The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1909-07-22
BRAVE CAPTAIN CONQUERED
HIS TAME PIRATE" CREW
For Nine Days Commander Fought His
way Up Coast With DismantIed
Schooner.


and murderous Portugee. The
hero is captain who brought his
dismantled schooner into port
practically alone against squad
of what he calls tame pirates. &"
For fortnight he didn't have any
sleep to speak of because the dan
ger of not waking up was extreme.
During that time he didn't turn
his back on his men, because
there amt no use in placing
temptation in a mans way" And
for all that he doesn't bear any
malace against his men.
They was Just scared" he
says, philosophically. They'd a
killed me, or done anything else,
to get of, the schooner. But I
knew ] could bring her in, and l
made 'em stay No, I djd't use
a gun. Not even my fists. 1
just bossed EN-, that's all. The
mate-who was the only one that
stuck to me-he had to pull gun
sometimes. But they never want
ed to tackle ME when I was lookin'
at EN-"
Capt. Bill Derrickson, of the
schooner Ann S. Trainer, is
husky individual, red-cheeked
and thick handed. For nine days
he fought his way UP the coast
with a dismasted vessel, battling
against huge seas. His crew was
historical, his ship unmanageable,
his deck load of lumber washed
about until it tore the rigging
loose. But those things did blame
a lot of shiverin negroes and scarf
Portuguese for not wantin' to risk
their lives for S25 month, " said
he, but they signed on with me
to work, and by gum, they had to
do it. >"
4 general alarm was sent out
by wireless the other day, asking
all vessels to watch out for the
Trainer, lying dismasted in the
coastwise path. But few hours
later she came came more or less
Brightly into port at the end of a
long steel hawser, with tug yank-
ing at her. Nav, we wasn't
salvage" said CAPT. Bill. 1--WE
could a-been salvaged long before.
But that would a-cost thousands
of dollars. As it was, we just had
tug haul us in as usual, and fer
the usual fee"
The rest of the story, as Capt.
Bill told it, is to be taken with the
provision that it is not too COM
plete on names and dates. I've
got all them things writ down in
the log" he said, in explanation,
"but l don't rightly remember all
of 'em in my head-not even the
name of that big yeller Portuguese,
or steamer that sighted US and
refused to take us in tow, without
l give EN- guarantee of $500
for the job. And he called him
self sailorman! I'd say he was
a shark. We was off Barnagat,
when the wind began to blow up
strong from the east. We started
to tack, and bore off and on, all
the time the wind strengthnin un-
til at last, decided to tack back
to Delaware Breakwater. By that
time 1t was comm SOmethln aW-
full, with heavy sea runnin and
the deckload started. We carried
dressed planks, and you known
when they get wet they are mighty
slippery.
The deck waren't a pleasant
place with them plies of pIanks
bangin' around your legs, and
things looked more serious when
they commenced to pound the rig
I'm. Mauled the way the Trainer
was by the seas, there wasn't no
chance for the riggin' to stand the
strain of the lumber againt it, and
strand by strand it give. -. l saw
what was comm, but could't do
Aothin'. What was there to do?
Pretty soon all the stays on the
main and mizzen was busted, and
f1St thiuo vo,, kuout che ,yoIIo,,,