The copper country evening news. [volume] (Calumet, Mich.) 18??-1907, 1898-04-02
GAMBLING AT SEA.
TALES TOLD BY THE STEWARD OF
AN ATLANTIC LINER.

All and Drops Overheard.
"what was the most exciting game you
ever saw In the smoking roomS" was asked
Of steward Of ten years experience on
Atlantic liners.
at was dice game" was the reply.
"A party from California was bound over,
and they were very liberal set Of gentle
men. They sat In the smoking room a
good deal after the first day or so and
played poker most of the time, but they
always shook the dice when they ordered
anything. This time I'm telling about
they got to talking about the chances of
certain numbers being thrown I'm success
sion, and one of the gentlemen was saying
that when any combination had been
thrown certain number of times in sue
cession the chances were growing less and
less all the time that IL would be thrown
again. So TO explain What he was saying
he put two dice in the box and handed 1t
TO the gentleman on his right, who turned
them out. AS it happened he rolled up
skies.
"'I'll bet you to / you can't do it
again, said the man, taking "a handful Of
gold from his pocket, 'or I'll bet you 20 to
you can't do il twice more
"'I'll take the 20 to l. said the other
and he pulled out a silver dollar. The
money was covered and then he threw the
dice, double skies coming both times.
"'Thats no great luck, said the man
who had lost, though il don't often hap
pen so. But now I'll tell you what I'll do.
I'll bet you $4,000 TO 81 you can't do it
ten times straight, counting in the three
you've got.
"'I'll 60 you better than that, said the
other. 'Ill just rake off three of the flyers
for velvet and leave one and the silver
against your check
"You see, they were all friends together,
just having comfortable time, but they
got uncomfortable enough in just couple
Of minutes more. The man with the box
rolled out the worries, and double skies
turned up. That made four out of the ten
times. Then he rolled again and again
and again, double skies every time. He
began to grow pale but the gentleman
with the check up just pulled away at his
cigar and was as cool over it as if he had
bet but n single sovereign.
1.-The next throw was eight times, and
double skies showed up again. That
startled the rest-all but the man with the
check-and two Of them got up TO watch,
while the man with the box couldn't hold
1t still, he was that excited. He hesitated
moment after he'd dropped the dice ill.,
and then, with couple of shakes, Just
rolled them out once more and that made
nine times double skies had showed up.
What will you give me to stops' he
said to the other
- Wait q minute, said the man with
the check, and he took pencil from his
pocket and made some more figures on a
piece of paper.
Z" Four hundred dollars, said he.
i guess not, was the reply. IN go
you for 81, 000.'
4" No more than $500. Go ahead, he
said. So the dice were rolled out again,
and they showed up deuce ace.
" L told you SO, said the winner per
fectly cool.
Now that's what call sporting blood
1t makes me think of another game | saw
that was just the other kind There was
party of six playing a very tidy and fash |
ionable game of draw-a guinea ante and |
skysail yard limit it looked like when they |
sat down, but you shall judge for yourself !
They played away with moderate luck for |
an hour with the gold instead of chips un- |
Til they fell into jack pot. Talk about I
luck in throwing double skies There was |
luck in dealing for pair of jacks. They |
shutfled and cut and dealt, with no one to |
open it, and then again and again for just I
10 times. Then one of them says:
It'll be bad luck if we go on with this
after reaching the thirteenth deal Let's
divide the pot. And they did it. never
saw anything like that before or since"
''ls gambling dying out or increasing
among passengers on the linersy" was
asked.
Just now it is increasing. Gambling
on board ship runs in tides. 1t will be food
tide for number of years-gradually in
creasing in volume until the newspapers or
the company or somebody makes a kick.
Then there is an off tide for season. It's
a difficult matter for the ships master TO
control, even when he is not a sporting
man himself. All the big liners prohibit
professional gambling, but all must per-
NIT gentlemen 70 amuse themselves with
games Of small limit. But the trouble
comes in telling what is small limit.
Ten cents might be bigger limit to some
passengers than go TO some others"
What was the biggest win you ever
SAW"
Il don't know except this. l saw a man
cash in four stacks Of reds that were higher
than his hand was broad in = game where
a white chip cost a guinea. He had a cou-
pie Of handfuls of whites and blues be-
sides. l don't think n win of more than
II, 900 at a sitting has ever been noticed
by any one in my experience.
"How about losses?"
"Once in n while you'll hear Of a man
who loses everything-life and ALL He
drops his pile and then plunges over the
rail / saw such a case. A young fellow
came on board at Queenstown and for two
lays played against a steady run of bad
luck. guess he was starting out to seek
his fortune and was losing his capital.
When it was all gone, he borrowed half a
,rown Of the winner and ordered cigars
These he distributed, pocketed the change,
lighted his cigar, and saying he'd take
urn on deck went out. And that was the
asst ever seen of him. It's bound to hap
pen once in two or three years and I've
loticed that the officers were unusually
vigorous in enforcing orders against gam
bling for the rest of the season on all the
packets after the news got around about
he suicide. New York Sun.