Lexington gazette. [volume] (Lexington, Va.) 1871-1962, 1903-10-28

ing as many Of the watchmen or sail
ors who bad been in the vicinity dur
ing the might as | could find.
| learned several things. First, there
had been heavy fog during the even
ing and for at least two hours after
midnight. Then the wind changed and
the sun had risen clearly.
1t was quite true that nobody seemed
TO have heard such an explosion as
must have occurred when the safe of
the X. and L. company was blown
through the office wall. But one watch
man on a cattle ship two slips from the
express dock had heard noise be-
tween and 3 o'clock which he had not
attributed to the mystery of the lost
safe, however
"Twere no explosion, officer" he
told me. THAT I'll be willln' to swear
to-"
"What did it sound likeT asked.
"Sure, twas more like heap o lum-
Der falln' down. | thought twas in
the lumber yard on the next block"
"Was anything going on out in the
river at the time?"
"Sure, iv'rything was quiet. ia gone
below to light me pipe at the cooks
lantern when the noise came to me-"
telephoned the ship news office
down on the Battery, and soon had
1otted down the list of the vessels that
had gone to sea since o'clock the pre-
vious evening. Among them was the
Rotterdam of the Bremen and New
York line, and, although she should
have sailed earlier, l learned by call
ing up the office Of the company that,
owing to the fog, she had not started
for the NarrOws in charge of the tug
Charles b. Goodwin until after mid
night.
BY this time 1t was midforenoon, and
the early editions of the afternoon pa
pers were being cried on the street
with elaborate accounts of the robbery
of the X. and l.. safe. One enterprising
sheet had even "faked" a picture of the
diver going over the edge Of the dock
into the river to hunt for the lost safe.
Nevertheless | believed that that bit
of gilded wood l carried around with
me was the clew to the true sxplana-
ton, so / called up the towing COM
pany that owned the Charles b. Good
win and discovered where the tug
would be likely to land upon her re-
turn from her trip outside with the
Rotterdam. | was on the wharf when
the tug came in
1 went aboard and saw the captain.
Mister" l said, "Ive come TO hear
about it. Have you got the safe"
"What safe? asked he, looking
wise.
"The one your tow happened to car
ry away from the X. and l.. dock this
morning." said.
Then he laughed and showed me the
safe and several bits of broken Office
furniture, which he had covered with
a tarpaulin up forward. And his story
was interesting, as | supposed it would
be.
When the fog showed promise of lift
ing and the wind changed the tug had
pulled the big steamship clear of her
dock and started down stream. But
they kept inshore, and just off the X.
and l.. Express company's dock fer
ryboat ran out and got in the way Of
the Goodwin.
1--WE had 10 slack our engines" said
the captain Of the tug, land Of course
the towlne dropped. The tide swung
the bow of the Rotterdam plumb into
the end Of the dock.
"By hockey, you should have seen
1t! Her bowsprit punched hole in
one of the express company's buildings
like a spear into fat hog. We steam
ed ahead quick, and that yanked the
ships bow out before 1t did more dam
age. But the corner of the shanty
came with it, and l reckon a good deal
Of what was in the office clattered
down on the old Rotterdam's for'ard
deck. The Bremen and New York line
will have to pay nice little sum for
damages, suppose. But 1t warn't our
fault.
"When we got down the harbor the
captain Of the Rotterdam told me that
along with the other wreckage which |
had fallen on his deck was the safe |
yonder, and | took it aboard before
left her outside.
Thought they'd been burglarized,
lid they? Well, reckon it was about
as queer a case of piracy as ever hap
Dened along this river front"
And he certainly was right. A queer
er thing never happened under my no
ice, nor did | ever evolve a theory
rom more unpromising clew than
rom that bit of gilded wood which, as
suspected, had been broken off the
igurehead of the outgoing vessel.