Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1910-07-12
LIGHT ON HALLEYS COMET.
Vessel Gets In Wake of Tail and Has
Cargo Cooked.

Vessel Gets In Wake of Tail and Has
Cargo Cooked.
The smart brig Lucy Hall, bearing
a fine cargo of East Indian fruits and
nuts and coffee from Mocha and Java,
Mllala. Mozambique, Zanzibar and
other distant places, was berthed this
morning, and her "old man." Cap
tain Thaddeus Runt, related a rather
unusual tale that he said was borne
out in his log and would be vouched
for by the first mate, Reuben Steuben;
the second mate, jeremiah Van Loan,
and the boatswain, oliver Baltic.
The cook, Hiram Baker, also figures
in the narrative, but he is deaf and
dumb Skipper Runt didn't think 1t
worth while to mention him as a cor
roborator.
ITO begin with" said Captain Runt,
Of the good brig Lucy Hall, Il think
we have brought in the first real stun
on the comet that has come off the
seven seas. l have spoken to a good
many shippers on the run home, and
none of them had heard of any such
experience as ours.
You see, I am forty-two days out
from Mllala. In pronouncing Mllala
it is wise to forget the M and go right
ahead with the 1lala. One of my
A. BIS sprained his jaw most awful
on that name, and in Mllala itself
folks don't bother much with the M
Our cook, Hiram Baker, was born in
Mllala shortly after his mother and
father came there. The doctors said
he came into the world deaf and dumb
rather than have to grow up and strug-
gle with that word Mllala like other
Mllalians. But as for me, pronounc-
ing Mllala is one of the easiest things
l do.
'All of which is getting us slowly
along to the comet. When we left
excitement there over the comet.
There were only two astronomers in
the town, and as they were both
agreed that the comet was going to
hit us and burn us up they didn't
row over 1t.
I'm fact they got together and dug
one of the deepest cellars l ever saw.
They were selling tickets of admis-
ton to this cellar when we cleared
the Mllala bar. Three of my crew
bought tickets to that cellar the night
before we sailed, but Bo's'n Baltic
talked 'em out of stayin' over for the
comet and we got 'em aboard on
stretchers Two of 'em was Germans
and t'other one a Swede.
Owing to the Bosn's arguments
they remained unconscious until wed
towed through SueZ and had worked
along in the Med't'ranean Sea. When
they come to the first thing they
looks for is that comet.
This was on the 9Th o May and
the comet was only shown mornin's,
plumb early, jest fore dawn. The two
Germans, Hugo Westerburger and
Otto Baumgartnerhoff Eve usually
call 'em by their first names), come
to my cabin. They asks me for my
telescope, polite, so / gives 'em a
pleasant crack on the head with
marlin spike and lends it to 'em.
A couple of hours after Hugo comes
back to me and asks me If I'd like to
see the comet.
1.-The blankety blank blank blarsted
verdammt thing is drownded,' he
says. an is follerin' close behind the
ship already yet. (Excuse me, gen.
tlemen, but I keep forgetting to get
Hugo's accent in. You'll have to
brogue at times, as I'm not strong on
dialects. the same applying to my
own)
"Of course, I naturally doubted
Hugo's statement concerning the COM
ct, and in a fit of anger kicked him
across the poOpdeck and into the
miZZen shrouds. He came down again
in the scuppers. slid on his face to
the laZarette and there dissolved in
tears. However, when Otto came to
me. followed by Yens, Kelly Chat
was the Swede) came to me and told
me that the comet was drowned and
following the ship, l became slightly
impressed and sent for Mate Reuben
Steuben.
"Reuben Steuben.' I said to the
mate, there's three Internal liars on
this ship, or else something uncom-
monty has happened. Take my spy
glass and see what you see about that
comet But before the mate could
take a look the sun came up. and, Of
course. ii was impossible to see any
thing of a comet, drowned or or other
wise.
when I told both the mates about
the statements made by Hugo, Otto
and Yens there was something doing
| in the fo'cSle for several hours. That
Hugo, Otto and YenS We're able to
serve on the dog watch next morning
was miraculous. They are certainly
hardy mariners.
Notwithstanding my disbelief in
| that wild tale about the comet, how
Somever. | got up next morning at
bells and looked for that comet. |
couldn't find her on the western hOri-
Zon, nor yet on the eastern horizon,
| from where | first observed. I'm the
bows. So I walked aft. 1t was
BO's'n Baltic's turn at the wheel, but
couldn't see nothing of him. We
were riding easily. with bit of
breeze abaft the quarter, so / couldn't
| say how long the Bo's'n had deserted
| his wheel.
when ! reached the taffrail and
looked over there was Baltic, hanging
| by his heels and lookin' down into the
water. | histed him up quick and bat
tered his head a little. then asked
him what in flaming blazes he was
trying to do
"'Cap'n.' he says, that comets
down under the rudder and ! was
tryin' to see which way she was
pointin'." The waters bolin' hot
the BO's'n goes on. AN if the cook
wants to save coal he kin cook his
breakfast over the stern as long as
the comet stays down there
We'll I decided to take a look for
myself. then. and hung myself over
the stern. Remarkable as ii may sound
ashore. | am compelled to say that
Saw Hallpy'S comet directly beneath