Manchester Democrat. [volume] (Manchester, Iowa) 1875-1930, 1910-09-21

EaNH one who tried to capture the
s&SNESyOJ Alaska-Paciflc steamship
Buchanan on the high
seas, and almost succeeded, is one
of the most thrilling and daring
dramas Of the deep since the days OF
the buccaneers. In these prosaic
days, when lawlessness on the ocean
hides in far-off, forgotten corners Of
the world. the story of their plot and
how 1t failed narrowly, Of success has
more OF strangeness about 1t than any
thing yet imagined by writer's Of
melodramatic fiction. These pirates,
however. had but brief career. From
Its beginning to its end 1t was less
than two hours long.
The way in which these two men
West and Wise endeavored to hold
up an ocean steamship followed as
closely as possible the lines pursued
by the robbers on land who hold up
trains. The adapting Of these meth
DDS to piracy on the ocean is abso-
lrtely new. It is an up-to.date devel-
opment In freebooting that gives evil
dence that there are men today who
are Just as desperate and just as
bloodthirsty and cruel and Just as
willing to take chances against ire
mendous odds as any man who ever
drew a cutlass and sprang aboard a
treasure-laden galleon.
The Buchanan, steamer Of 5000
tons burden. was treasure ship that
carried greater store of gold than
any vessel that ever tempted pirates
greed In the days of old. In her
strong room were hundreds Of thou
sands of dollars worth of gold dust
and in bars-the riches of the klon-
dyke. The robbers knew that at this
season of the year the wealth OF Alas
ka flows In a steady stream from ev-
cry corner Of that northern land to
the states" They also knew that
the Buckman's freight was especially
precious, and that among her passen-
gers, too. there was much spoil.
Details Carefully Planned.
The two men planned it all out be-
fore, they took passage on the steamer
at Seattle. bound for San Francisco.
Together they tested every link in the
chain of circumstances which they
were to set in motion. They would
go aboard as ordinary passengers.
Just as they would take train which
they planned to rob. 1t was to be a
night affair, for that would be the
easiest. People are less courageous
! In the dark than by day. A train rob-
!, Der. under the same circumstances,
might deem 1t best to cut the signal
cord that led to the locomotive. On
, a steamship there was the rope that
led to the vessels deep-toned whistle.
That must be severed. But there was
another thing that had to be done,
they agreed, before the steamer could
be gagged. The wireless must be put
out of commission; the safeguard of
the sea must be silenced. While one
was cutting the line to the whistle
the other in the darkness must sever
the wires that led to the aerials be.
tween the masts. The wireless oper-
ator would be in bed, but they would
take no chances of his sending call
for help.
81 The positions of the crew on watch
were discussed. and 1t was decided
that one of the robbers should silence
the man at the wheel by holding
revolver at his head, while the other
should watch to see that no one in
terfered with the ship being turned
due east instead of southwark. At
midnight on certain date they fig.
ured the vessel would be certain
number of miles off the coast of Ore
gon. Two hours run would bring her
to the land. There was nothing to be
done during the first ninety minutes,
but to keep things quiet. The last
half hour one mans, work would be
to kill the guard. break open the treas.
ure room and put the gold in boat
swinging from the davits. When land
was but few miles away they would
make their escape under cover Of the
darkness.
Scheme Promised Well.
The scheme was marvellous In its
ingenuity. These men were expe-
rienced sailors, just as the most sue.
cessful robbers of trains have been
former railroad men. They knew
steamer from end to end as we'll as
man knows the path from his house
10 his Office. They even provided for
the contingency of the crew becom-
ing alarmed. In that event they
planned to herd the men all aft at
tie point of the guns and to keep
them there until they were through.
One man we'll armed and desperate
can hold hundred at bay at night
on the narrow deck of a steamer In
the ocean.
All the baggage these men had was
u steamer trunk, which they had
placed in their cabin. 1t contained
little else than arms; two heavy shot
guns with their barrels sawed Off
the fayorite weapon of the train rob.
ber-and half dozen revolvers of