Manchester Democrat. [volume] (Manchester, Iowa) 1875-1930, 1902-10-22

5 Copyright, 1905,
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AT last, by dint of daring and toll,
the secret Of the passage through the
noisy spouting reefs was won. 1t was
sounded carefully and methodically for
sunllen rocks and noted in all possible
ways and the old p. and o. lifeboat
was hoisted on the Duncansby's davits.
The Portuguese We're driven down into
the stokehold to represent double
watches of n dozen men and make
requisite steam, McTodd fingered the
rusted engines like an artist, and Ket-
tie took his stand alone with the steam
wheel on the upper bridge.
They had formally signed articles and
apportioned themselves pay, Kettle as
master, McTodd as chief engineer and
the Portuguese as firemen, because
salvage is apportioned pro rata and the
more pay man is getting the larger
is his bonus, on which account, at Nc
Todd's suggestion, they awarded them
selves paper stipends which they could
feel proud of and put down the Por.
tuguese for the ordinary fireman's
wages then paid out of Gibraltar, neith-
err more nor less, for, as the engineer
said, there was a fortune to be divided
up somehow, and it would be pity for
pair of unclean dagoes to have more
than was absolutely necessary, seeing
that they would not know what to do
with it.
Captain Kettle felt 1t to be one of
the supreme moments Of his life when
he rang on the Duncansby's bridge tel
egraph to half speed ahead. Here was
bit of fortune such us very rarely
came in any shipmaster's way-not
getting salvage, the larger part of
which an owner would finger for mere
assistance, but taking to port vessel
which was derelict and deserted, the
greatest and the rarest plum that the
seas could offer. 1t was thought that
thrilled him.
But he had not much time for senti-
mental musings in this strain. A terri
bly, nervous bit of pilotage lay ahead of
him. The motive power of his steamer
was feeble and uncertain, and it would
require all his skill and resourcefulness
to bring her out into deep blue water.
Slowly she backed or went ahead, dodg-
ing round to get square entrance to
the channel, and then with slam Ket-
| tie rang on his telegraph to full speed
ahead, so as to get her under the fullest
possible command.
She darted out into the narrow wind
| ing lane between the walls of broken
water, and the roar of the surf closed
| round her. Rocks sprang up out of the
| deep, hungry black rocks as deadly as
explosive torpedoes. With n full COM
plement of hands and with pilot for
years acquainted with the place it
would have been an infinitely danger
GUS piece of navigation. With q half
power steamer, which had only one
man all told upon her decks and he al
most stranger to the place, it was n
| miracle how she got out unscathed, but
| 1t was a miracle assisted with the most
brilliant skill. Kettle had surveyed the
channel in the lifeboat and mapped ev-
cry rock in his head, and when the test
came he was equal to it. 1t would be
hard to come across man of more
| iron nerve.
Backing and going ahead to get
round right angled turns, shaving reefs
| SO closely that the wash from them
creamed over her rail, the battered old
tramp steamer faced million dangers
for every fathom of her onward way,
but never once did she actually touch
!, and in the end she shot out into the
clear deep water and gayly hit dia-
monds from the wave tops into the
sunshine.
1t is possible for man to concen
trate himself so deeply upon one thing
that he is deaf to all else in the world
and until lie had worked the Duncans
by Head out into the open Captain
Kettle was in this condition. He was
dimly conscious of voices mailing him
but he had no leisure to give their
heed. But when the strain was takc1
off then there was no more disregard
ing the cries. He turned his head ant
saw half sunk raft which seven meI
with clumsy paddles We're frantically
laboring toward him along the outel
edge Of the reefs.
Without second thought he rang
off engines, and the steamer lost hel
way and fell off into the trough ant
waited for them. From the first III
had foreboding as to who they We're
but the men We're obviously castaways
and by all the laws of the sea and hu
manity he was bound to rescue them
Ponderously the raft padded up ant
got under the steamers lee. Kettl,
came down off the bridge and threw
them the end of a halyard, and eager
ly enough they scrambled up the rust
ed plating and clambered over thu
rail. They looked around them witt
curiosity, but with an obvious famil
iarity.
81 left my pipe stuck behind tha'
stanchion," said one. "and. by gum
it's there still"
"Fo'c's'le doors stove in," said an
other. 81 wonder if they've scoffet
my chest"
"You Robinson Crusoes seem to b!
making yourselves at home,' said Aet
tie.
One Of the men knuckled his shock
of hair. Eve was on her, sir, when
she happened her accident. We got
off in the captains boat, and she got
smashed to bits landing on Great Sal.
wage yondcr. We've been living there
ever since on rabbits and gulls and
cookies till we built that raft and fer.
ried over here. 1t was tough living,
but l guess we were better off than
the other poor bcggars who got swamp.
ed In the other boats"
"The other two boats got picked up
"Dd they. though? Then call it
beastly hard luck on us"
Captain Mulready was master,
wasn't he? Did he get drowned when
your boat went ashore?"
The sailor shrugged his shoulders
"No, sir Captain Mulready's on the
raft down yonder. He feels all crum.
pied up 10 find the old ships ailoat and