Orange County observer. [volume] (Hillsborough, N.C.) 1880-1918, 1904-03-17
The
Shippers Honor
BY John Fleming Wilson

>,.,e He steam coaster Oracle
y jackson was lost. She had
: n 6 strayed out OF the Colum-
! 4 J bus River on a thick morn
".acE ING in November bound
{, " Francisco. Three days had
ass>pd since then, and on this dull fore
rooO she tulnbled wildly i'll a jobble Of
ca, somewhere Off the Oregon coast,
.ha crew knew not where. In her
,amped saloon the skipper and mate
rpra asleep. asleep beyond the power
If thp frigntened sailors to awake. The
.h;ef engineer had come up from be-
law TO assist in the process OF r0using
ban but after a halfhour's vain at
tappt he now stood back against the
hukhead easing his mind. They're a
couple of sots,: he explained to the
a,svp faced hos'n. The old man
started lushing before we We're across
tho bar. and the mate amt been sober
tor . week. l don't believe those two
Spcooks have even got their departure
,hslkad down. l know they ain't t
wrote 3 line in the log since we passed
T]amook a-bellowing in the fog.
pruk.. Drunk and the engineer
ind the bosn lifted up their voices in a
sea blessing, deep, yeciferoUs and
mighty.
Il reckon we're off Cape Blanco
Nnewhere,' suggested Il sailor who
had stamped in. It's running ali ugly
sea- TOO. Thicker'n pea soup. and the
glass way down. What'll we do, sir?"
TIE engineer grunted with the wrath
Ct two sleepless days. Then he STUN
bed up the companionway to the deck
snd the bos'n shuffied after him. For
ward ii the wheelhouse they found &
Tm-yisaged seaman c!inging hungrils
to the jerking wheel. and peering out
fr0m the compass to the gray. frothine
OCEAN that seemed to have risen like /:
cloud of Kissing steam about the Ora
de Jackson. There was no twinkle OF
the sun, and the howling wind drove
the yapor across the plunging decks il
lnse billows A boat. crushed and bro
ken, lay wabbling under the weather
rail. Aft the hlmming funnel spun I
ooty thread against the low cloud. Al
THIS the engineer took in with a sweep
Ing glance Then he looked back Ol
lle chart shelf at the slate. n ciumS,
land had chalked tentative reckoning
Oh il and the barometer and log read
lAss. There was no attempt, however
10 lz the position Of the steamer O]
Ie clart pinned beneath. The engi
Aeef sWore giuiHy. and then abrupt,
neparted By the lee door, to retur!
lOlolhs III his hand Il copy OF his OW
ny. Lac bos'n joined him. and the
puzzled. and figured. and cursed I'll
i00l IFS no USE said the engineer
+''sf 1lnal Wrestle We can't Sc
OO''om with the lead: we ain't an OF
'uSaton OF any sort TO go on; W
@At even got an approximate distanc
"sseu We might be off San Diego G
At sahara Desert so fars we know"
How much we making now" aske
Ut sailor at the wheel.
seven by the engines" was The +,
rq' rive by the log. May be goin
SNefn for all that"
reckon continued the heImsmal
nv ,~Sly = Il reckon we're about o
'~Mco. "a. How much coal we got?'
r., SlAteen hours this gait"
~, .uefe was Il long pause. filled on]
.ra "'l me harsh noises of the ocea
nDa m" 'he laboring vessel. Then Il
c". @u a' the wheel. as he eased IL
~ ,'.ie , over crested surge, muttert
sp, O''u and besought his Creator
IL s'. " no mercy to the stupored NE
- ne saloon.
ho VI got to do something sa
E,. '' II. practically. Il guess Cap
ns4 s amt coming to to-day. and IL
Sail worse off yet. We got to e
ano1, Ou ner TO steady her and fet,
rs,.. ."nere mighty qu, VIII,
s, snort of coal the foresail =,
ho Tn"'' ought to take us along
thao engineer thought awhile. al
Tn - "''ieo hrusquely to the bos'
Soma ~ command here" he said. "P
snona Eau on her and get out TO $
nshonan neie. We amt going to risk
Coz, .e -. this weather. I'll save y
Oh das'l al d pinch. You take comma,
Soo "a a' ana a III keep watch with v,
ali sna q" l shut my dampers and g.
y ~ 'SAag below, az"
t,cEV rSV 09s'n 9s nodded and slipped out
orr. ne took his chance and r.
snereaa sa and disappeared. when
It was ' ,,'s again from the tiny foe
hev w. WIN three men at his bee
eisea 'sslned :, the pilot house and ,
fetch ~ ine'f orders. We've got
ssn sn ~ somewhere" finished t
b dead J'rly. ,n!, It's up to us to do
seep a& otf reckoning. At least we c
Borrow =. zee shore. Maybe by t
auph 'hey Che pointed a scornr
dough er ta his shoulder) will be W
ae Shin ~ Jake sight and navig,
Gat let ' ; Aeep your eyes open a
So the .r ca get away from you"
hands ;. sracie Jackson came into
Hef untutOre0 crew a