Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-12-30

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like magic lantern view on a screen. Two
bright red tunnels uprose. Two dainty
yacht-like masts cut the sky. long
snaky black body sprang from surge 10
surge, hardly seeming to sink in trough
before it was rising clear again to breast
the next long running roller.
Not fifteen minutes. before 1t had been al
most hull down. Now the men on the
schooner could count the dazzling port
holes and see bright garments futter on
the crowded decks that rose in four huge
tiers.
The pilot schooner ceased her prancing
for moment and exchanged her two-step
for a pendulum-like pitch and plunge TO
give the yawl a lee. The little boat slid
over. the pilot was in her, the pair of oars
gripped the sea like great wooden hands
and pulled her away before the next wave,
quick as 1t ran, could touch her.
Big Kaiser Comes.
That's the Kaiser" said the remaining
pilot. Now you'll see a piece of steamer
boarding that is boarding. If they keep on
building these liners bigger. We'll be need
ing an arship, instead of yawl, to reach
their decks one OF these days"
The schooner began to jig again, steering
straight into the course of the onComtng
ship. The yawl was sliding over the Nils
just a little beyond. With roar OF water
d
steam overhead, the great Kaiser came
down on top of both.
Now Just before, the landsman On the
schooner had been wondering at her slo-
rious tall sparS that seemed to reach INTO
the sky, and then all at once, all the wild
December gale was shut off from her can
vas as the steel wall of the Kaiser Wilhelm
der Crosse slid between her and the wind.
To look up to her highest deck from the
deck of the big schooner was like, trying to
look up to the fourth story of tall house
from narrow street. And that Is just
what it was for the Kaiser struck more
than forty feet of smooth steel sides up
out Of the
From the tip-top of that sheer wall a
little snaky thing writhed down until Its
lower end just hung clear of the green I'M
dulations.
Ladders on Big Ships
Pretty decent ladders these big fellows
give u.s." said the pilot remaining On the
schooner. Now Dave had to go up
thing that wasn't much more than an old
rope with few bum pieces of wood lashed
on here and there. In a sea it's kind OF
hard to hold on. But the big chaps are
mostly using a clever ladder that the sec
rotary of our board, Mr.. Nash, fixed up.
It's got wooden rungs that have oval holes
In the sides for a fellows hands to grip,
and the rungs are wide and fiat enough so
they lay against the ship and aren't as
likely to let the ladder twist and spin. That
gives man some sort of a show. Watch
Capt. Jim now and you'll see how they go
up liners sides. l s'pose that's what you
came out to write up. 1t beats me how you
fellows that have all New York to write
about always banker to write up this sort
of thing that's as old as the day is long.
But you just ask me questions now and
I'll tell you what little / know"
Well, then, the landsman wanted to know,
isn't this liner going to stop? Here is Capt.
Jfm's boat being rowed apparently right
into her track. You don't mean to say
vbat fe. tN INe.
to board that floating precipice while it is
moving?
Well explains the pilot, OF course the
law says that steamship must come to
a dead stop to take on a pilot. But then,
you know, captains hate to stop their en-
gfnes In sight of port, after driving them
without break clear across the western
sea. And, of course, 1t isn't the pilots busi-
ness or to their interest to impede COM
merce. To be sure. in really bad weather
ship just naturally has to stop; but in
good weather like this
Slam! said the pilot schooner sarcasti-
cally and heaved herself bodily into a green
sea that flooded her from the tip of her
bowsprH TO the shrouds of her mainmast.
Slowing" Down.
The liner gave little bark. She stopped
leaping and began to plough. from wave
to wave. The yawl. looking as imposing as
a floating medicine bottle, swung alongside
and away again in one sweep of the oars
When it slid off, the pilot was hanging to
the ladder.
''The yawls always get away quick" said
the pilot OF the schooner That's so that
IL the pilot should be slung off the ladder
he will fall on sonnet thing soft. We made
/ that rule long ago after one of our men
killed himself falling into the boat
DO you mean to say that man who
| fell into that sea alongside of this NOV
| ing ship would have a show for his life?'
/ asked the landSman.
well" reflected the pilot, men aim not
| to fall In. But they have done 1t. Some
times a man Is washed off the ladder, for
| instance. And most always he's picked up
! In jffy. Stands to reason that a
| can't swim much when he's dressed up in
winter clothes and oilskins on top of those.
He just naturally has to be picked up quick.
That's what we've got our men for. They
know their business and don't waste much
time thinking, you know. To be sure,
there's always a chance that a man will
water. and il he gets under the keel of
liner. why he gets under something that
reaches thirty and more feet down into the
water and so he may not come up again.
Or he may be swept aft and get into the
screw. That has happened, too
Alongside Rolling Liner
The landsman looked at the water along
side OF the rolling liner. 1t made him think
of the way river sluices into slxty-foot
lock when the lower gates are opened.
Just so 1t wlArled and tumbled and sped
alongside of the Kaiser, to toss In rapids
where the huge screws were slowly beat
ing the sea.
Cap'n Jim hadn't gotten far. The Kali.
ser, bowling to a long heave of sea that came
from windward. had rolled over and the