Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1908-01-28
CHAPTER /.

@1HE late afternoon sky Haunted
its Splendor of blue and gold
like a banner over the Pacific,
across whose depths the trade
wind droned in measured cadence. On
the oceans wide expanse hulk wal
lowed sluggishly, the forgotten relict
of a once brave and slightly ship, pos
sibly the sphinx of some untold ocean
tragedy, she lay black and forbidding
in the ordered procession of waves.
Half mile to the east of the derelict
lowered ships cutter. the turn of her
crews heads speaking expectancy. AS
far again beyond, the United States
cruiser Wolverine outlined her severe
and trim silhouette against the hori-
zon. In all the spread of wave and
sky no other thing was visible. For
this was one of the desert parts of the
Pacific, 300 miles north of the steam
lu, 500 miles from the nearest land,
Gardner island, and more than 700
northwest of the Hawaiian group.
On the cruisers quarter deck the Of
f1cers lined the starboard rail. Their
interest was focused on the derelict.
Looks like a heavy job" said Ives,
one of the junior lieutenants. These
foaters that lie with deck almost
awash will stand more hammering
than a mud fort"
"Wish they'd let us put some six
inch shells into her." said Billy Ed
wards, the ensign, a wistful expires
sion on his big. round, cheerful face
I'D like to see what they would do"
Nothing but waste Il few hundred
dollars of your Uncle Sans money
observed Carter, the officer of the deck
ut takes placed charges inside ant
out for that kind of work"
Barnett is the man for her then,
said Ives. Hes no economist wher
it comes to getting results. There she
goesv'
Without any particular haste, as 1
seemed to the watchers, the hulk wa!
shouldered out of the water as b.
some hidden leviathan. It's outline
melted into a black, outshowerin;
mist and from that mist leaped ;
giant. Up, up, he lowered, tossed
whirling arms n hundred feet abranch
shivered and dissolved into n wide
spread cataract. The water below
was dashed into fury. in the midst o
which a mighty death agony beat bacl
the troubled waves of the trade wind
Only then did the muffled double boon
of the explosion reach the ears of tn
spectators, presently to be followed b.
q whispering, swift Swimming wavele
that swept irresistibly across the big
ger surges and Tapped the ships side
as for a message that the work wa
done.
Here and there In the sea q CLINT o
silver, patch Of purple or dull red o
glistening apparition Of black show
ed where the unattended victims O
the explosion, the gay hued open Sc
fish of the warm waters, had sue
cumbed to the force of the shock. o
the intended victim there was no sig
save few fragments of wood bobbin
in swirl of water.
When Barnett, the ordnance office
in charge of the destruction, returne
to the ship Carter complimented him.
Good clean job, Barnett. She wa
tough customer too"
what was she?" asked Ives.
1.-THE Caroline Lemp, three maste
schooner. Any one know about herT'
Ives turned to the ships surgeon
Trendon, grizzled and brief spoke
veteran, who had at his fingers tiI
all the lore of all the waters under til
reign of the moon.
"What does the information burea
kf the seven seas know about it?"
Lost three years ago-spring of 100
got into ice field off the tip of tn
Aleutians. Some of the crew froZ
Others got ashore. Part of survivor
accounted for Others not Sa
they've turned native. Don't kno
myself"
"The Aleutiansw exclaimed Billy E.
wards. Great cats! What a drift
How many thousand miles would tn;
ke?"
'Not as far es many another dereli