The citizen. (Frederick City, Md.) 1895-1923, 1901-12-06

commences to move. Back and forward
in short laps she steams, at the same
time dragging the grapnel along with
her. The ocean bottom is being raked
over in search of an i'll behaving EN-
ployee. One or two false alarms, and
then the man at the strain measuring
dynamOmeter announces, She's got it
now, sure!"
Off starts the mighty steam winch.
Over the big, well oiled pully at the bow
comes the grapnel line. Slowly but stead
lily the great weight is drawn up. Higher
and higher, until the crowd of eager faces
in the bows of the ship light briskly at
sight of the appearing iron hook clasping
tight hold of the seaweed draped cable.
The electrician commences a dance of
triumph and shouts with joy.
1.-The grapnel is right on the old
splice" he declares. The bruse must
be just under our quarter. Couldn't have
hit it better if we had used a foot rule"
Some of the seamen swarm down and
put a chain stopper on the lifted blight
The grapncl is broken away and slowed
The hosting lines bring some more of the
cable to the surface. Inside of an hour
that portion of it which has been wound
is on deck. The mischief lies plain to
view. The chatting from some sharp rock
doubtless has worn through the outer
covering of stout steel wires and the in
ner ones of smaller caliber, tarred jute
yarn and bituminous compounds. At any
rate, there is a cash half severing the
cable and laying bare the copper con
ductor.
"Wow! It's a bad ONE" exclaimed
Canon. Liable to have snapped off any
minute"
Were only to make a temporary
patch and mend the other wholly broken
ones first announced the skipper alb
ruptly.
"A temporary patch won't hold it ten
days. No, nor a single week probably"
demonstrated the electrician
Cant help that. Those are the orders.
We will all earn our salaries for some
time to come, or I'm greatly mistaken"
grumbled the captain.
While they had been speaking the cleo
trician was making quick connections be-
tween his instruments and the barred por-
ton of the conductor. Almost Immediate
ly the little key commenced, Click
click, ck-click-click, etc, at a great
rate.
1.-The boys are working pretty hot
ashore, | guess began Canon admir-
ingly, at the same time listening atten-
lively to the familiar language.
But he broke off short in his comments.
and, his face took on nm expression Of
CONSERVATION as the sounds progressed
"What is the NATTER" demanded Can
tain Bovlston burriedly.
The electrician tore off his connecting
wires and cried: "Otiicial message going
over. If il ever gets throurh with This
leak TO weaken the current. | shall he as
tonished. Number 4 has inst gone with
the rest. They're ordering another steam
or to helm MS. The whole business now
depends unon tbis bruised cohln Niobtv
lucky we caught il MS we did
Even while fins eynlatuinp Canon had
started his hclpers TO work M thn Match
inc. The captain. officers and all of rho
crew not actuallv uunn dirty ,vere clis-
tered around tbe On lilo rennirnrs watch
inp tboir skilled Iohnrs Win irtor,yt
Nurcbison os wo hove .,iJ bodl,ill,p
away in tbn bovs of tho shin IIn now
crawlod forth h,,t sin cb,,ilbi,,, q COR
tain animositv AGAINST the. niIicI, tnu,t,cr-
ed skinner. carefullv avoided tbn lottrr's
ncighborbood In = shirt of idln imnuIsa
the vouug soilnr cI,mbnrnd ovnr tbn Lows
and took I'M - nositinu ,pon tho rooontIv
hoistcd cable close oIon.sidn If the chain
stopper There. with nyrlv nlunrn Of tho
craft sendine him within = rnw foot Of
the tossing waves and rvorv unreorinr
lifting him high above Them. he curiouslv
watched tho hoIding sb,,I.le
ocean cable takes time Moreover in +be
nraeont instorlo i ,,..,o,.,, -, ,,,,,l,
without iptnr ro,.in,, VIA, ,,o ,,nsh or mos
sagcs from both directions. Scarcely had
the first LAYER of rutta nercbo been mt
on when Mnrchison in his ont Of tbc wov
roost beneath tbn bovs saw sometime
that made his owes onnn vida
The chain sropner mon the cable closa
beside him was working loose. Either if
had been clumsilv nut on in the first
place or else the heavy nlnn+inr of fine
ship was responsible. At any rate the
binding claws most unmistakablv were
relaxing. not enough TO LET the cable slim
as vet. but this was only n mottnr Of soc
onds Throngb Nurcbison,s bro;r in an
infinitesimal portion of time. flashed the
probably consequences if this ononinp of
the shaclle was not promptlv forestollcd
Losing the cable after the trouble of
getting it was bad enough. but world the
wound-as vet NOT nronerlv bondognd-
- 81 an VI ,'i.- 'oi Il away
snon osnrdo. o,,d Iao,'o a. ,a4 - "o.',u
nv u.;tbo,,+ a;,., -, ~ IoinpI
tic nrdo 70 a., II 1 ;,; 'r' 31
I.o piiue 10 lne dust' ana lhcldehtaliy de-
bod Loo, -, :: -