The Lambertville record. [volume] (Lambertville, N.J.) 1872-1968, 1899-06-21
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WEDNESDAY, JUNE 81. 1899.
ASTOWAWAY SLEUTH
ODD VOCATION OF AN OLD SAN FRAN
CISCO BoATMAN.


He Runa His Prey 40 Water Instead
of to Earth--HOw the stOwawayH
Get Aboard ship and How They
Generally Come 10 Grief.
Down by the clty's sea wall queer
man pursucs n queer vocation. He Is II
water front character" and his bust
ness is the sleuthlng of stowaways.
He doesn't run his prey to earth,
however, after the manner of other
hunters Of human game. lie runs II to
water.
This weather hardened, wrlnkled man
Is at once the terror and the friend of
would be stowaways. He is known as
Captain Jack, but his name has half II
dozen variations all OF which smack of
the salt, salt sea- These are some of
his aliases: Wharf Rat. Water Fowl,
Sea Dog, Whaler, Old Man Jack and
The Boatman.
His stock In trade consists OF Ills
shrewdness In 'spotting stow" and II
battered but seaworthy old boat which
rides the water by night and day
through successive seasons. The town $
attractions do not lure him from his
long accustomed haunts among the
masts, figureheads. piers and piles,
sails, nets, stringers and multitudinous
varieties of merchandise that crowd
the bays edge.
Captain jack came out OF his sea
shell OF reserve long enough the other
day to tell bit OF what he knows
about that venturesome creature OF
chance, the stowaway. who would
fain voyage out OF port without the
previous Formally OF paying for pas
senger privileges.
"I've been In this business II long
time" he said. ian can centrally
spot n stow
different ones has different meth
DDS. Some hangs round the docks
afore ship sails, offerln to lend n
hand. or prOposin to work passage
Bomewheres. When they find this
don't go the way they want 1t to. they
commence to talk big-lnquire bout
sea weather, the cost of II cruise, the
time 1t takes to git to the islands or
Alaska or Panama. They're always
Just n-goin to make the trip. But
there's somethln NO hungry an home
sick nm tired lookin about 'em that 1t
gives 'em dead way-leastways 1t
does to IL person who's spent good
many years studyin their kind.
"0thers, though, whit till the last
minute, then come hustlln along as II
they was too rushed to buy ticket
or ms II they had one In their pocket.
Why, I've even been asked by 'em to
row 'em out to ship after she'd got
clear out into the stream. If skipper
happens to be good natured, he'll slack
up m take passengers aboard. An
after all that bother I've had to bring
'cm back again. for nary n red did they
have
This class OF dendheads IL enrnlly
supplied with clothes. gripsacks, hat
boxes, steamer trunks, canes, umbrel.
las. cameras, foldin chairs an some
times servant"
mot valety'
"Sure. That's what we sailors call
putin on terrible lot of dog. Them's
'mong guvnors. rajahs. lords, dukes
an consuls. an likewise money to burn
but always across the water some
where's. l don't mind the men. but l
hate 10 tackle n woman"
women stowawaysT'
''Sure. When the Klondike boom
was on. | used to bring in rs many
women ns men. Some was only
girls little slim things. gon TO the
ley gold mines with no more outfit
than the thin clothes they stood In.
"rhe easiest part Of the slows plan
In maxim an escapeis the gittln aboard.
Nobody knows who's who the day
n ships lenvin port. Ii she's crowded
so much the better. The stow can
hide In the hold without bein spied.
But It's mighty hard to git past the
Heads, for by that time the ships
been searched an the slows yanked out
on deck"
Captain Jack spoke truly. The
stowaway who passes the Heads has
run the gauntlet safely--unless an in
coming vessel be Mt hand to convey
the intruder back again.
When the final gong has been sound.
ed. the warming "An visitors ashorer
given, the gangplank withdrawn
the last rope looscned and the screw
turned. the vessels interior is care
fully explored. Meanwhile Captain
Jacks weather beaten boat Is speed
Ing In Its wake II n stowaway b,
discovered signal Is sent from tn,
pilots bridge aud Captain Jack |,
quickly alongside. A rope ladder II
lowered. and toward 1t the purser o.
other officer and his aids escort tn,
discounted stow
Every day" continued Jack. ="
fetch In men IN women that want +
git away They're broke. an though
they'd try their luck in some othe
place. lump most OF 'em OFF n
Meiggs' wharf. It's heap easier 70
me an for the slows. There's NOR
lumber there an fewer folks TO stare
Some OF 'em turns out all right, a
some Is aftcrward Ashed out of tn
bay Then they 20 to the coroner
A dead man. Il seems, Is worth NOR
to the city than "A live one"
And thus II Is that the stowaway
sooner or later all journey with Car
tain Jack-some to begin life all owe
Oh marble slab at the morgu
marked Unidentified" San Fran
cisco Examiner.
On her wetiilln. day the Danish Den,