St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1897-06-11
A HERO.

pulled off in the coaling company's
smart gig to the 3,000.ton tramp
steamer Corona, then rolling on the
long Atlantic swell just outside the
breakwater of Las Palmas harbor,
Grand Canary. AS the white gig
flashed through the clear green
water there was ample opportunity
to look at the vessel, and her appear
ance was by no means pleasing.
With her full bows, square quarters,
huge upright funnal and rusty sides
she was not an attractive object, as,
loaded down to the last inch with
nitrate from South America, she
wallowed in the long sea slopes that
swept around the end of the break
water. Climbing over the low rail
and forcing my way through pan
demonium of swarthy Spanish coal
beavers, dealers in fruit and tobacco
and vendors OF canaries, the latter
alternately coaxing and abusing
their feathered merchandise, in the
vain hope of making them sing, | met
Captain Cranton.
"Shes not exactly floating pal.
ace--but with fine weather will take
you home all right. and you can see
what deep tramp is like at sea-"
said the latter.
Just then a dilapitated-looking
Englishman, clad in greasy dun
garee, with a battered engineers silk
cap on his head, thrust on one side,
a gesticulating Spaniard who was
trying to force a bunch of hard
bananas and half-dead canary on
grinning fireman, and touching his
grimy forehead, asked:
"Are you Captain Cranton, sir ?"
EYES," said the officer; what is it
you want ?"
"1want to see if there's any chance
of working passage home. Pm
boiler maker and have served as
fourth engineer. Pm starving here"
was the answer.
HIN! what are you doing in Las
Palmas then-deserted, suppose ?"
said the captain.
No, sir; it was this way.
shipped at Liverpool aboard of the
Coquimbo to load coal at Cardiff for
Rio, and the night before she sailed
met Tom Stevenson, who served his
time at Dunlop's."
Never mind Stevenson-go on"
interjected the skipper.
"Well, we went to have a partin'
glass or two-not too much, sir;
about a bottle Of whiskey atween
two of us-an' when they turned us
out at II, Tom, he sits in the gutter,
and SEE he, I won't 60 home till
morning l SEE, Don't be a fool,
Tom,' and p'leeseman comes, so
goes off and makes down to the coal
tips. 1t didn't seem quite the right
tip, but | sees big four.masted boat
with a yellow funnel, and seq I,
That's the Coquimbo-I knows the
ugly look of her. So crawled
aboard and goes to sleep in the
fo'c'sle. When | awakened up she
were rolling heavy far out at sea,
and when got on deck l says to
myself, It's another sanguinary Afri-
can boat. So it was; and they
made me scrape paint, and when we
got here the skipper he SEE, Clear
out, and be thankful you amt locked
up by the consul"-and l landed
without cent?"
The captain hesitated and looked
at the man once or twice, while the
latter spat calmly on the deck; at
last he said, half to himself, 1.-The
chief wants another hand with that
broken down engine of his"-then,
raising his voice, "All right. III take
you if the chief engineer approves;
go and see him. Mind, Pm not
going to sign you on and pay more
than you're worth for stamps; but
ifyou behave I'll give you trifle to
60 ashore with"
While | leaned over the rail, smok.
ing and watching the form crawl
past-crawl is the proper word-the
chief officer came along, and, in reply
to my query, said
What kind OF boat is she? Well,
you can see-about as hard an cid
tramp as ever launched into the Ger
man ocean; besides, we've been
knocking about for months and
there's shells and grass on her foot
long. The engineer says his mill is
all to bits, too" Subsequent expert