Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1911-01-03
MANY ON The AQUA PURA SHIP
Water Wagon Weighs Anchor and
Starts on Annual Cruise.
LAW HELPS THE NEW SAILORS
sespite Untn seven O'Clock This
Morning Gives Them Good
Chance 60 Get Good
start on Trip.

start on Trip.
Promptly on the stroke Of ~ yesterday
morning the good ship Aqua Pura, better
known a. the water wagon. weighed an
Choir and bravely set forth on It's annual
cruise A thronR Of thousands eheered
''bon voyages" to the honest crew as the
veatber-beaten old ship slowly got under
way and numbered ponderously out OF the
harbor.
Despite the fact that from the first
launching Of the water wagon, unnum-
bered years ago, It's every voyage has
ended in disaster II was an optimistic
crew that stood staunchly on the decks
and called back its thanks 90 the we'll
wishers until the veteran ship was lost to
the view Of those on shore
The sailing was under more favorable
auspices than for several years. The day
was Sunday and the iron hand OF the law
suspendng operations OF the sirens that
might have lured the crew from It's fixed
course. worked to the favor OF the sailors.
Captain Aylesworth In charge Of the
vessel because especially qualified by his
years Of experience on the coast Of Bur
gundy, remarked drily:
by the great salt mackerel. we are free
70 gather speed until z o'clock Monday
mornin, and / figure that By that time
we may be going so fast that therell be
no turning us from our course"
Though they did not relish the captains
use Of the word salt just at a time like
this, the crew Joined in hearty cheer for
Aylesworth. He meant well.
Crew ia ENCOURAGED.
As the throbbing Of the engines in
creased and the noble wheels OF the old
water wagon revolved more and more rap
IDLY the entire crew gathered on the main
quarterback and listened to encouraging
speeches by various members.
Al. Usher, the first mate. who each year
for the last two decades has been among
the last to desert the good ship, told the
story OF the unfortunate ending of the
cruise Of 1910.
I'VE are stronger and ADLER seamen now"
he said, land ! don't believe Wen fail as
we did before Many Of our crew dropped
off at the. Observation-Disclosures islands. l
struggled TO keep them true to the ship
but It wasn't no use. A good many were
lost on account of undue excitment over
Halleys comet. It's effect on them was
unexpected and so couldn't be guarded
agin There was other reasons, too on
NOhints AlON We iAtlPbNbNh " .ioab a boOu
many l don't know, but we lost 'em 1
hope for the best"
A committee on rules governing the crew
was appointed and reported against sing
Ing of Down Where the wurzburger
Flows" "Budweiser's Friend Of Nine"
Down in the city OF Booze and similar
Songs that might tend to distract the MEM
oers Of the crew and make them nervous
The committee advised that several An
heuser Busches found in the conservatory
be thrown overheard. All members of the
crew denied any knowledge of how the
Busches happened to get into the conserva-
DRY. Captain Aylesworth said II looked to
him as II somebody was planning mutiny.
tie said IL he caught anybody with the
wet goods on him he would make him walk
the plank.
Hanged In EffiEy.
Haffa Nuther, a Persian member OF the
crew, made a motion that Oman Khayyam
be hanged In effigy. The members OF the
crew seconded the motion as one man and
Omar promptly was strung up. One by
one the quatrains were thrown overheard,
a rock tied to each Of them.
Red" Craven, a sea-going hack driver.
wanted TO know II this was one Of Cooks
tours. lie said he supposed It was at the
time he booarded the wagon. He was told
that the tour was neither Cooks nor
Mumm's nor anybody else's that was in
that kind of business.
He was permitted to drop off and started
to swim back to the shore.
One man suggested that the crew anchor
the ship and swim around it for a while
returning in time so that no real harm
would be done.
Poet Gets busy.
One of the 1913 ships poets prevented the
execution of this suggestion by reading
poem which he wrote after he deserted the
ship and left Il laundering In 1910. The en-
tire crew agreed to stand pat and not leave
the ship even Tor a minute. At three bells
Monday morning the watch said all was
wen.
The poem was as follows:
l dreamed that dwelt on an isle of
In the midst OF a sea OF champagne.
Where bloomed the mint juleps In mead
Amid showers OF peach brandy rain.
reelined on a diYan Of lager beer foam
With pillow of froth meath my head
While the spray from fountain o: spark
Descended like dew on my bed
From far away mountains of crystalline ice
zephyr, refreshing and COOL
Came waiting the incense OF sweet Mus
catel
That sparkled in many q pool
My senses were soothed by the soft pur-
ring son
or brooklet OF pousse cafe
That rippled along over pebbles OF snow
To a river OF absinthe frappe.
Then, lulled by the music OF hnkling glass
From the sehooners that danced on the
deep,
dreamily slipped a Scotch highball or
two
And languldly floated TO sleep.
And then / awoke on a bed of crushed
rocks
With a bolster as hard as a brick.
wrench in my back and a rack in nv
head
And a stomach detestably sick,
With sand In my eyes and a grit I'm my
throat,
Where the taste Of last evening sun