Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1906-10-11


! ian. In short, l was expected to provide
! plans and accounts of many things mate
| rial to our own service, and l entered on
the business with alacrty, gained admit
| lance to the public dock yards, and knew
! in twelvemonth all that any man could
/ learn who had his wits only TO guide him.
| 1t was in Italy during my second year
| of work that | had cause to be at Spezia,
| inspecting there a new type of gunboat
! about which there was much talk and
1 many opinions. 1t was an evening late
| in the year. and the sun was just setting.
| watched the changing hues of the peaks
as the light spread from point to point
upon the castle roof, upon the steel hulls
! Of great ships. And then | saw a strange
! thing. for amongst all the vessels I saw
! one that stood out beyond them ALL a
! great globe not of silver, but of golden
| fire. There was no doubt about it at all ::
| rubbed my eyes, l used the glass | al
ways carried with me l viewed the hull
/ | saw lying there from half dozen
/ heights: and | was sure that what I saw
was no effect of evening light or strange
refraction. The ship | looked on was
/ built either Of brass, or of some alloy of
/ brass. as it seemed to me, for the notion
| that she could be plated with gold was
! preposterous; and yet the more l exam
/ ined her, the more clearly did | make out
! that her hull was constructed of a metal
| infinitely gold-like, and of so beautiful a
| color in the redeemed stream which shone
upon it that the whole ship had the aspect
/ Of mirror of the purest gold / had ever
seen.
The dark fell. l returned to the town
quickly. l went straight to the sea front
and began, if l could to find where the
water lay wherein this extraordinary
steamer was locked. | had taken the
bearings of it from the hills, and | was
very quickly at that spot where | thought
to have seen the strange vessel. There
| truly enough, was a dock in which two
small coasting steamers were moored. but
! of a sign of that which l sought there
was none. | should have had the matter
out there and then, searching the place
to its extremity; but 1 had not been at
my work ten minutes when l knew that
! was watched A man, dressed as a rough
J sailor, and remarkable for the hideousness
! of his face and a curious malformation of
| one tooth, lurked behind the heaps of sea
| lumber, and followed me from point to
! point. | returned in a good disguise of
a common English seaman on the follow
! ing evening, and again entered the dock
yard. The same man was watching but
| he had no suspicion of me.
ANY job going" l asked, and the
! question seemed to interest him.
81 reckon that depends on the man.
| he replied. sticking his hands deep into
| his pockets. What's little wien chap
like you good for, except to get yer neck
broken?'
"'All in my line I answered jauntily.
having fixed my plan; I'm starving
amongst these cutthroats here, and I'm
ready for anything
! chatted with him, and later on with
his companions, about as fine dozen of
self-stamped raScals as ever | wish to
see. Next day, l came again to the dock
yards. convinced that l was al the foot of
mystery. and. to my delight, | got en-
ployment from the chief of the gang
named Roaring John by his friends; and
was soon at work on the simple and mat
ter-of-fact business of cutting planks. This
gave me an entry to the dock yard-all
! | wished at the moment.
Il had got admission to the dock. but
had learnt nothing of the vessel l was
admitted only to the outer basin. where
the coasting steamers lay, and Roaring
John threatened me if l passed the gate
which opened into the dock beyond. Min
ute by minute and hour by hour wait
ed my opportunity. 1t came to me on
the morning Of the eighth day, when
reached the yard al four O'Clock and the
gate being unopen | lurked in hiding
! AL -.
no other than the one who had engaged
me; and when he had gone in he did not
close the second door after him, there
being no men then at their work | need
not tell you that l used my eyes we'll in
those minute There, sure enough, lay
the most remarkable warship | had ever
beheld-a great, well-armed cruiser, whose
decks were bright with quick firing guns
whose lines showed novelty in every inch
of them. More remarkable than anything
however. was the confirmation of that
which l had seen from the hills. The
| ship seemingly, was built of the purest
| gold This, of course, / knew could not
be: but as the sun got up and his light
fell on the vessel, l thought that | had
never seen more glorious sight. She
shone with the refulgent beauty of a
thousand mirrors; every foot of her deck,
Of her turrets. of her upper house made
sheen of dazzling fire; the points of her
deck lights were as beacons, all lurid and
| a-gold. so marvellous, truly. was her as
pect. that | forgot all else but it. and
stood entranced. marvelling forgetful of
myself and purpose. The fash Of a knife
in the air brought me to my senses to
know that | was in the grasp of the man
Roaring John
4 bad mishap hefell me. The best of
my disguise was the thick, bushy black
hair | wore about my face. As the ruftian
went to take a firmer hold Of my collar,
he pulled aside portion of my beard, and
left my chin clean shaver beneath as nat
urally it was. The intense surprise of
this discovery seemed 10 hit him like a
blow. He stepped back with a murderous
look in his eyes. But l cheated him,
and turning on my heel, I fed with all
the speed l possessed, and got into the
street with twenty ruffianS at my heels,
and a hue and cry such as l hope never
To hear again.
; The escape was clever. | reached my
, hotel. l was sure that l had cut off all
t hope of returning 10 the yard: and what
: information l was to get must come by
4 other modes. The nature of these l knew
l not, but | was determined to set out upon
: visit to Signor Vezzia. who was the
builder to whom the docks wherein
. worked belonged To him l came as the
e pretended agent of shipping firm in New
. York. with whom | had some little ac
0 quaintance, and he gave me audience
I readily. He was very willing to hear ms
4 when he learned that I was in quest of
A builder TO lay down steamers for the
+; American trade with Italy; and some
Y while we passed in great cordiality, so
ventured the other business.
q by the by, Signor Vezzia, that's
5 marvellous battleship you have in you
9 second dock have never seen anything
I, like her before
5 II spoke the words, and read him al
e one reads barometer. He shrank visibl.
r into his bulb. and the tone of his CONVEX