Herald and tribune. [volume] (Jonesborough, Tenn.) 1869-current, 1897-09-15

as it afterward turned out. He could
see it and then he made the only refer
ence to his renowned father that heard
drop from his lips during the sixteen
bours was with him.
Father had remarkable sight in one
eye" said Captain Beecher. ''He could
stand in our house in Brooklyn and, by
closing one eye, could read the time on
Trinity tower in New York"
Henry Ward Beecher was a great
lover OF precious stones, and when
Captain Beecher said he had gathered,
at Agate Beech, below Port Crescent,
ninety agates ct one time for his wife,
/ tried to draw him into conv versation
regarding the great preacher, He did
not rise to the fly, and | could not, be-
ing his guest aboard, insist.
AT Port Angeles, after visiting Port
Crescent, left Captain Beecher, and
at some other time | may unfold an in.
teresting tale about my experience with
him and his gentlemanly crew. His
tug, like all others, bobbed about,
when the sea was rough, like match
on mill pond when the wind blows
up strong. fell victim to seasick
ness, of course, and Beecher gently put
me to bed.
AT Port Angeles l bargained with
another tugmaster, Captain Buckliu,
to go out to Flattery early in the morn
ing, During the night, however, the
government weather observer at Ia.
toosh Island, at the mouth of the
straights reported the steamer Port
land, from st. Michaels, Alaska, en-
tering. To be more accurate, this man
Hobbs, his name is Hobbs, did not mis-
lead several million people next morn
ing. He did not say the steamer W as
the Portland. He did say he guessed
twas. He simply made bad guess.
Improved to be the collier Willamette,
returning from Skaguay and Dyea, af-
ter having taken up $50 would be Klon.
dikers and large amount of freight for
Dawson City. She is In the coal carry
ing trade between Tacoma and San
Francisco, and made special trip to
Skaguay and Dyea because there was
big money in the venture. The Cap.
tain decided to come down the "out-
side" passage from the north, that is, he
came out in the Pacific Ocean atSitka,
and avoided the INSIDE" run among
the small islands, which is the usual
course for steamers going to Juneau,
Dyea and Skaguay. No steamer but
the Portland was expected at that
time, and as the Willamette came down
from the north and cut in around Van
couver leland, the. faithful Hobbs
faithful to his friends-gave it out, as
his. judgment, that it was the long
looked for Portland.
Inside of the hour after Hobbs gave
the word at Tatoosh Island, the step
ping of point of the United States, the
news and telegraph editors of the coun-
try had been deceived into believing
the treasure steamer from the Klop.
dixie was coming into Puget Sound.
One news gathering syndicate wired
that the Portland was entering the
Sound with miners and gold aboard.
The syndicate" wanted the newspaper
Office desks cleared for its stuff for
which it receives $40 column in most
instances.
AS this is the first inside news vet
given out regarding Hobbs and how he
startled the world with his "bad guessn
few particulars may be permissible.
Hobbs was simply trying to be polite
in keeping watch for the Portland. His
duties end for the day with nautical
report on the vessels entering and de-
parting. His guess sent dozens of news
paper men scurrying heller skelter.
City Editor Thomas Garret, of the San
Francisco Examiner. had half of his
'local" staff cached at Townsend and,
having inside facilities for getting the
news, he had his men on board the
tug Wanderer in few minutes. The
boys" were called out of bed, from
the dinner table, or wherever found
and ordered aboard. They were as or
derly as the circumstances would per-
NIT, but soon the town" was onto the
Hobbs report and out dashed the great
tug Sea Lion, costing 300 a.day, that
being the same price paid for the Wan.
derer. Both went painting up the straits
and were quickly followed by the tug
Vigilant, which had been chartered by
the Associated Press. They all spoke
the Willamette and disappointment be
came as thick as fog. In the mean.
time every detail was looked to by Gar
ret's lieutenant's with view of scoop.
ing the world" Special men were
scattered along the shores of the Sound
and the one little tiny government wire
to Tatoosh was to be loaded with Elk.
aminer brain waves.
It was daylight, however, before the
average correspondent knew that Hobbs
had guessed badly or that his bad guess
had been twisted out of shape by some
of the newspaper men who we're fam
ishiug for a story."
VI simply "held my base" at Port
Angeles until became satisfied that
Portland had not arrived. dismissed
the idea Of going to sea with Captain
Bucklin in the tug Boysen, although I
was quite sure he would meet a st,
trl nlf v.