Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1904-07-27

Ing the nigh as ] could find.
learned several things. First. there
had been lier~y fog during the even
ing and for at least two hours after
midnight Then the wind changed and
the sun had risen clearly.
twas quite true that nobody seemed
90 have beard such an explosion as
~ ist have occurred when the safe Of
he X. and l.. company was blown
through the office wall But one watch
man on cattle ship two slips from the
express dock had heard noise be-
tween 2 and O'Clock which he had not
attributed TO the mystery Of the lost
safe. however.
"'Twere no explosion. officer" he
told me. That III be willin' to swear
TO-"
what did Il sound lfke?" / asked.
Sure. twas more like a heap o. lum-
Der fallln' down. I thought twas IN
the lumber yard on the next block"
WAS anything going on out in the
river at the timer
Sure, iv'rything was quiet. I'd gone
below 10 light me pipe at the cooks
lantern when the noise came to me-
| telephoned the ship news Office
down on the Battery. aud soon had
jottcd 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 smiled earlier. learned by call
ing mp the office of the company that.
owing TO the fog. she had not started
for the Sarrows IN charge Of the tug
Charles B. Goodwin until after mid
night.
By this tine 1t was midforenoon. and
the early editions of the afternoon pa
pers were being cried on the street
OF the X and l.. safe. One enterprising
sheet had even faxed" 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 | carried around with
me was tile ciew TO the true explana.
ton. so called up the towing com,
pany that owned the Charles Il. Good
win and discovered where the tug
would he likely TO land upon her re-
turn from her trip outside with the
Rotterdam. was on the wharf when
the tug came in.
went aboard and saw the captain.
Mister" | sid. ~ come to hear
about T. Have yuu Il Tie safer
What safer a,.-.ad he. looking
wise.
THE one your tow happened to car
ry away from the X. aud L. dock this
ms, alug" sad.
Then he laughed aud showed me the
safe and several bits of broken Office
firiH rrr 81 ii he had covered with
a tarpaulin UP forward. And bis story
wasinterestmg. as | supposed II 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 iushore. and just off the X.
and l.. Express company's dock n fer
ryboat ran out and got In the way OF
the Goodwin.
I'VE had to slack our engines" said
the captain Of the tug. "and OF course
the towline dropped. The tide swung
the bow Of the Rotterdam plumb into
the end of the dock.
by hockey. you should have seen
I'll Her bowsprlt 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 II did more dam
age. But the corner OF the shanty
came with il. and I reckon good deal
of what was in the office clattered
down on the old Rottcrdam's for'ard
deck. The Bremen and New York line
will have TO pay a nice little sum for
damages. ! suppose. But it 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 I took 1t aboard before
I left her outside.
Thought they'd been burglarIzed
did they? Well. reckon II was about
as queer a case Of piracy rs ever hap
pened along this river front"
And be certainly was right. A queer
er thing never happened under my no
tice. nor did ever evolve a theory
from O more unpromislng clew than
from that bit of gilded wood which, as
l Suspected. had been broken Off the
fgurehead of the outgoing vessel.
Not Honor Men. .