Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1899-01-19

mel plates, and probably hit an iso-
lated spot. So there seemed to me ar
even chance OF steaming across the
ledge in safety ard without giving the
snap away. On the other hand, if we
struck, there would be an end of my
business prospects for good many
years 10 come. 1t was tighter spot
than / ever care to be in again, but
inside of two minutes decided to risk
it. At the second cast | got quarter
less four Five minutes after, I struck
bottom at half three then deep
fuur;' and at the last heaye the calico
was just above the water when she
touched"
But, how the devil. I'll swear l
saw you pulling up the whole length
Of line each time"
well. rather! You didn't suppose
I was fool enough to give away what
/ was getting, did YOU? When a mans
been chucking lead for Is odd years
il don't take moren a fraction of
& cond TO tell when he strikes bottom.
No. | let the slack fall when the lead
was under me, and we had way enough
o carry it well astern. If anyone had
been watching closely, of course, l
couldn't have done it; but, as it was,
Il worked to charm. and / don't be-
lieye another soul on board suspects
there's a bit of rock within 1000 feet
Of the surface. Now | was heav-
ing upwards of 20 minutes from first
to last At half speed that would be
about two miles, wouldn't it? Well,
this little star shows just where
struck it, and the other two would be
mile apart; so that we have the reef
stretching from nor,norwes' to SOU
sou'eas' Then. from the CLASSY look
of the water. I'm positive that it takes
a curve to the sou'wes' for good four
miles further. The actual position of
that three-fathom sounding is twelve
thirty-three moth by hundred and for
ty-four. twenty-five eas'-a good eight
knots cas- OF the Findlay and Imray
approximates. And the true bearing
from Point Orote. Harry. is the exact
opposite Of our present course: in 9TH
err words. SOU by wes'. quarter ives.
or exactly IA degrees ives of Sou. The
magnetic variation this year is one de-
gree and 80 minutes cas-; so in snap
ing YOUR course from Orote it should
be i degrees 30 minutes TO the west
ard of SOU. rs for leeway. running
down. the no'theas' trades1l be with
in a few points Of dead astern. so YOU
won't have to make much allowance;
and. once at the reef. it'll be easy
enough beating back. because you can
see the island 90 miles away at least.
When we get abreast of Cocos you can
pull up your log, which will give you
the exact number of miles on this
course to a fraction; from Cocos to
Orote the chart distances are near
enough, because you've got land bear
ings.''
Then. If il should be impossible 10
get at old Fray Ignacio's document
we can practically do without it -
You can certainly find the reef in
ANYTHING like fair weather, but you
won't want 10 travel any further un-
der water looking for the wreck than
YOU are obliged to. I wouldn't, any
1 how"
In this and our previous discussions
we seemed TO have covered every con-
tincency, but now that we were upon
the point OF making a beginning IN
sober earnest our conflicting hopes
! and fears suggested innumerable COM
plications. Presently I noticed that
Halstead was looking at me intently.
Harry" he said, 1T has been good