Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1905-10-12
By JOSEPH c. LINCOLN
CHAPTER IV,-(Continued)

the new electrician invariably respond
ed, "Tirst rate" Gossip, however, In
the person Of Miss Busted, reported
that the operators We're doing their
best to keep Mr. Hazeltine's lot from
being altogether a bed Of roses, and
there were dark hints of something
more to come.
On the morning following the receipt
of the letter from the Nantucket lady
Captain Hri was busy at his fish shanty
putting his lines In order and sewing a
patch on the mainsail Of his catboat.
These necessary repairs had prevented
his taking the usual trip to the fishing
grounds. Looking up from his work,
he saw through the open door Ralph
.Hazeltine Just stepping out Of the ca
BILE station skiff.
"How do you do, Cap'n Hedge?" said
Hazeltine, walking toward the shanty.
GOOD weather, isn't it?"
''Tiptop. Longs the wind stays west.
erly and there amt no Sunday school
picnics on we don't squabble with
the weather folks. The only thing
that'll fetch squall with westerly
wind is q Sunday school picnic. That'll
do 1t sure ias death. Busy over across?"
Pretty busy just now. The cable
parted day before yesterday, and I've
been getting things ready for the re-
pair ship. She was due this morning,
and we're likely to hear from her at
any time"
You don't say! Cable broke, hey?
Now, it's a queer thing, but I've never
been inside that station since twas
built. Too handy, I guess. I've got a
second cousin up In Charlestown, lived
there all his life, and he's never been
up in Bunker Hill monument yit. Fust
time landed in Boston dug for that
monument, and I can tell you how
many steps there is in it to this day.
II that cable station was fifty mile off
I'd have been through it two weeks
after it started up; but, bein' Jest over
there, amt ever done 1t. Queer, amt
itY
Perhaps you'd like to go over with
me. I'm going up to the postomce, and
when / come back should be glad of
your company
well, now, that's kind Of you. !
cal'late will. You might sing out as
you go past. I've got ha'f hour job
on this sail, and then it's my watch be-
low"
The cable station at Orham is low
whitewashed building with many win.
dows. The vegetation about it is linn
tied exclusively to beach grass and
an occasional wild plum bush. The
nearest building which may be reach
ed without boat is the life saving sta
ton, two miles below. The outer beach
changes its shape every winter. The
gales tear great holes in it's sides and
then, as if in recompense, throw up
new shoals and build new promon-
tories. From the cable station door
way in fair weather may be counted
the sails of over hundred vessels 60.
ing and coming between Boston and
New York. They come and go, and
alas, sometimes stop by the way. Then
the life saving crews are busy, and
the Boston newspapers report another
wreck. All UP and down the outer
beach are the sun whitened bones OF
schooners and ships, and all about
them and partially covering them is
sand, sand, sand, as white and much
coarser than granulated sugar.
Hazeltine's postoffice trip and other
errands had taken much more time
than he anticipated, and more than
two hours had gone by before he called
for Captain Fri. During the row to the
beach the electrician explained to the
captain the processes by which breal
In the cable is located and repaired.
They landed at the little wharf ant
plodded through the heavy sand.
Dismal looking place, isn't it?" sale
Hazeltine as he opened the back doc
of the station.
well, don't know It has its goot
p'ints," replied his companion. ''Youl
neighbors' hens don't scratch up your
garden, for one thing What do you dc
in here?"
This is the room where we receive
and send. This is the receiver"
The captain noticed with interest the
recorder with it's two brass supports
and the little glass tube half filled will
ink that, when the cable was working
wrote the messages upon the paper
tape travelling beneath it.
Pretty nigh as finicky as watch
amt it?" he observed.
Fully as delicate in its way. Dc
you see this little screw on the center
piece? Turn that little one way OF
the other and the operator on the Other
side might send until doomsday, We
wouldn't know it. I'll show you the
living rooms and the laboratory now
Just then the door at the other end OF
the room opened, and man, whom
Captain Fri recognized as one of the
operators, came in. He started wher
he saw HaZeltine and turned to 20 ou1
again. Ralph spoke to him:
Peters, he said, where is Mr.
Langley?
Don't know answered the fellow
grufily.
wait minute. Tell me where Mr.