Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1912-12-12

oHu SIG CdIIleQ ueT StduudIu COIHpdSs
on the top Of long pole. When she;
started life raw from the builders
slips she had yards crossed on both
of her tall masts. but as the years went,
on fashions changed, she shed these,
and she steams into this chronicle
carrying the rig OF fore-and,aft,
schooner. t4
Mr. McTodd, after long study OF.
her beauties, owned that he had seen
her counterpart once before, and on
the locality. said 1t was on a cheap.
chester. But never knew that was
a picture Of real ship before saw
this old girl" said McTodd. "I,thought
1t was land artists Imagination. +" nv, 4
Her history was hard to get hold OF,
but have been at pains to rake up
most Of it. will not repeat In detail,
here, because 1t duplicates , many
worthy commercial men who have
prospered since they got rid OF herr;
but she seems to have had no fewer
than twelve owners before she came
into the hands Of the merchant he
was really ship-breaker--from whom
Sir George Chesterman chartered her,
and to have changed her name no
fewer, than nine times ;afNF "
| wonder how many people viii
recognize her as the Vests, the Poiy.
j dorus, the r. X. Williams. or the
ESosha Maru? (She turned turtle, by
the way, when she was under that
eastern flag, drowned her crew, and
was salvaged by Japanese sponge
boat. after her water ballast had
righted, herr She was also In her; day,
the Cormorant, the Golondrina.s and
the Devastation. which last was when
she was supposed to be q Venezuelan
man of war, or rebel filibuster, which
ever side of local hostilities you Judge
her from. Her other two aliases i
shall keep to myself, as they suggest
items of history which are better for.
gotten.
Finally when Captain Kettle took
her over, she was noted for being
crank In a seaway, for carrying the
minimum of cargo her tonnage de.
manded, for being coal.eater OF the
deepest dye, and for taking lone
sheers to starboard when she was that
way out, from which no amount OF
helm could wean her. Dhe was. all
the experts declare, the most undesir.
able seventeen hundred fifty ton
steamboat at that period afloat In any
Of the seas. and Kettle who, be It
thoroughly understood, had known
better things-loved her, 1s.s4 n ifs
Captain Owen Kettle, on his voyage
from the Tyne to Grand Canary, wae
the busiest man in all his wide pro
fession. He wore his mate to the
bone, and he worked his heavy crew
almost to mutiny, but by the time the
disreputable old wreck which had left
the Northern river had waddled her
way down to the Islands, she had q
look of meretricious smartness about
her such as she had probably never
worn before In all her disreputable
career. ti-s' .s.St M
Her paint was new. and her bright
work glittered; her rigging was set up
till 1t was as taut a. bar.iron: her
stanchions were Strengthened, ana her
dingy funnel was painted yellow With
. jaunty stripe Of green. And Mr.. Nc.
Todd, the second engineer, working be.
[lOwlamonE the ruins Of her machinery.
took up bearings and did other repairs
while she was under way with q reck.
lessness that can not be too severely
spoken about. 800,
"One hundred and .ninety.four. miies
sir, since noon yesterday said Cap.
tain Kettle coming from the, chart
house after working ont his days. rim.
THAT averages eight-point-one knots
an hour We're whacking her up q
bit, and I shouldn't wonder thatsif TIE
wind gets q bit more aft and we can
give her the gan topstails I've had
made out of those spare awnings, she
may log as much AZ eight-point-twe or
two-hve. She's q, famous old Sgifl
when she gets decent treatment *,
you'll make the Cunard people
green with envy II this leaks OUT said
Sir George. Have q cigar?" 4 .S
I'VE should bring-to for: the, La
Palmas health boat at three-twenty
tomorrow, and, that's allowing thirty.
five minutes for retardation owing,stO
q slightly heavier sea which II expect
to get up when we run farther into
the trade" ;.ttr' p N .se. I'M ssI
AS an experienced passenger, let
me give you q tip, skipper Don't
show the machinery OF your calcutta
lions. We shore folk prefer plain
miracles. There will be mails; "a
Grand Canary which left England
week after we started. ~ | suppose you
couldn't cut the islands out OF the pro
gram .f1 4t
Not we'll, sir We've burned aslot
OF coal getting here. And, II there's
much work to be done on the African
coast, III like to be rebunkered to our
full capacity. We shan,t. be able to
do very much with sail. The trades
will be bit too heavy for ,stheuold
girl, flying light as she ,is, at this time
of year But don't Won, worry about
the coaling, Sir George You takes,a
run up to the Monte while we're get
ting the stun on board and I'll have
decks hplystoned down as white. as Z
table cloth again by the time you're
back Though, Of course, II 1t wac
cables you were thinking Of
The big man shook weary head.
II wasn't bothering about either coal
or cables as 1t happened. Fact. is, q
friend of mine, stated an intention Mof
joining me down here, and, to tell the
truth, I don't want to be bothered.
I'm not feeling hospitable. You and
\ 90 oil