The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1897-07-07

a-trying to corner ii and make the gov
ernment pay big money for its bean
rations. Some Buffalo fellers saw the
game and caught on to it, and there
was contract with our owners 10 send
their whole fleet to Chicago and make
a break in the Windy City 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 on they are now.
We got out of port and up the lake
all right, but by the time we war well
among the islands it begun to snow, a
blamed fine snow, like thick fog, so
thet ye couldn't see nothin at all, with
the wind a-risin and the snow cuttin
like cambric needles. The cap'n looked
kind of blue around the gills when he
came below to ask my advice. If this
yere weathers keeps up says he,
blamed if see how we're goin TO git
through the straits without scrapin ac-
quaintance with things we don't want
to hev anything to do with
al jest laffed heartylike and said,
says L: Never you mind, cap'n. I'll
take this yere boat through the straits
slicker'n creased lightnin. Don't We
git scared while Jim Blowit is aboard
and settin on the safety valve so hard
as hi can't move him. When Jim
gives his words, it's for keeps. Go to
bed if want to. Yen be less nervous
there, / reckon
al couldn't do thet,' says he, for
Pm responsible for the safety of the
boat
Responsible figgerhead,' says /.
'Ye en- keep on deck if you want 10.
The engine room don't need yer. and
ye'd hetter be careful what orders ye
send down. See?
ave went through the straits as
slick as whistle, but when We got in
Lake Huron it was blowin great guns
and snowin thick as fog, and the seas
war enough to make yer hair stand up
like eurrycomb all over yer head.
Says 1 to myself, This is CROWN ill.,
terestin,' and / told the firemen TO keep
the fires roarin while I took look on
deck. The boat had her head well on
and was keeping purity steady, but il
looked bad, sure enough. The seas
war mountain high rs Hut 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 adj
vice when a thunderin big roller came
over the stern, sweepin the deck clean,
and them as wasn't washed overheard
war half drowned, Us fellers standin az
the head of the stair bein sent down
into the fire pit without KNOWN how
we got there. The man at the wheel
was scared outen a 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 laboring in 20 feet of water.
When we got cur breath, the cap'n
hollored ont, What's the matter"
"'Ye'd better go aud find out, says
/.
I" Somebody must take the wheel,
says he.
Take it perself, We ID land
Iubber ye,' says /.
"How can / ever climb up thet
slantin deck?' says he.
al Jest swum over to him, and takin
him by the nape of the neck / yanked
him up on to his feet and said, says j,
you Jest git Outen here We whinin
puppy, and see what's goin on up
there and with thet / kicked him up
the stairway and ordered the mates to
follow on. Then / said to the boys,
says /, 'Ie see we're in for it, but ye
Jest keep cool, for Jim BlOwit amt
drowned yet
''The men on deck couldn't do a
blamed thing. The boat had lost her
seaway and was rollin arouE like top
first one wheel up in the air, then the
other, the engine jest groanin anu
shudderin with the strain on it, water
comm in by the million gallons min
ute, pumps ehoked up, some Of 'em al
least, bu; what with L couldn't tell;
matches stove, in, wheelhouse gone,
steerin gear badly mixed, bulkheads
giyin way, and I'll be blowed if IL
didn't look rs though We were in for -
short cut to kingdom com. But | said,
says |, Boys, keep 'er steam up, and
well pull outen this hole yet, but jest
now all we kin do is to let 'er rip for
awhile
"Jest then the cap'n come tumbliu
down into the pit, spluttering from
gettin ducked in six feet of water
'Blowit,' says he, what shell we ever
do? The ship is doomed. We've done
our best to save 'er.'
Says |: 'Ye dry up, and don't let
me hear another word Outen yer
mouth, and, mind, ye slinkin coward
ye, when We gifts into port ye and 1
can't walk OH the same side of the
street. Cos why? Because there'o
be collision, and somebOdy'd get
hurt, and il wouldn't be Jim Blowit,'
Says I, at which the mel give three
cheers and a tiger, and the cap'n got
bIuer round the gills and kinder sigh
ed. Then lie give the almightiest
screech ever heard and hollered. The
beans, the BEAM and then tainted
dead away and fell in the water. We
fished him out and hung him un -
bulkhead frame To dreen and then
looked around. Sure enough. them
blamed beans had begun TO swell from
the water we'd taken and war already
erawlin through every crack anu
openin.
"Now, We see, HUFF had wheat
aboard, decent sort of grain that We
can count on behayin itself in most
any situation, which is wy il didn't
bother hiEn any when them bulkheads
war stove iIi and them matches smash
ed. IL kDowed IL place and staid the.-,