The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1907-05-08

lirather It's double or quits with us
ilthis time, son, for sartin, but if Tit
comb & Nickerson do go under it'll
be with colors flynn"
Within the week Setuckit Point, from
;allonely, gull haunted sand pit, inhabit-
ed only by the life saving crew and the
lighthouse keeper and his family, be
came small town. the population of
which left each morning for the Razor
back shoal and returned at night to
eat and sleep in the big shanty and
fthOse surrounding it.
/ Captain Titcomb saw the people. at
the Wellmouth bank and placed mort
gage on the Diving Belle. As the
partners owned her free and clear, he
was able to get her cost price. $4,000.
Placards announcing that men were
wanted at once and at So a day and
board were hung in the postoffices and
railway stations in Orham South Or
ham, West Harniss, Harniss Center
Wellmouth and other towns; also an
advertisement appeared in the Item.
The response was immediate. Work
at good wages was scarce in the win
ter months, and men came from TWEEN
ty miles away to obtain it.
The Diving Belle carried them down
to the Point There, under Barney
Smalrs supervision, some set to work
building extra hunks in the big shanty.
singing hammocks, putting up stoves
the partners bought five secondhand
ranges-and making three neighboring
abandoned fishing huts inhabitable.
The rest worked over the stranded coal
barge. getting out the anchors. strip
ping her of all unnecessary ironwork
and rigging and preparing to bring the
coal from her hold and dump it over
board.
Seventy men were hired altogether.
and to feed them it was necessary to
buy large quantities Of provisions.
Captain Titcomb managed this part of
the business, and the bargains he made
with Caleb Weeks and other store
keepers were wonderful and in some
cases not too profitable for the sellers.
AS Mr.. Weeks said: 'sEz Titcomb spent
ha'f the forenoon with me today, and
afore he got through tal1in' he'd tan
gled me up so with figgers that don't
know whether sold him salt at cent
a pound or cornmeal at a dollar a
barrel. I'll have to put in the rest
Of the day cal'latin' and addin up,
SOS to know whether I've made money
or lost it,
Soon the work on the Freedom was
in full swing. and the great hull hum
med like beehive. Men were stand
ing by the matches and by the derricks.
Men We're working by the rail trans
ferring ropes and ironwork to the Div
ing Belle. Down in the hold gangs of
men with faces sooty black except
where the sweat streaked them with
pallid channels were shoveling the coal
into the big iron buckets that the
creaking derricks lifted and swung
over the side. The donkey engines
puffed and whistled, the chains ratified
and ton after ton of good hard coal
roared from the opening buckets and
splashed into the tumbling waves of
the channel.
The captain and Bradley, together
for a moment stood in the bows, where
the heavy cable led, taut and rigid,
from the windlasS out to the submerg-
ed anchors. The Freedom had moved
slightly in the last few days, and the
partners were encouraged.
by crimus, Brad" exclaimed Cap
tain Titeomb, pointing, with grin on
his grimy face, to the stout little Div
ing Belle just then shooting off to the
Point with load of strippings from
the Freedom, that's the little critter
that has made it possible for us to
handle this job. | don't know what we'd
"a done if we hadn't had her. See her
go, will you? Flies round like flea
in fryin' pan, don't she? You never
put your money into anything better
for the size than her. and don't you let
that fact slip your mem'ry."
The new schooner had proved her
worth twice over. Equipped, as she
was, with the engine, she performed
the part of steam launch, tug and a
ACAly OOol. koAC udu CdlIlSu Out anu
dropped the anchors in the channel:
she took her owners and a few of the
hands to and from Orham every night
and morning; she was always ready
and always useful. In fact, as the cap
tain said they could scarcely have
handled the job without her.
Bradley, dirty and bareheaded, look
ed at the little vessel.
Il shan't feel easy until we pay off
that mortgage" he said. And. an
other thing, you mustn't forget to see
Obed and close that insurance deal. 1t
worries me to think she is not protect
ed at all"
That's so. Fact is, I've been so
everlastin' busy lately that I'd forgit
to eat If | hadn't got in the habit of it.
But must settle that right off. The
only thing that's kept it from goin'
through afore is on account of that
dynamite in the hold The papers are