Chips, the Amaranth must ha'
been on the Chine S station along in the early
True for it., Jack. She sailed from New
York here in 1871. an It was on the 18th day OF
tho 18th OF October Of the next year when /
saved her We sailed from Hong Kong on the
I'm glad ye remember the date" said the
| Qunrtermaster. "'cauhe it's curious coinci-
October. is7s that had si most 's Gurus r adv adveD
ture myself. I was Qnartermaster aboard the
shore leave that day: in course was st younger ser
IN those days nor, nor am ' now' Chips an ambi,
to tel %e at S
| Kingston hsrbor. Jamaica. Well as was say
day had some Of my mates land me abreast
| the old fort ye might remember seein' jes below
the city. Aye. vas landed there. I'd borryed
a revolver from the armorer. with tho permis-
| sion of Capt. Richard Daniels. ! can't say as
| Capt. paniels had any special regard for me;
mo bis pet-but when Went to the mast an
| aXed i'm for 1t. he said:
"'You may have II. my man. but you bring IL
back or III Quarantine you for U year
| As was eayin', Chips ] was younger and
am6iti1user In n them nc. days nor La am ~ now: ] went
| tlce. When we'd landed we walked down tho
| beach u few lengths lookin for proper target
whom what should rec but u school q sharks
aplayin In the water list beyant rook what
| projectin' above the wator n fairish jump from
| the sand. So when | sees them fins II scoOtn'
| to nm fro o handy shot away, | snys to myself
says |: There's yer target alive and ready
made fer ye. Jack an out goes to that rock
What time % day did you say 1t was when the
Amaranth struck that derelict spar. Chlpsy"
six bells gone. jack"
True for II. Chips. an that wasa coincidence
for near as can reckon 1t was just about six
bells when l popped hole through the fin OF
o. tLen shnrkk i ord lhlua sl,u, La,