Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1897-02-10
PASSING THE WORD.


for Buffalo with lumber from Michigan
and had just got clenr of tho Linolilns
and out into Lake Erie when l saw 1t was
going to blow. 1t was about the time Of
year when we get ON good, and I knew
that tho tow would get n shaking up before
We got under the brcakwnter at "a fIalo.
"Thero were four bargcs In t-w Of an
old steam barge that could hardly tam caro-
of herself in the b0st of weather Astern
of the steam barge wns the McDouRnl,
big scow that could carry bigger dock
load. stand more sea and stoor easier than
anything 1 ever saw. We were next
was on the Buckout; then came the Belts
and last the Norris.
well the gale came, as 1oxpectad, and
right square after us. We got clear Of
Point Peleo and well out in tho lake by
daylight, and the steam barge checked
down for fear Of breaking the towlinc.
"Tho ollscow ahead OF us swashed about
like raft, but roll she would not. But tho
box 1 was in, the Buckout, began her nero.
battle performance curly. She would sheer
of till sen caught her under the quarter,
nnd then she would try to roll way oyor
like horse, and then she'd dive and then
get up and rear. Wo would go down be.
tween sens, and the tow posts would crcak
md groan from the strain Of tho weight OF
the bnrges behind the sea astcrn. Then
we would come up with slnck line and
zee the tow diving and steering below us.
Then we would GO down again, and Tho
slack Of the limo would come up with
swish and u snap, which told US that the
captain of tho steam barge knew what he
was doing whom he checked for fear Of
parting the tow.
We'll wo dove and plowed and sheercd
and rolled and jumped till afternoon be-
fore anything OF interest happened. lt
was about O'Clock when heard some ono
astern shouting, 'Buckout, aboy-y-yr 1
called tho captain, o little, dried up, fan
mol mounted lrishman, TO answer tho hail.
"'phot do thot crazy Frenohman WANT
he asked.
~ told him Ind no idea, and ho calno
on deck and stood, with one hand on tho
tow post to hold himself from going over
board, till he learned.
"ARain came the hail from astern.
"'Hellol' shouted the Irishman in an
swer
"Pass do word, came from the Beta
"'All roight
"Thon came lot of sounds in broken
Canadian French, which made the Irish.
man say; Would yez listen to tliot nowY
Pilot the divil is he troin to say? Then
ho howled: Pilot do ycz sayr Talk United
States
"Then we heard 1t: The Belts she's
waterlog Pass do word to de oap-i-tan TO
pull hunder Long Point.
1.-The Irishman went forward and hailed
the McDougai. Tho captain of that craft
happened to be a Swedo.
"'wot-a you wantS he called in answer
20 the hail.
"'Pnss tho woordl'
"'Ole Alright Volta you sayi'
"Then tho Irishman mixod his brogue
and the French Canadian dialect md the
information that Belts was waterlogged
and the wish of the crew that tho steam
barge would pull under Long Point into
ono mass Of noise and cast it forth upon
the water.
"There was a short silence, and then
came back the mnddening refrain, 'A-wot
a-you says'
1.-THE Irishman walked the deck and
cursed so that every syllable could hnvo
boon heard TO tho steam barge but when
he at last tried to convey the Information
concerning the misfortune of tho Botts hc
was answered by, Il hear you a-swear,
but wot-a you say?'
"Then the Irishman cut 1t short.
" 'Yo ould SoweRian, OF said thot the
Belts was wathcrlogged. Can yez under
stand thot9'
"'Yaas'
"And they want tho ould man to pull
under Long Point
"'Ole Alright, came back the answer,
and the fair haired descendant of the Morse
men went forward to pass the word to the
steam barge
In little while tho Swode again hailed
US and the lrishman went forward. Tho
Swede's voice was good, and could honr
sycry syllable distinctly.
"'The olo-a man says to tell tho captain
of the Belts 10 ago to h--I'
"The Irishmnn came aft and passed the
comforting message TO tho Belts. 'Tbot
Frenchman Is crazy, said the Irishman by
wpy of comment, Sure, he should know
thot to troll to pull this tow off into tho
troughs of tho sen would break 1t up in u
second.
1.-THE Belts dove more deeply and sheersd
worse as the hours went by. Twice tho
Frenohman induced the Irishman to pass
the word that the Belts was sinking, and
the same stereotyped reply camo back re-
garding where tho captain OF tho Belts
could 40 II he didn' like the way tine steam
barge was towing him.
1T was about O'Clock, and everybody
was aft watching for the line to part when
the Belts took long, rolling, lazy sheer,
and cloud Of mist half why between us
told US thu Belts was adrift, Tho crew,
ibuddlod together ON the house, made u run
for tho rigging, and she preached to In tho
itroughs of the sea. When she came out of
stho first sea, the deokload was gone, but
tho crew was safe half way between rul
and trucks. The Norris, astern, had cut
sdrift from her at once, the limo had parted
and little mutton log snil was run up
Under this she came on, passed the tow
and beat 1t to Buffalo by thros hours
1--WE got there in the morning, and Mt
about noon the Belts wns sighted wnlluw-
ing along in the troughs No tug would
&C out, and we watched her drift toward
tho brnakwater. Every third sea would
completely cover her decks, and she rolled
like a drifting log. Everybody, including
the woman cook, was dashed TO tho rig
cling, and when she eventually got within
reach of the tugs there was not one of them
had strength enough to take line The
tugs managed TO got hor before she struck
and towed her under the brcakwater. No
one died or was hurt, And every one OF
that crew knew that had the tow barge at
tempted to pull under Long Point there
would have been four wHtarlogged barges
drifting into Buffalo instead OF one.
"Of course It looked AS II some one
would DO drowned And there was nothing
IN lnugh Mt bnt | think I Inuvhpd ,norn