Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1905-11-11
''Driving Her Alons' =
Copyright, 1905, by Homer Sprague.]

the day that the steam collier Arab
| finally limped into the port of LONDON
after the longest and most tempestuous
voyage she had ever made and during
which she had come close to foun,.er-
ing several times. When the captain
went up to the Office to report he found
a new man at the desk. Bliss the elder
had died, and Bliss the younger had
taken his place. He was man of
twenty-three, who had just left cricket
and college and a life of do nothing,
and he had come into the firm to teach
| it how to do business. He was waiting
for Captain Keggs.
"Mr. Bliss, we have had the worst
gale for ten years back. A part of the
time the Arab was actually driving
astern with every pound of steam the
boilers could bear"
what the boat evidently needs Is a
new captain and engineer"
| But no man can do better than his
best, sir, and it was touch and go with
| ucI ltll OOASA C1luSS Ol1 lulS JIID.
Some of the big liners waited a day
before going out"
II want no excuses from you or any
other employee Of this firmv exclaimed
the young man as he brought his fist
| down on the desk. IF the old one was
in business for the fun of the thing,
the new one isn't. I have been looking
up the record Of the Arab for the last
| two years, and find that you haven't
made your time once where you have
dawdled along twenty times. There
has got to be change. If you have
got too old to make time I'll get a
younger man."
Eyes, sir" replied the old captain as
be turned pale and swallowed at the
lump in his throat.
''The weather will be no excuse after
| this. The Arab will either come in On
time or you get your ticket. l don't
care farthing for gales OF. fogs. She's
got to be pushed. She's got to be load
ed right down to the mark and driven
through everything. You can talk it
over with the engineer. That's ALL
us the son of his father a fool or
lunaticw exclaimed the engineer when
he had been told what time was to be
allowed the collier for her future trips
ITO make that time we'd want mill
pond of sea all the way to Newcastle
and back, and then the engines would
be jumping out of hel or shaking them
selves to pieces. Is there no allowance
for gales or fogs?'
"None whatever"
"But there are laws to compel us to
half speed for fogs."
''They are not to be minded. You are
a single man and can go, but I've got d
family and am in debt and must stay
on
'And you know what it means"
Captain Keggs nodded his head and
sighed and made no answer.
I'm sorry to leave you" said the
other after time, and, holding out his
hand, 'but I'm not ready for voyage
to the bottom Of the sea yet"
The way the Arab was overloaded
and the recklessness with which she
was driven were too much even for
the dock rats. She put out Of port in
the face Of the heaviest gales, and she
ran at full speed in the densest fogs,
and her captain stood on the bridge
and silently prayed to heaven. A dozen
times in six months he escaped COLI
sion by the narrowest margin. On one
occasion the other craft made out the
the board. The board warned Captain
Keggs that if he did not heed the law
his certificate would be suspended. He
went to young Bliss with the notice,
and the latter scowleu and said:
"You ought to be discharged on the
spot! When running through a fog
haven't you got brains enough to teach
you to cover up the name of your
bOatw
Six full months had passed away
when a November night came howl
ing down to catch the Arab off Flam-
borough Head on her way to the
Thames. Night brought rough sea
and a fog as thick as cheese. There
were hundred craft sailing that
route, coming and going, and when all
things had been blotted out of sight
Captain Keggs stood on the bridge in
his dripping oilskins and communed
with himself:
1--WE full months pay due me, and
that clears up the last dollar Of debt.
The Lord has been very good to me,
humble mariner that l am, and 1 can't
ask him to do more If it comes to-
night the family can't be turned adrift,
but I'm praying that the loss Of life
may be small. If it wasn't asking too
much, I'd ask that it would be only me
and that the others might have a show.
If we should strike big steamer with
hundreds Of passengers aboard, them
A long and lonesome blast of the col
lier's whistle broke in on his soliloquy.
There were other whistles blowing and
horns footing around him. Other YES
sells had reduced sail or shut off steam,
but the Arab was plunging ahead at
her usual speed.
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