The Rathdrum tribune. (Rathdrum, Idaho) 1903-1963, 1914-02-13
you already know, the machine Is set


II go of In four days from the date 1
was packed. 1t was packed the da,
we sailed; therefore 1t will not ex
plode till we are near the American
coast. I'm not sure it will explode a
all. 1t may be that it's joke pre-
petrated by that fellow Burns after all
II so he wouldn't hesitate to put &
clock in the box 10 make it worse.
wish | had him here now to punch hi:
head. This isn't the first time he's
caused me trouble by his pranks."
What do you proposeY asked the
captain. III you think the matter q
hoax you'd better open the box and
find out whether it is or not"
And blow up your ship as well as
myself ii it's a real Internal machine p,
The captain evidently had not
thought OF that. He looked confused.
tell you what you do, captain -
continued jenkins. TOW it."
| The captain looked relieved. He told
the purser to take down list Of the
articles in the box from the owner.
win their values. SO that in case the
box were lost tho amount OF claim
Would be limited. But he did not
want to have this done before getting
rid Of the box. He directed one Of the
crew to carry 1t to the upper deck.
where the lifeboats were swung on
the davits. and put It in one of the
lockers intended for provisions, wedg-
Ing 1t so that It would not slide about
with the motion OF the waves. This
was done. The boat was lowered, a
cable attached to her bow, and she
was suffered to drift hundred yards
astern.
While this was being done the cap
tain gave orders that what was in
the boat, or rather what was supposed
to be In the boat. be confined to those
who We're IN the baggage room when
the matter was discussed. He did not
consider that BON b hundred yards
away from the ship could endanger
her.
The Tartaric sighted Fire island on
the fourth day out She was twelve
Knots east OF Montank point just before
daylight on the morning of the fifth
day. A man stood On the after deck Of
the ship. where the cable that lowed
the lifeboat was attached. He tied
loosely to the rope pair of oars, which
drifted back to the lifeboat. Then be
fixed to the rope a clutch with handles
like those of a pair of timers shears.
Grasping the handles. he swung him.
self on the stern and let himself down
slowly till he reached the water. The
pressure against him exerted by the
Roadway Of the ship was so great that
he would not have been able to main.
tain his hold had it not been for this
clutch. BY its use he let himself be
slowly forced backwa ard till he reached
the lifeboat and pulled himself up by
the cable on to its bow.
Once in the boat he cast an eve to
the westward, where shone light.
which he recognized as one on Mon
tauk point. Taking from the bow the
oars he had sent before him, he put
them in the boat. Then he cast off
and was left astern. As the dark body
OF the Tartaric grew darker in the dis
lance he smiled and raised his hat to
her
"Goodby. my friends" he said. 81
think l can now get on without your
assistance"
Taking the box from the locker in
which 1t had been placed. he ripped 1t
open with a screwdriver he drew from
his pocket, took out clock, which he |
threw overheard. and small package.
which he concealed in a pocket Of his |
flannel shirt. Then, beginning to shiver
with the cold, he took up the oars and |
pulled for the light on Montauk point.
By this time streak Of gray light |
appeared In the east end. in due time
the sun came up, but the man in the
boat did not need its warmth to dry |
his clothes. for the heat of his body,
Kept up by the exercise Of rowing, had
already done that. He was making
slow progress. for one man pulling on
so large boat could not move it rapid
y. However. by 8 o'clock in the morn
ing he was but half dozen miles from
the Long Island coast. and, a motor
boat passing him, he made a bargain
With the man running her to take him
ashore.
once on terra firma, leaving his boat
hauled up on a beach, he started in
and till he came to q town, where he
hired horse and buggy to carry him
to the northern coast Of the island
There he chartered motOrboat to
Jake him across the sound to Saybrook,
where he boarded Long Island east
bound train for Boston. Arriving
there IN the afternoon. he purchased
and. dropping into diamond
iealers. took from his pocket the pack
lge he had taken from the box sup
POSED to contain the Internal machine.
lnrolled it and displayed a dozen enor.
nous diamonds. Before leaving the
'hop he sold number Of them to the
lealer and early the next morning
,arted with the rest OF his stock. real.
zing handsome profit between what
he stones had originally cost him at
ne diamond mines and what he re
eived Tor them. He had reached the
md Of series of brilliant impostures
o defraud the customs. .