The evening world., 1913-03-05
1HR|VES ON PERIL
He
+ BIG BILL SHEA
Enjoyed Life When He Was
in Constant Danger in
South America.
CANADA IS TOO TAME.
lie Wants to Get Back 10 the
Country Where Hades Is
Popping.
CANADA is TOO TAME.

II Big Bun Shea. now sojournins in
cur justly celebrated midst, wasn't the
original party Of that name who 10
FAMED In song In conjunction with
siesars. Kelly and Burke. well. he ought
~ have been. that's all, and IT'S an act
OF pure carelessncss on b. pa; ..at he
"asnt Mr.. Shea, who makes his head
quarters when In New York At the Ennis
Hotel liz springy six-footer. built on
the general lines of q cantiiever bridge
fiis hair 10 iron-gray his eyes are steel.
blue and he has a chin suggestive of the
oraSing power OF ar eight wheeled high
pressure. compound Mogui locomotive,
and Bill has had good reason TO be glad
OF all these metallic qualities.
FOR human kaleidoscope Of adven-
ture Big Bill has Capt. Kettle looking
like a Jerk water Central American gum
boat stacked up against a double -turret.
ed scout cruiser. Turn the conversation
which way you will, Big BIZ presents a
new picture Of life. as she In lived in
Oickdavisland. which. rs everybody
knows. In Central America and the coun-
Try south thereof. more particularly
where railroads are being driven through
3ungles. and Indians and parchment
faced ofnclais devoted most pestifer-
ously land also TO help the plot aiong)
to fostering the interests Of the rival
company.
BIZ Shea halls from Knoxville. Tenn,
but the blood OF the Emerald Isle flows,
or bubbles rather. strongly In his veins.
He was. 20 use his own phrase. born
u . r..ilroad camp" and has been car
eytng parallel lines OF steel through
unchsrted junsies for more than
eighteen years. From Maxatian to tho
Mesquite Coast and from Kingston. ia.
maica, to Quito. Ecuador. and also
many other places touching on and ap-
pertaining thereto. Big Bill's name Ia
"a we'll known as-as. well. say Uncle
Sans. and possibly he 10 liked a heap
better. for the ''grinso.' with certain
notable exceptions. Is not beloved In the
regions south Of the Tropic Of Cancer.
THIRTEENTH oAv SEEMED TO
De UNLUckv.
Big Bills first introduction TO South
American railroad building was In 1884.
When he helped TO pickaxe and dynamite
. road through Guatemala from Puerto
SArrios to Guatemala City. The read
was being built for the Government and
AL the labor was drafted. However,
every laborer was furnished with 4
guarantee that no was not to work for
more than thirteen days. At the explra-
zion OF the thirteen days he was fur
hished with papers showing he had
worked his thirteen days and was turned
loose But. unfortunately for the turned
loose one. there always happened TO be
lurking near band OF native soldiers
Their Job was 10 grab the released In.
borer. tear up his papers and set him
sorift. lie was usually recaptured a
Few days later and put back on the Job
again. having no papers to show that
he had done his thirteen-day bit on the
construction work In the middle Of the
work, when everything WAS going
hnely. along came a revolution. and the
road was not completed till ten years
later
was not long after this that q firm
american contractors got the Job to
a road through Ecuador. 1t was
impossible TO get laborers for the work
down there. as the native Ecuadorlan
has an unconauerable aversion to work
OF any kind. The contractors chartered
the Catania, a blunt-nosed old tub.
hxed her up with clearance papers.
placed Big Bill In virtual command and
told him to 90 knocking round the West
indies TIL he had rounded up Ave hum
ared husky Qualities for the work. The
Catania steamed out Of New York Har-
Dor with Big Bill. expecting to clean up
the Job In = few weeks. II was Ave
months before she poked her nose into
Colon with Ave hundred grumbllns
blacks on board for trsnsshipmsn,
across the lsthmus to Panama and
thence south 20 Ecuador. During this
time she had had many adventures. She
ran into hurricanes that sent the black
In her tween decks into spasms Of fear
she had been held up by British colonial
authorities as a 'blackbirder.' anc
grounded on shoals In the Bahamas.
Not the leas, OF her troubles was IN,
almost daily burial OF the dead. Shud
der not-the dead were-the pets OF tn,
blacks which they insisted On bringins
on board with them-after the fashion OF
The contractor. who shall be nameless
~ bird. Every quattie that boarded
the catania for Ecuador had either 4
burro, q parrot. a monkey, q rooster "
q pig.
nero stAe,~ ~ cav Mcoe