Manchester Democrat. [volume] (Manchester, Iowa) 1875-1930, 1904-01-20

nc ttt u N0TTtDte UCtt Out " nun.
wait until the floatin' asylum got back
and if was still alive and not crazy I
could have her. So my girl stayed
home.
Now, wasn't SO far gone that I
didn't have sense to ship two Yankee
mates, buckos of the worst kind. Know
what Yankee bucko is? No? Sign
out of New York this fall and you'll
know. He's cross between a prize
fighter and n locomotive. got them
two mates aboard in the dock fore the
crew come. One was Black Dunkherst
of Cape Cod. shipped him chief mate.
Tother was Mister johnson Of Bos-
ton. Mister was his first name, he
said, and lie never had any other.
Both had bad records and regulations,
and neither had a conscience, as far as
could see. But they We're the men I
needed in that ship, and didn't care.
They both said they had wives ashore
and wanted to bring 'em long, but l
knew better and wouldn't have 1t.
Wasn't specially moral man myself,
but didn't want to stand alone, the
only bachelor in the ship.
J "Moost have been 5000 people on the
quay to see us haul out into the stream.
All Liverpool was talkin' about the
honeymoon ship, and. while l tailed
off the crew, sixteen couples, at the
capstan, that loonatic of an owner
stood on the poop, proud as Billy-be-
dash, bowin' and scrapin' to the crowd
| ashore.
Now, said wasn't specially NOR
nj man rs men go, but was too moral
to countenance that crowd of brides Mt
the capstan. Three or four old girls
who looked like ex-barmaids might
have been lawfully married to the men
beside them, but the rest were cruisers
/, from Waterloo road and the dance
halls of Paradise street.
II hadn't piclsoda the crew. The
crimps did that for the owner. .aod.s.an
the whole, they'd given us rrettyi
good crowd of men. But the weemen-
heavens! After all, I was glad my
! girl wasn't along.
"Well, we cast off and begun warpin'
down through the docks with the big
hydraulic capstans they have there.
and as the two mates We're competent
went below with the owner to settle
up affairs. and the crowd ashore fol-
lowed along the sea wall.
| "DOwn below knew by the sounds
that we had got to a broken down cap
stan and would have to use our own
amidships. We were warpin' stern
first, and I heard Mr.. Johnson sing out
to some one ashore to make fast the
stern line and to the men forrard to
heave away the capstan lively. Then
I heard the biggest hullabaloo I ever
heard. woman screamin' and 5000
people ashore yellin' and that second
mate of mine shoutin' MS loud as he
could. 'Heave away, my bullies, and
clear this :wooman. We run on deck.
Now, this is what had happened:
She was Nova Scotia built Ship with
a low poop and Il cabin trunk with al
leys. The poop rail was about as high
as your middle, and there was chock
for the stern line on the taffrail and Il
pair Of small timber heads, like our
lake schooners have, on the poop rail
joost at the forrard corner of the
house. You see, the stern line would
not lead from the chock on the taffrail
to the capstan amidships without cha
, fin the house, so Mr.. johnson had
thrown the blight over the timber heads
! on the rail, and that would make the
1 line lead slantin' through the alley
from the inboard corner aft to the out
board corner forrard.
NOW, there was a woman standin'
in that alley swappin' billin'sgate with
some one ashore, and as Mr.. johnson
sung out to heave away he kicked the
line close to her heels. and up it came.
taut, to level with the rail, and it
lifted that wooman's clothes with 1t
and squeezed her tight. Then as the
men hove it in it began to saw, and
saw, and saw, till it's wonder that
woman wasn't cut in two. oh, how
she yelled while that wet six inch haw-
ser ground past her and dragged her
tighter into the angle, and all the time
Mr.. Dunkherst on the forecastle deck
was lookin' every way but aft, pretend
In not to, see. and Mr.. johnson was
singin' out. 'Heave away and clear this
wooman! He was GRIMM like a
Cheshire cat when got on deck and
made 'em surge the line. Then she got
clear of 1t, still yellin', and run down
the cabin stairs. She was a shockIn'
spectacle. That line had carried away
all 'midship fastenin's, and everything
come down by the run when the pres
sure was off. sent some weemen
down with her duds, and they fixed
her up.
...That was the first trouble, but in
two minutes Mr.. Johnson had to lick
the wooman's man, who had been for
rard with the mate and had joost got
aft. Now, an English able seaman is
handy with his fists, but Yankee sec
ond mate is bad proposition and
mighty handy with belayin' pin. So
,, about the time the woman got rugged
out her man was ready for the hos
pital, and l sent 'em both to their state
room to recuperate. Then thought I'd
better not reprimand Mr.. johnson. At
the dock head got rid of the owner.
| Then we took tug and towed to sea
and were well outside. the three mile
line before the watches were set for
the night. Now, you know that under,
English law ship captain is magis-
trate on the high seas, with power to
perform the marriage ceremony. had
never seen any one married, but I
ranged 'em long the deck after the
mates had picked the watches and had
each man take hold Of his wooman's
hand, SO there'd be no mistake. Then
read 'am the shin'a articles: than