The San Francisco call., 1897-01-31

M2KTERE is cat that is striving to
m1 make unique record. To cover
HS1A one million miles is the goal of its
ambition and that of its owner, Chief
Engineer a. D. Little of the steamer Ala
media of the Oceanic line.
1t is the most widely travelled cat in the
world. Up to the present time Tom has
covered a distance of $4,000 miles during
his wanderings and both he and his mas
ter are Iiy ing in the hope that he will be
able to reach the million mark. Incl
dentally, Tom has had many strange ex-
periences. He has been battered about
and laid on the sick list more than once,
but never has this prevented him from
continuing his travels.
Tom has done most of his journeyings
on the Alameda, on board which Mr..
Little has sailed as chief engineer for over
thirteen years. The Alameda plies be-
tween San Francisco, Hawaii New
Zealand and Australia and at every port
where the vessel touches Tom is as well
known as the oldest sal. in the service.
There are dozens of persons interested in
him, and many of them keep record OF
the miles ne travels, adding to the score
whenever the famous old feline reaches
port On the water front at San Fran
cisco Tom is as we'll known-in fact,
better than the oldest policeman on the
beat. and surely twice as well liked, and
at Honolulu, Apia, Auckland and Sydney
he is the first favorite with all who ire
ouent the docks. There will certainly be
general lamentation if Tom is not spared
to make his record of million miles, but
the chances are that he will, for at present
the old cat is as healthy as he ever was.
1t was not until Tom had been at sea
for ten wears that Mr.. Little began to
figure up the number of miles he had eov-
cred, but since that time he has kept a
careful record, and at the close of the last
VOYAGE, when it was discovered that Tom
had covered a distance of 675. 600 miles,
there was general feasting among the
crew. At present the feline globe trotter
is forging his way over the ocean, adding
more miles to his record, and, when he
left San Francisco, he looked as strong as
if he were in his prime, and so the race
between time and death goes on, with
time having the best of it up to now.
Tom originally belonged to the crew aof
the bark Alden Besse. He was then quite
a kitten. This was about thirteen years
ago. One day he crawled up the gangway
of the Alameda and started to run round
the deck as if he were anxious to start a
record for travelling Several of the sail
ors tried to catch him, but Tom would not
be caught. He secreted himself in vari-
Gus parts OF the ship until she went to sea,
and from that day to this he has been on
board the Alameda.
As he grew older Tom began to settle
down to business, and it was not long be-
fore the upper part of the ship and the
tween decks were perfectly clear of rats.
1t was this quality that brought him so
much good luck and also a great deal of
comfort.
From the moment that Tom boarde d
the Alameda he kept to himself No
amount of coaxing could make him
friendly. He would not allow any one 10
pick him up, and if any of the sailor
tried to stroke him he would dash off and
disappear for a couple of days. Then he
would renew his crusade on the rats.
This was the case on the first voyage that
Tom took. One day he was hunting the
yermin and happened to chase mo nster
rat into the galley. In his anxiety to
catch his foe Tom jumped on to the stove.
His feet were badly burned. and with a
howl of pain he rushed out of the galley
and slowed himself away in the tween
docks. Engineer Little, who has always
been very fond of Tom, started for him,
cropping among the cargo for several
hours, at last finding him writhing in
pain between two barrels. Little picked
up the cat and took him to his room.
dressing his feet with vaseline every day
until they were cured, and from that time
Tom has been friendly to the chief en-.
gineer. There are now three. cats on
board the Alameda, but of course they
are not such old voyagers as Tom and he
seems to know it, Tor under no ciFcum-
stances Will he allow one of the green
hands" to walk on the poop. Perhaps
when they too have travelled 675000 miles
things will be different but now Tom is
very strong. Thirteen years of good food
and sea air have told their tale making
him one of the healthiest feline specimens
that ever went to sea.
OF late years Tom has acted as sentinel
at the door of Engineer Little's state
room, but there is something paradoxical