The Neihart herald. [volume] (Neihart, Mont.) 1890-1901, 1897-06-12
ship by instinct better'n the swellest

IVY, l en- tell ye, an engineer
has to know somethin besides how
to give orders, and a man thet can't
run vessel without bein on deck and
seein the whole. layout don't know
his biz. l never could see the use of
cap'ns on steam vessels what have
No. engineers except to swear and
put on airs. AS for mates, two good
firemen are better'n dozen of the
overbearin cusses Seer Whatcap'
would "a thought to dive down un-
der water and smash that bulkhead
what was keepin the men out of the
fire pita Wy, like as not he'd "a
had some fool plan and gone to in
terferin with the only cool head
aboard the boat.
Huff s story is o. K, but l had
little experience which lays it on
its beam ends some fatter'n the old
Sibery laid on her starboard with
her weather side so high out of wa
ter thet the id treacherous ele.
ments could only git a little spray
on to thet deckload of ice. Twas
in war times, and we had loaded
with beans at Chicago for Buffalo.
Ye see, every bloomin farmer in
the country had taken to raisin
beans for the army as the best thing
they could do to help squelch the
rebs. The crop hadn't been over
and above good thet year, and them
Chicago hustlers war a-tryin to cor.
ner it and make the government pay
big money for it's bean rations
Some Buffalo fellers saw the game
and caught on to it, and there was
contract with our owners to send
their whole fleet to Chicago and
make break in the Windy City's
bean plans, AS luck would have it,
the old Exile was the last one to
git her load She was a stiff old
craft, though, and in them days side
wheelers war thought more Off
they are now.
I'VE got out of port and up the
lake all right, but by the time we
war well among the islands it be.
gun to snow, blamed fine snow,
like thick fog, SO thet we couldn't
see nothin at all, with the wind
a-risin and the snow cuttin like cam.
brio needles. The cap'n looked kind
of blue around the gills when he
came below to ask my advice. If
this yere weather keeps up, says
he, blamed if see how we're goin
to git through the straits without
scrapin acquaintance, with things
we don't want to hev anything to
do with.
II jest LATED heartylike and said,
says /: Never you mind, cap'n. I'll
take this yere boat through the
straits slicker'n creased lightnin
Don't ye git scared while Jim Blow
it is aboard and settin on the safety
valve SO hard as HI can t move
him. When Jim gives his word, it's
for keeps. Go to bed if ye want to
Yell be less nervous there, reck.
on.
i couldn't do thet, says he,
for I'm responsible for the safety
of the boat.
Responsible tiggerhead, says
l. 'Ye en- keep on deck if you want
to. The engine room don't need
yer, and ye'd better be careful what
orders ye send down Seer
1--WE went through the straits
as slick as whistle, but when we
got in Lake Huron it was BLOWN
great guns and snowin thick as
fog, and the seas war enough TO
make yer hair stand up like cur.
rycomb all over yer head Says
to myself, This is CROWN interest.
in, and | told the firemen to keep
the fires roarin while took look
on deck. The boat had her head
well on and was keepin purity steady,
but it looked bad, sure enough The
seas war mountain high, as Hui
says, and the snow thet thick you
could hardly see across the deck
The cap'n and mates came over to
where stood and war on the. point
of askin my advice when thunder
in big roller came over the stern,
sweepin the deck clean, and them
as wasn't washed overheard war
half drowned, us fellers standin at
the head of the stair bein sent
down into the fire pit without know,
in how we got there. The man at
the wheel was scared outen years
growth and let go, and the next
minute the boat swung round. and
her sta board wheel was spinnin in
the air, and the other one was labor
in in 90 feet of water. When we
got our breath, the cap'n hollered
out, What's the matterl'
'Ye'd better go and find out,
says l.
Somebody must take the
wheel, says he.
" Take it yerself, ye id land
lubber ye, says l.
How can ever climb up thet
slantin deckl says he: I
Il jest swum over to him, and
takin him by the nap of the neck ]
yanked him up on to his feet and
said, says /, You jest git outen
here. We Whinin Duppy, and see