Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1899-08-19
ASI'OWAWAY SLEUTH
ODD VOCATION OF AN OLD SAN FRAN
CISCO sOATMAN.

OF to Earth-HOv the StoWawuys
I Get Aboard Ship and How They
Generally Come to Grief.
Down by the city's sea wall n queer
nian pursues 4 queer vocation. He is a
water front character" and his bust
ness is the sleuthing of stowaways.
I He doesn't run his prey to earth.
however, after the manner of other
hunters of human game. He runs it to
water.
This weather hardened. wrinkled man
| is at once the terror and the friend of
would be stowawGys. He is known as
Captain Jack, but his name has half a
| 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
1 The Boatman.
| His stock in trade consists Of his
| shrewdness in sporting n stow" and
| battered but seaworthy old boat which
/ rides the water by night and day
| through successive seasons. The towns
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 a bit of what he knows
about that venturesome creature of
chance, the stowaway, who would
fain voyage out of port without the
previous formality of paying for pas
scnger privileges.
eve been in this business n long
time" he said. IAN 1 can Centrally
spot stow
Different ones has different meth
DDS. Some hangs round the docks
afore u ship sails, offerin to lend a
hand, or proposin to work a passage
somewhereS. When they find this
don't go the way they want it to- they
commence to talk big-inquire bout
sea weather. the cost of n cruise, the
time it takes to git to the islands or
Alaska or Panama. They're always
just a-goin to make the trip. But
there's somethin so hungry an home
sick an tired lookin about 'em that it
gives 'em dead away-leastways it
does to n person who's spent n good
many years studyin their kind.
'Others, though, wait till the last
minute, then come hustlin along as If
they was too rushed to buy a ticket
or as if 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 an take passengers aboard. An
after all that bother I've had to bring
70 n
have.
This class of deadheads is centrally
supplied with clothes, gripsacks, hat
boxes. steamer trunks. canes, umbrel-
las, cameras, foldin chairs an some
times a servant"
Not va.et?
"Sure. That's what we sailors call
putin on a terrible lot of dog. Them's
the fellers that always has friends
'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 |
hate to tackle Il woman
Women stowawaysY"
''Sure When the Klontlike boom
was on, l used to bring in as many |
women as men. Some was only |
girls-little slim things, goin. to the |
icy gold mines with no more outfit |
than the thin clothes they stood in.
1.-The easiest part of the slows plan |
in maxim an escapels the gittin aboard. |
Nobody knows who's who the day /
ships leavin port. If 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 |
e., @l,a% LTD
been searched an the slows yanked out |
on deck
Captain Jack spoke truly. The /
stowaway who passes the Heads has
run the gantlet safely-unless an in
coming vessel be at hand to convey |
the intruder back again.
When the final gong has been sound
ed, the warning 'All visitors ashorer
given, the gangplank withdrawn,
the last rope Ioosened and the screw
turned, the vessels interior is care
fully explored. Meanwhile Captain
Jacks weather beaten boat is speed
ing in it's wake. If a stowaway be
discovered signal is sent from the
pilots bridge and Captain Jack is
quickly alongside. A rope ladder is
lowered, and toward it the purser or
other officer and his aids escort the
'-stow."
Every day" continued Jack, At
fetch in men an women that want to
git away. They're broke, an thought
they'd try their luck in some other
place. / lump most of 'em off at
Meiggs' wharf. It's a heap easier for
me an for the slows. There's more
lumber there an fewer folks to stare
Some of 'em turns out all right, an
some is afterward fished out of the
bay. Then they go to the coroner.
4 dead man. it seems, is worth more
10 the city than live one"
And thus it is that the stowaways
sooner or later all journey with Cap
ain Jack-some to begin life all over