Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1901-08-01
Rewards Of Unrighteousness
BY OSBORNE O'CONNoR.
Copyright 1901. by A. S. Richardson.)

|
Salvation Mission, backed by the
Christians Home, TIE Prodigals Re-
treat, The Strangers Rest and The
| Tidewater Bethel.
After an hours talk Moorhead &
| Wells agreed to try an experiment with
| the "Suncliff" Sine was to be Differed
and manned by religious men. and float
/ the flag OF the Mission. The commit
| tee, representing ten thousand good
men, believed that ship could be run
by religious discipline to the great pro-
| fit Of her owners. They believed that
Jack at sea could be as exemplary as
Jack on a front seat at the Bethel on
| Sunday afternoon. Both members of
the firm belonged to church and they
were rather glad to make a test.
When the "Suncliff' was ready for
her maiden trip to Australia, the vari-
Gus Christian Missions of London sent
up their most exemplary sailors in
numbers sufficient to man three tramp
steamers, and Moorehead & Wells had
their pick Taken altogether, 1t was
the cleanest crew, morally and physi-
cally, which ever sailed out of London,
and never was tramp steamer fitted
up with more comforts and conven-
fences for her men.
| From captain down to scrubber every
man had been recommended as know
| ing his business, yet on a moonlight
night, while the steamer was not yet
off soundings, she managed to run
| down fishing smack and drown five
men, She had to sheer out of her
course to do it, but she managed to
sheer, even with the captain on the
bridge and the lookouts wide awake
| The Bay Of Biscay had not yet been
crossed when spare propeller, which
| had not been securely dashed. worked
! loose, and one man was killed. Had
/ the captain been a profane man he
would have opened out on the mate and
| kept up a stream of red-hot words for
! half an hour. and In turn the mate
would have taken it out on dozen of
the roustabouts, but the incident was
passed over as "dispensation."
| The "Suncliff'' was not to call at the
! Azores, but she was steaming along
at her best speed one day when the
| lookouts neglected their duty for time
/ and she banged into derelict. The
1 derelict was sunk, which was a good
| job but the steamer had her bows
| stove in and had to be run into Fayal
and dry locked for repairs. 1t took
| the united efforts of three different
committees from as many missions to
! prevent vigorous move on the part
of Moorhead & Wells.
| She had been steaming for two days
and nights, and had great hopes OF
reaching Madeira without accident
when her crew rose in mutiny against
the food. The fare was equal to tina,
of the better class of mechanics on
| shore. and four times as good as the
grub of a sailing ship, but the men
! had become dainty. The captain didn't
! brandish pistols nor break any heads.
| He ran into Madeira and laid in bet
| ter things. What was & 80 to the own
! ers for fowls, eggs and fruits, when 1t
would bring peace and harmony to the
| working force of the steamer
! They were a happy crew when the
! "Suuclif" headed south again, but no
steamers engines are infallible. They
may even break down while working
! in a smooth sea with the chief engi-
neer seeking TO commit a hymn to
/ memory It cost only G250 to get a
! tow into Tenerife, and el50 to repair
! damages.
After a run of several hundred miles
! the "Suncliff' sighted n French bark
! in distress. She was a homeward
| bound craft, and having picked up the
crew of a wreck had about forty men
aboard She was leaking and in want
/ of water and provisions, but with a
captain of grit could have sailed half
round the world Her captain was not
overstocked u pluck, however, and
was easily pc suaded by the captain OF
the 'Suncliff' to abandon his craft and
bring all aboard A good ship and a
| valuable crago were sent drifting, and
the tramp steamer had an excuse for
putting into the Cape Nerdes. Mean
while, the forty wrecked seamen ate,
drank. gambled. swore and fought, and
the discipline of the "Suncliff' was
| something To make a good man shed
tears. Provisions had run short by
the time the steamer was up with the
islands. and another sum OF E100 was
charged to the tramp Advantage was
also taken of the stop to make some
further repairs to the engines and re-
coal.
Between Cape Verde and Good Hope
her steering gear got out of order, and
she was helpless for three days; dur
ing fog she shaved a north-bound
brig and bent two or three of her bow
plates. These, with small fire In her
hold and the breaking down of her
electric plant. We're grouped under the
head of trifles. When she finally reach
ed the Cape and reported by cable, ev-
cry man from captain down was boune-
ed at an hours notice. The commit
tees argued ana protested and appeal
ed. but Mossrs. Moorhead & Wells were
firm They had run good ship Tor
6 0g0 miles and she had cost them
g4uUJ extra, ueta delayed eighteen
DAYS over her time. and killed and
drowned half a dozen men.
Her captain was replaced by one who
not only swore and drank, but who
broke the hea is Of half a dozen sailors
during the first day OF his command.
The crew were rough and tough. They
swore and fought and chewed and
smoked and got drunk, but they were
up 10 their work The chief engineer
knew nothing of hymn hooks, but ne
ran those engines up 10 the top-noteh
,4-{tbput THAR missing n heat