The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1904-01-20
OLD SEA DOG
IN TROUBLE
Master Mariner in
a Difficult
Position.
Runs Small Boat Ashore
in Thirty Feet of
Water.
Mr.. Nelson Tells of the Adven-
ture of Captain Jimmy
Robertson.

Mr.. Nelson, a small, wiry Individual
chief officer of the good schooner w.
II. Marston, stood on the Bishop Es-
tate wharves yesterday morning and
discoursed on matters of the sea to
the Mossman Brothers. at that time
holding down bales of hay but claiming
vocations as boss stevedores.
Did you hear the story of the shark
voyage Of young Dad McGrew, Captain
of the full rugged ship Custom House 90
questioned Mr.. Mossman.
Mr.. Nelson Strengthened up to his
full five feet six and with a diplomatic
smile, said:
Just reef your topsafls a minute and
I'll tell you concerning the remarkable
and mysterious voyage of the sloop
yacht Mystery. Captain Jimmy Rob
ertson. The voyage was the shortest
one on record but the mystery of it has
not been cleared up before now.
will tell the whole yarn. If you're good
guessers you'll know what the mystery
was before L finish But don't tell
Captain Jimmy told you. He's a
friend of mine and many time he's
done me a good turn. Well, I think
that my skipper and Captain Jimmy
are friends.
We'll, one Sunday morning my skip
per told me to get out the Mystery and
moor her near the wharf. I suspect
ed that maybe some young ladies would
be sailing in her before the day was
many hours old. So I tried a new
mooring scheme on the Mystery. I
took brace and bored a hole through
her rocker. Then I tied a fifty fathom
line to this and at it's end L tied
heavy condemned upper topsail block.
Then with the help OF some friends of
mine we launched the sloop into the
harbor and brought her alongside the
Irmgard wharf. Then We took the
other end of the fifty fathom line and
stretched it out into the harbor. We
dropped it into the water and it sank
into the mud. Well, you know I kinder
reckoned that if anybody tried to sail
in that boat it would be a sort Of
merry go-round We nearly died larf-
ing but we climbed back aboard the
Marston and waited developments.
with me was SIlIn-Gy60 OOHilSCii5
Dandy O'Rookey, and a couple of fell
lows who had come off the ship George
Curtis. Pretty soon Captain Jimmy
Robertson comes ambling 'longside the
Marston.
Z" Captain Curtis leave his boat for
me?' he inquired.
II saluted with one hand and with
t'other pointed over alongside the Irrn-
gard wharf He toted over there and
looked at the boat Everything APP
peared sort o. nice. He goes away
and bimeby returns with Mr.. Barton,
the fellow that plays the organ, and
his wife, and some pretty looking girls
They all went down the wharf and
got in that boat.
50 Mr.. Barton said Captain Robert
son, for this voyage you'll be chief
officer of this sloop and your friends
viii go befo' the mast
Barton he says Aye, aye, sir
Pretty soon they was all in. They cast
off from the wharf.
- Make all SAIL bawled out Captain
Robertson to his chief officer. Minute
later they had her mainsail histed. Inc
sloop Immediately took the bone in ner
mouth and she was off for the sunny
shores of Rotten Row, Captain Robert
son at the helm.
's"Cat the anchorsl Peak up the
mainsail! Haul the main sheet ait!
Splice the main bracer were the Or
ders given in fast way by Captain
Robertson. After everything was
made snug they were getting along at
about a twelve knot clip. They'd got
about ninety fathoms away from the
wharf. 'Slim-eyed Johnson seq to
me that it looked like trouble. took
a reef in one eye and waited Pretty
soon that sloop seemed to strike a dead
calm. She had her sail plum fuH
but had stopped stock still. She re-
fused to mind her helm.
"'What's the matter there forrard'
Mr.. Barton?' bawled Captain Jimmy,
is there anything acrost our bow
never knew the Mystery to behave IKE
this befo'.'
:. Everything all clear forrard, SIR
replied Mr.. Barton.
"'AH right, ready about, MI Bar
ton and the sloop came around IN
graceful like way and started Oh at
about fourteen knots in the dlrectloh
of the railroad wharf. After going the
space of about five hundred feet she
in7rnediateIy turned about and looked
at her skipper again, and he was GET
ting pretty much mystifed
"Ready about again. yelled the
Captain to the Chief officer there's
something very mysterious about TINS
Peel your eyes a bit and be posltlVe
there's nothing acrost our bows
Everything is all clear, responder
Mr. Barton.
:" Then what the devil is the matter
with her?'
ct think we must have struck