The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1897-02-24
PASSING THE WORD.


said the old lake sailor 1--WE were bound
for Buffalo with lumber from Michigan
and had just got clear of the LimekiIns
and out into Lake Erie when 1 saw 1t was
going to blow. 1t was about the time OF
year when we get 'em good, and I knew
that the tow would get a shaking up before
we got under the breakwater at Buffalo.
'tThere were four barges in tow OF an
old steam barge that could hardly take care
of herself in the best of weather. Astern
of the steam barge was the McDougai, a
big scow that could carry a bigger deck
load, stand more sea and steer easier than
anything ever saw. We were next
was on the Buekout; then came the Belts
and last the Norris.
'sWell, the gale came, as expected, and
right square after US. We got clear OK
Point Pelee and well out in the lake by
daylight and the steam barge checked
down for fear of breaking the towline.
"The old scow ahead of US swashed about
like raft, but roll she would not. But the
box was in, the Buckout, began her aero
batic performance early. She would sheer
off till sea caught her under the quarter,
and then she would try to roll way over
like a horse, and then she'd dive and then
get up and rear. We would go down be-
tween seas, and the tow posts would creak
and groan from the strain of the weight OF
the barges behind the sea astern. Then
we would come up with slack line and
see the tow diving and steering below us
Then we would go down again, and the
slack of the line would come up with a
| swish and a snap, which told US that the
| captain of the steam barge knew what he
] was doing when he checked Tor rear OK
| parting the tow.
'sWell, we dove and plowed and sheered
| and rolled and jumped till afternoon be-
fore anything of interest happened. 1s
was about O'Clock, when heard some one
astern shouting, 'Buckout, ahoy-y-yP
I Had I,o 7tafr1 fam
mel mouthed Irishman, to answer the hail.
'''Phot do thot crazy Frenchman wants'
he asked.
81 told him had no idea, and he came
on deck and stood, with one hand on the
tow post to hold himself from going over
| board, till he learned.
"Again came the hail from asteFn.
"'HelloP shouted the Irishman in an
swer.
"'Pass de word, came from the Beta
EAn roight.
"Then came a lot of sounds in broken
Canadian French, which made the Irish
man say: Would yez listen to thot nowf
Pilot the divil is he troin to ssyT Then
he howled: 'Phot do yez sayS Talk United
States
"Then we heard it: The Belts, she's
| waterlog. Pass de word to de captain to
pull hunder Long Point
1.-THE Irishman went forward and hailed
/ the McDougRl. The captain of that Craft
| happened to be Swede.
81 'Wot-a you wantF' he called in answer
| to the hail.
Pass the woordP
"sOle Alright Wot-a you sayf
"Then the Irishman mixed his brogue
and the French Canadian dialect and the
information that Belts was waterlogged
and the wish of the crew that the steam
barge would pull under Long Point into
one mass Of noise and cast 1t forth upon
the water.
There was short sileEcs and than
came back the maddening refrain, 'A-wos
a-you say?'
1.-THE Irishman walked the deck and
cursed so that every syllable could have
been heard to the steam barge but when
he at last tried to convey the information
concerning the misfortune of the Belts he
was answered by, Il hear you a-sWsar,
but wot-a you say?'
"Then the Irishman cut it short.
"'Ye ould Sowegian, OF said thot tbs
Belts was watherlogged- Can yez under
| stand thot?'
| HtYaas'
"And they want the ould man to pull
under Long Point
cole 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 the Swede again hailed
us, and the Irishman went forward. The
| SWede'S voice was good, and could heaE
every syllable distinctly.
"'The ole-a man says to tell thacaptain
of the Belts to ago to h-r'
1.-THE Irishman came aft and passed the
comforting message to the Belts. 'Thos
Frenchman is crazy, said the Irishman by
way Of comment. Sure, he should know
thot to troll to pull this tow Of into the
troughs of the sea would break it up in q
second.
1.-The Belts dove more deeply and sheared
worse as the hours went by. Twice tbs
Frenohman induced the Irishman to pass
the word that the Belts was sinking, and
the same stereotyped reply came back re-
garding where the captain of the Belts
could go If he didn't like the way the steam
barge was towing him.
sit was about O'Clock, and everybody
was aft watching for the line to part, when
the Belts took long, rolling, lazy sheer,
and a cloud of mist half way between US
told US the Belts was adrift. The crew,
huddled together on the house, made run
for the rigging, and she preached to in the
troughs of the When she came out of
the first sea, the deckload was gone, but
the crew WAS safe half way between rail
and trucks. The Norris, astern, had cut
adrift from her at once, the line had parted
and little mutton leg sail was run up.
Under this she came on, passed the tow
and beat it to Buffalo by three hours.
''We got there in the morning, and at
about neon the Belts was sighted waIlow-
ing along in the troughs No tug would
go out, and we watched her drift toward
the breakwater. Every third sea would
completely cover her decks, and she rolled
like drifting log. Every body, including
the woman cook, was dashed to the rig
ging, and when she eventually got within
reach of the tugs there was not one of them
had strength enough to take a line. The
tugs managed to get her before she struck
and towed her under the breakHater. No
one died or was hurt. And every one OF
that crew knew that had the tow barge at
-.