The Chickasha daily express. (Chickasha, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1899-current, 1905-01-26

tumbled of a canal boat. ! jumped
after her and held her up till they
heavea a line to ms. / got it around
her under the arms and they hauled
her on deck again.
"The next day l picked mp a news
paper and read great account Of how
a cop came running down the dock
peellne his coat off and shedding bis
helmet and night stick. and how he
plunged into the swirling river and
hauled out the beautiful maiden just
as she was sinking for the third time.
He got a medal or an honorable men
tion or something. 1 read later on; but
/ didn't grudge it to him as long as
didn't have to marry the girl to make
a romance"
WAS she as ugly as all that: the
other man put in.
NO she was a pretty good locker,
but Won see she was only canaller,
and besides / had a romance OF my own
about that time which was strictly a
dry land affair. and / didn't want any
story-book yarns criss-crossing it.
.Tugboat life is a good enough life
for careless young fellow Your
nav Of $50 a month or so is velvet. The
owners feed you and feed sou well,
ateak and cereal and buckwheat cakes
for breakfast, soup and roast and two
or three vegetables and pie or pudding
for dinner. fish or chops for supper and
all the coffee you can drink. You bunk
on the boat. You do your own wash
ing You don't have TO wear good
clothes. About the only thing you have
to buy is tobacco.
so. if you're Of a saving nature, you
can soak your money away, as much
al $500 year. If you're a sport you
can cut loose whenever you have
good wad and have q real life Of it TOR a
couple Of months.
Il knew one old fellow who stuck to
the water well on in life and never
made good, and that was his way. He'd
remain aboard the boat for ten months
a year.
every time we got to New York
he'd make a short run up the street to
the nearest bilgery and have two beers,
all by himself. Then he'd steer back
and never step off the planks again
perhaps for a week
AT the end of ten months he'd draw
his pay. throw up his job and disap-
pear. Well. sir. if you met him at
one of the hotels along West street
while the money lasted. you wouldn't
know him. You'd think be was the
owner. He always came back feeling
good and quite content to lie BY for ten
months more for another spell Of play
ing gentleman.
.But there's few that's content with
that sort Of life after they're thirty
years old. It's a rare thing to see gray
whiskers on deck
s.What do they do them" the cap
tain was asked.
Anything. I've known them to take
TO farm work, teach school. 90 in bust
ness. drive a truck. when they don't
make good while they're young"
"And what do you call making
goody'
Getting your license up TO the post
office and shipping as q mate at SsV
per and ending up as master at sllo
to S135 month. That amt so bad, is
it?
..The harbor trade is full Of oppor-
tunlties. know one captain that
makes $4,000 a year in commissions
There amt a thing a ship coming inro
port or those on board her can want
that he isn't ready to supply. If the
ship needs new suit Of spars or the
skipper wants a suit Of clothes, it's
all one. the tugboat man will put him
in the right way to crafty his wishes.
'And. Of course. he gets a commits
siong' was suggested.
Generally at both ends. But, OF
course. it's only the captain can do
that. No graft comes the way Of the
deck hand. except the busted hawsers
He sells them when the blue boat
comes alongside. That's his undis-
s9uted perqulsite."
rs there much sociability among the
crewsT'
ssNo. not much. There's 10 scrap
ping or fighting; but there's most no
sort Of chummIness. Take the ordi-
nary good-sized tug-there'n be on
board her the captain and mate. first
and second engineer. two iremen. the
cook. two deckhands and boy.
There's ten people cooDed up In
space not over 100 feet by p.
They are penned together. whether
working or idllng. There isn't spot
on the boat where a man can get away
from the rest. even for five minutes.
And In seagoing tugs that may go on
for three or four days or even a week.
'.Afonotony's no name for II. and, az
ter a while it amt wonderful If the
men come to hate the look Of each
other and get expressing opinions In a
kind OF roundabout sarcastic way The
only odd thing to me is that the feeling
so seldom breaks out into real bad
blood. But you'll never hear Of q crew
shipping together a second time"