Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1912-02-11

sticks, an inch or more IN diameter ana 1OOL
long, and was packed in sawdusc in fifty
pound boxes
When the Rambler was ready to receive
her cargo, her new owner went in search of a
Captain; but he could find no one who
wanted the job, or who could be induced to
take it, even though he offered double the
ordinary pay and large bonus-which latter
was to be paid on delivery of the dyna-
mite | was then back at my old occupation
of plotting ships through Hell Gate; but the
Cuban heard of me in some way and came
after me. 1t did not require much persuasion
| to induce me to take command Of the ex-
petition. There was enough danger about it
to make it attractive, and, being of Irish
parentage, was favorably disposed toward
dynamite on general principles. The size of
the shipment was not appalling; for, except
as to the number of fragments of disin-
| tegrated humanity that would suddenly be
scattered over the broad sea in the event of
an explosion, could see no difference be-
tween sixty tons or only six. The ship,
| though DID, was still a stanch craft, and
! felt sure that if | kept my mind on navigation
| rather than on her cargo we should find our
lives in our vest pockets and unchanged when
we reached Colon. So l cheerfully signed
the papers.
| The cargo was taken aboard when the
schooner was lying at anchor off the Statue
of Liberty. When it came to shipping
crew was forced to do some lying, which l
regretted but there seemed to be no other
way out of it. If l had let the truth be
known, l couldn't have secured crew on
any terms; so l told the men that the
Rambler was private yacht going down to
Colon to meet her owner, and that the i'm
provised hold, in which the dynamite was
stored, was filled with stores, as it was in
tended to start out at once on long cruise.
| In sense this was at least partly true; for
| the Cuban coal dealer returned to Colon by
steamer. He earnestly explained that this
was not due to anything of fear as to the
safety of the schooner, but because he
wished to get there ahead of us to make
some arrangements. My optimistic friends
insisted on bidding me farewell, for they
assured me l would never see them again;
but that worried me not at all
" of 1888, and had good weather all
| the way down the coast; but In the Gulf of
Mexico we ran into as severe tropical
storm as | have ever seen. For two days we
had bowling northeaster, which kicked up
savage sea; but we ran before it under
shortened sail, and | felt no great anxiety.
At sunset on the second day the wind fell
away to dead calm, and in half an hour we
were in the center of terrific electrical
storm, while the rain fell in solid sheets.
There was nothing to do but take in every
stitch of canvas, to prevent the ship from
threshing it and herself to pieces and let her
wallow in it. Never have l seen such bril-
liant display of electricity. nor one that
lasted so long. From shutdown to sunrise
the sky was literally ablaze with dazzling
strcaks of fire. 1t was marvellous exhibit
ton of the heavens in fury.
| To the innocent mates and crew it was
awe inspiring, was strange to see ships
company silent in the face of frenzied ele-
mcnts instead of cursing them,-but to me
it came close to being terrifying. The falling
rain picked up the electricity and carried it
down until the air we breathed was filled
with it. When l ran my hand through my
hair it snapped and cracked like hickory
fire, and every time l touched piece of
metal felt slight shock. There seemed to
be enough of the mysterious current running
through the ship to set her on fire, and when,
now and then the rain ceased for moment
and one of the men struck match in a futile
effort to light his pipe, | imagined the ex
pected blaze had started.
| If had been born to be afraid certainly
should have known the full meaning of fear
that night. Though it was doubtful if our