The Washington weekly post. (Washington, D.C.) 1878-1916, 1899-04-04
MAN WHO SPOTS STOWAWAYS.
Queer Vocation of an Old San Francisco
Boatman.

From the san Francisco Examiner.
Down by the city's seawall a queer man
pursues a queer vocation. He is a water
front character" and his business is the
sleuthing of stOWaWays.
He doesn't run his prey to earth. how
ever, 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 stowaways. He is known as
Capt. 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, WhaleT, Old Man Jack, and The
Boatman.
His stock in trade consists of his
shrewdness in sporting a stow" and a
battered but seaworthy old boat which
rides the water by night and DAY through
successive seasons. The tO=n's attrac-
tons do not lure him from his IOng-ac-
customed hauntS among the masts, fig
ure-heads, piers, and piles sails, nets.
stringers, and mutitudnous varieties of
merchandise that crowd the bays edge.
capt Jack cane out of his sea shell OF
reserve long enough the other day 20 tell
bit OF what he knows about that ven
away, who would fain voyage out of port
without the previous formality OF paying
for passenger privileges
I've been in this business 4 long time 9,
he said, and | Can Centrally spot a stow.
Different ones has different methods
Some hangs round the docks days afore a
ship sails, offern' 10 lend hand. or pro-
posin 70 work a passage sOmewheres.
When they lind this don't go the way
they want il 70 they commence 10 talk
blg-lnquire bout sea weather, the cost
OF a cruise, the time IL takes to git to the
lsIdhdS or Alaska or Panama They Re
always Just a-gOin 10 make the trip. Bur
there somethin 30 hungry an hOmesick
an ufed-lOOkln' about EN- that il gives
EN- dead aWay-IeastWays IL does 10 A
person VINO spent d good many years
studyin' their kind
OtnerS though. wait till the last min
utt, lntn come nustlin' along like as n
tnsy was too rushed % bvy :. ticket-OT
as IT they had che in their .-k.L Mhy.
! We even been asked by EN- 10 row 'cn
out 10 a ship after she'd got clear out
INTO stream IL skipper happens 10 be
GJOC-ndjCTed he'll slack up an lake pas
sengeTs aboard. An after all that bother
I've had 10 bring EN- back again. Tor
nary red did they have
This class Of deadheads Is centrally
supplied with clothes, lTipsacks, hat
boxes, steamer trunks, canes, umbrella
cameras, ioldin' chairs, and sometimes a
servant"
Not a valet?'
sure. That's what We sailors call mt
tin Oh terrible lot OF dog Them's he
fellers that always has friends .mOug
GGYnors, RaJahs, Lords. Dukes an Con
sCls, an likewise money 70 b4rn-but al
y ays across the water sOmeWhsTes.
don't mind the men. but / hate 70 tackle
a woman
Woman st0waWayss'
Sure. When the klOndlke boom was
on / Used 70 bring IN as many women az
men Some was only giris-iittle slim
things. gCin' % the Icy gold mines with no
more outfit than the thin clothes Jhey
stood IN.
the easiest part Of the slows plan in
maxim "a escape j. the gltt.n aboard
Nobody knows who's who the day 4 ships
ieaVin port II shes crowded, 50 much
the better The STOW can hide In The
hold without bein spied- But It's mighty
hard II Kit past the Heads Tor b. that
riEne the ships been searched an the
slows yank-d out o. deck
capt Jack spoke truly. The stOwo way
y hO passes the Heads has run the Eaunt-
lei safely-uuless an Incoming vessel b.
az hand 10 convey the intruder Ia X
agzla-
When the FINAL gong has been sounded
the warning given All visitors ashore
the g4ug-plank Withdrawn. the last sOpe
lOOsened and the scTc% turned, th~ yes
sri Erk~tAyE - ta14rlLtAy ~ aS4tsE4 d "a
while Capt jacks Eeather-teateu boat q.
speeding ia IL wake u q siOWaEzy b.
discovered signal d sent from the plot =
bridge. and Capt jack - quickly along
slie 4 rope iaddef y lowered. AM %
ward ID the pursrr or other O'flcef AM his
aids escort the discounted STOW"
Every dag," continued Jack. =" ] fsten
n men an women that BaBt - Elf away.
They're broke ana tGoGghf they'd fTy
their luck Ia FOEne other place / lump
most 0f EN- on al IeiEzs wharf, It's
hEap easier for me- an Tor the Etoss
there's more hunter there an fewer
fglkg 10 efzrr some u 'en turns o4t all
rfghf. an some b. afterRaft hEhe1 out q
the bay. Then they - - ihe Coroner
a. GAYS a bDatman 50 for body. 4 dead
nan il seems. is worth more 70 The cts
than a live one"
And thus u II that tne gioNA ways soon
- ~ later ali Journey with Capt Jack
s0tne 70 begin lie over again. Dihfrs -
liz FOR a brief tine o. marble slab al
the rao!gEe marked Undetermined