Catoctin clarion., 1901-01-24
THE COMMISSION OF THE
NORTHWESTERN.

IN tain Shattuck when the Harbor
Commissioner stepped out Of the office
in answer to call.
The query was put in a tone too re-
spectfuI for offense, and yet the sugges
ton chafed my pride little, for I had
fattered myself that my use of nautical
terms was perfect Perhaps the Captain
noticed a shade of annoyance across my
face for he went on, punctuatlng each
sentence with sundry motions Of much
used applewood which seemed loath to
leave its accustomed place between his
, blackened teeth:
! Now, mind you, it wasn't anything
in your looks or actions that made me
ask, aud l promise that when said
'landsman' | didn't mean 'landiubber.
But there's one thing IN your talk about
ships that shows that you was not born
and bred on the sea. You call ship
her all proper, but you think of her as
a thing. Now, man whose first breath
was salt air and whose cradle was rocked
by old ocean don't do that.
He knows that ships are just like
human beings, leastwse female human
beings. There are just as many kinds
of ships as there are of women, which is
the same as saying nc two of EN- are
alike. Some are modest and steady
going, some are reckless and daredevil
ish, but they all have their peculiarities,
and man doesn't sail with a ship or
woman year on year without coming to
Just when he has the upper hand and
when he'd better lie low and let her
rum
There was a prolonged pause. AT
length the Captain resumed:
Some folks think it's all rubbish to
talk about ships character being good
or bad, but you're man of understand
ing and I'm minded to tell you of my
fist command, the Northwestern.
>She was one Of the wild. unruly kind
and had won her evil reputation long
before she came into my hands. She
was what we should call tramp now
adays, built for the Eastern trade back
in the sixties, and carrying both steam
and sail. Old Donald Anderson had
spent more money on her than he did
on most Of his craft, and he was mighty
proud of her when she first went Oft the
STAYS. Just to break her in he sent bel
out with a good crew for short cruise
to St. Thomas.
She was trim and taut enough so fal
as looks went, but old Ferguson, wht
was her first engineer, told me that sh'
was a very devil to handle. Sometime
she would make steam like liner ant
90 ahead as though old Nick was driv'
ing her. And then again she d just la!
down, and all the yellow pine in he
outworks wouldn't have made her 60
She played hot and cold all the Wa.
down there. Ferguson thought tn
trouble might be in her engines, and b
kept pottering at them night and day
trying to give her proper speed. When
ever he thought he had things fixed al
right he d turn in for little sleep, an
then first thing she sit down again.
'O1 the way back things went wors
than before. The second day out
waterspout showed up to starboard. |
was three points off the Northwestern
course. travelling along like an expires
train, and everybody was on deck t
watch it. The canyas was topreefed 70
they expected to catch asquall. Whll
the Captain stood on the bridge watch
lug the spout he saw the ship yeerin
round.
Here you blank dunderhead!' h
yelled to the helmsman. dye want t
run us into that spout?
"rhe fellow was straining away at tn
wheel and seemed to be having a fiji
but he took breath to yell back:
>'Wheel's hard apcrt, sir, but sh
don't follow
NThe devil she don'tl' shouted Nc
Shane, the captain, and he ejumped dow
to the wheel.
IN spite Of both of them the shi
pegged away for that spout until sh
got right in the track of it. 1t WASH
very big one or her finish would hav
come right then and there. AS it wa
when the column of water struck he
she dived down as though she had head
ed straight for the bottom, and whe
she righted seven forecastle men an
the colored cook had been washed ava
and were never seen again.
The men left on board were scared
for they knew that it wasn't anything
wrong with her build or lines, but jus
the foul fiend himself in the ship t
make her act so. They had fair weathe
and fine sailing all the rest of the triI