The daily silver state. [volume] (Winnemucca, Nev.) 1903-1907, 1903-09-28
A Story of the Tars

well, maybe twas northwest, after
all I don't quite recollect, nor keepin'
no log. but howsumever. twas a gale,
anyhow. A snortin' OF slant, twas. too.
II hit the Battery about 3 o'clock in the
evening. 1 remember it well, for I was
on the sea wall at the time with by
binoculars, tryin' to pick up the Belle
o shandon, bark from Cape Towl.
anchored off Robbins Reef.
WAL. sir, afore 1 could get my DID
dead lights glued INTO the glass, comes
that hurrican. and the fust I knowed
1 was crosswise, beam to a stone post.
I picks myself up. grabs the glass at
my feet to see how the ships out there
was standin' the blow. 1 sots the glass
to my eye, when, will ye believe it,
find 1 was lookin' through two hollow
tubes. Yes, sir. the wind had blown
the innards out o. them darn binoeu-
lars as clean as a scraped gourt, may
| turn into a blu nose harrin' if 1t
didn't. But there warn't much time to
swear, for the air was full of flyin
things-pieces of deal planks. a window
sash from the aquarium, two glass
tanks of fish from the same. but
stuck to the deck and watched. Ia
seen too many squalls at sea to haul
down my flag for a land breeze. There
I stuck. till a ffty-foot brick chimney
come kitin' through the air. then 1 re-
tired fearin' that a skyscraper would
come along next. I did, fur a fact;
put fur South street. under a full head
of canvas. and so what happened arter
that, I can't say. speakin' from what
seen, but they do say, hat the point
of Governors island was bent around
due SOUTH
"Humph," commenced the two atten
tive shippers, I'VE never hearn tell of
that blow"
Most likely not" replied Capt. Bill.
because people soon had that harri-
can drew outen their minds by the
great fog that set in about two weeks
later. We hear tell O. that. didn't We?
mo. Well of all Johnny Freshies ye
two are the beatenest 1 ever seen. Let's
see, it cum in a so'easter about 8
O'Clock one night and it didn't take
half an eye to see that it was goin'
fur to be as thick as mud. 1t m up
the bay in solid Jumps, as We may say.
and when the first of 1t hit the Guy
ment pier house it sounded like a ton
hours it got so thick that you could
not see and ~finally-well, to tell ye o
thick it really was, 1 might say that
the big tug Navigator tried to get out
from her dock into the river and
couldn't. and then. when her skipper
backed her up for a good start and
through she bounced back like a ruO-
Der ball and landed with her stern
high and dry up in South street. Now
ef thai amt the gospell"-
During the latter part of this narra-
tive Capt. Joe had unbuttoned his
w~aistcoat. n~ervously tossed off two
drinks. r~elighted his pipe three times
and exhibited other indubitable
Idences of mental unrest. Finally
"Speakin' of speed" he interrupted,
apropos of nothin'. Il Jest hev recol-
lected an incident in my las vy'ge that
l furgot to mention. Ye see, we was
up i n the neighborhood of the Russian
possessions when one day we sighted
a spec of an island, and may We be-
lieve me twas black with seals-fur
lest right, and millions of EN-. Waal.
1 sent a boat aland, and we'd dubbed
about 30 on 'em, when suddenly we got
the danger signal from the ship and We
nut back, seals and all, in a hurry, !
can tell we. The lookout pointed TO a
cloud of smoke comm up an the hori-
lzon. and by the time we made sail an ]
| clawed out of the b~ight-takin' no
lchances, We know-we found our wuss
fears realized.
ut was a Roosian gunboat and twas
a-comin' fur us all bent. Wa'al ]
dam'ed them seal fur further p~articu-
lars. but we had 'em and 1 warn't ago