The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1898-09-19


Jenny was colloquial English fer
Jennings Jackson, an athletic young
reporter in the service of New York
daily. The nickname, of which he was
not extravagantly fond, was survival
from school and college days; doubt
less some hint CT resentment had
caused it to persist. We were stand
ing together. he and 1, under the long
nave of Gothic arched iron work which
roofs the pier at the foot of Morton
street. The big black hull of the
French liner lay alongside, and mot
ley stream of passengers was joStling
up the gangway. The date was July 2.
''Steerage act backwards isn't q bad
stunt Joey" responded Jennings.
Anyway ] go where I'm sent. steer
age or Hades. Don't you fret. III
start UP something new and lively If |
have to, take it. What's this you're
giving fne2 Card-sharp's hold-out?
That's not in my assignment. Alumni
um soap case2 Pm provided. but an
extra issue might come handy with
this filthy gang of toughs.
''Toughs-thugs I'd call 'em. You'll
find that every bad man in the push
has a knife up his sleeve. But this is
merely a patent notebook, Jenny. sam
pie copy-one of my perquisiteS on
write-up-but you'll need
it most = Warranted brine-proot with
indelible pencil chained on. LII they
happen to pitch you overheard It'll
survive Vou-'
'.Rrine-proof! It'n need to be rat
and verrnin proof to survive me this
trip. All right I'll use it to immortal
ize the trip. So long, Joey"
Four weeks had elapsed. The steamer
Hiawatha, chartered TO gather up the
dead from tire scene of the friGhtfui
disaster of which all the world has
heard, was already like floating
morgue. Late in the afternoon, July
80, an object was described in the dis
lance which proved to be raft bear
ing the name of the Inflated steamship.
Near it an empty hfe-beit was seen
bobbing upon the waves, and this was
taken up. Firmly bound to the belt by
a strand of rope was a small notebook
OF peculiar appearance. The case, or
cover, was of aluminium, and the leaves,
apparently in consequence of some
chemical preparation, were very little
affected by the action of the water. AL
most every page was covered with
closely written characters; but al
though the marks were perfectly dis
tinct, it was found impossible to de-
cipher a single word. When the Hi
awatha returned to Halifax, however,
and the book was placed in the hands
of an expert, it was quickly ascer-
tanned that the writing was simply
shorthand-a modified form of the Ben
Pittman system.
A TRANSCRIPTION was made without
much difficulty, and sent with the
original to New York for the purpose
of Identification.
The first II pages consist of notes
and memoranda, chiefly relating to
observations made in the steerage on
llw@r srnlr
in the manuscript. The writing is re-
sumed in a. much less steady hand-the
first few lines scarcely legfble-but it
embudies a narrative of thrilling In
terest which is now given to the public:
July 81 am alone on a tumbling
raft in the midst of the sea I don't
know where; no land is in sight.
IF ever this notebook of joey
Barlser's reaches shore it is more than
l shall do. My soul is like lead; no
raft can float it much longer.
Why do l try TO write when I'm as
good as dead? Can't help it. I've been
writing every day for eight years and
it's a second nature. Besides, If
don't write shall go stark mad.
And when it is finished. and I am
finished, it will be picked up.sure as
fate. It was all settled before l start
ed. Why else did Joey give me this
waterproof affair? Why else did he say
it would survive me? Anyhow, I've got
some red-hot steerage stuff-a scoop
for somebody,
yesterday morning at o'clock
mercifui God! was sleeping as 1 shall
never sleep again. The fog-horn had
been believing all night, but suddenly
there sounded a blast that rang
through me like the braying of the last
trump. / sprang to my feet-already
partly dressed, for you don't doff your
soorc- winch, iT1a ne Then came
a crash and a rending ard grinding as
is the dissolution of the world had in
deed begun-and that was what it
meant for most of US.
I'm "a moment the deep pit of the hold
was full Of madmen. We hustled to
the steep ladder like stampeded cattle
and swarmed up it like gorillas in
double stream, pulling each other
down, climbing upon each other s backs.
Two or three sailors tried to restrain
us but soon they were struggling with
the rest, each man for himself Alone
they would have kept their heads; and
/ too. had often looked peril in the
face with reasonable GOODNESS. But the
panic was like an infectious delirium,
setting loose the wild beast that SUM
bers in each human soul. l stood for
an instant sane: then, l knew not how,
/ was in the midst of the crush, white,
gasping. conyulsed with terror and eff
fort I thrust aside a woman as if she
had been a hostile savage. She flung
herself back upon the pack, clawing
like cat.
Just behind me lowered Yousouf,
the gigantic Turk He was bearing
down all before him. I stopped and
dived between his legs, and with a
quick turn caught him by the waist
band from behind. Quite unconscious
of my existence he towed me through
the writhing mob, and / reached the
deck close in his wake.
"a gray mist drizzled in our faces
and shut us in like the tapping canvas
of tent. The ship was listing heavily (.
to starboard. Rockets were Kissing
through the air. The captain raVed on
the bridge, shouting and cursing, and
some of the crew were striving to carry
out his orders; but as the stream from
the steerage spread itself over the deck
confusion merged in frenzy: We rush.
ed to the boats which the sailors were
Vainly trying to swing clear and filled
them 10 overflowing, blocking every eff
fort. The tackle clogged; the davits
swung inward.
Then, perceiving that this was hope |
less, we rushed headlong down the
sloping deck 20 the beats on the other
side; and some, unable to check them |
selves, pitched overheard. Among these |
was Yousouf, who sank, rose, struck |
out wildly with three herculean arm
beats. and went down as if some hid
den monster had seized him from be- |
low Then I remembered his belt of
golden eagles.
Meanwhile knives were flashing, and |
a slash on the forehead as 1 crowded |
toward a boat dazed me and dimmed
l. hot fa,. -far1-a