The Sauk Centre herald. (Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minn.) 1886-current, 1904-02-11
THE DROWNING 1
OF BLACK JACK 4
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Yarn of the sailors Peculiar Sense
OF HuinOr.
>0cGoS@o0c@ 90

MEN who DO not value the lives OF
lW others often value their own
high enough. But this rule seldom
works the other way.
The reckless daredevil vagabond who
butts about the world into all sorts OF
dangers and acquires sort of con-
ienIpt for the various forms Of death
he often faces, begins after awhile TO
believe that every one else shares his
attitude toward what he considers at
the worst only a slight fastening Of
the inevitable
Such a man is the average sailor.
II half his shipmateS are washed over
board in storm, Jack is depressed for
the time being, but a month later,
when he reaches port. he is quite apt
TO give his account of the incident in
\ humorous vein.
''Ye'd "a larfed," he says, in the
course of his tale, ''if yed "a seen the
way Tim Hogan was a-hangin' on to
the end of the topsail brace, like a
blessed herrin' hooked on the end of a
line. Then. when he couldn't hold on
no longer, he just gives tremendous
wriggle, like he'd swallowed the bait
an it was taStin' pretty good, an off he
swims like he was lookin' for more,
an that was the larst we sees of Bill"
AS a matter of fact. Jack did not
laugh at the time of the accident His
comparison of a drowning man cling
tho nnl nf RI -oI
fish never entered his head until he
spun his yarn.
Time has given him that attitude
toward a form of death so common
that it may be his any Gay. When his
turns comes he will not laugh. but if
his ghost survives him it will probably
give an account to the other ghosts
OF its entrance into the spirit world
in an equally humorous vein.
If you were to consult the log of the
American bark Southern Cross about
eight years back you would come
across an entry like this:
Chief Mate Hardy disappeared in the
middle watch. Supposed to have fallen
overheard while examining the log.
Such an entry is common in ships
logs, and it might not excite much
interest in the average shore-abiding
citizen, but in the maritime world
there are some to whom it would re-
call memories of a strange personality
Happy Steve.
How Happy Steve was connected
with the drowning of the mate of the
Southern Cross will develop later
First of all, let me say few words of
the mate.
will hide Dick Hardy's identity I'M
der his real name; none but few
ship owners know him by that Let it
suffice to say that under an alias some
thing like Black Jack he was known
the world over as one of the blacklist
scoundrels that ever trod a deck.
You could hear tales of his heroic
brutalities from Frisco to Calcutta. In
his day boarding masters had to drug
sailors before they could ship item
on the Southern Cross-she was a
hard packet. To-day, believe, she is
reckoned one of the most comfortable
in the American merchant marine.
was present when the first au-
thentic account of his death was given
out by the one man who knew. This
was aboard the old Nicaraguan bark
Don Adolfo.
She had aboard crew of hardy,
reckless west coast adventures, most
Of whom were on the west coast be-
cause it was, not particularly healthful
for them to be anywhere else. Not
7thit they were really a bad lot, but,
as I have already said, they were of
thai class who had acquired an attitude
toward human life not compatible with
The laws Of more civilized parts.
One of the men was chap called
Happy Steve. 1t was his optimistic
temperament that had given him his
name. Come what would, hard
weather. topsails to reef. leaky ship