The Madison journal., 1915-12-04
CHAPTER I.

I scarcely know where to begin,
though l sometimes facetiously place
the cause of it all to Charley Furu-
seths credit. He kept summer cot
tage in Mill Valley. under the shadow
OF Mount Tamalpais, and never occu-
pied it except when he loafed through
the winter months and read NietZsche
and Schopenhauer to rest his brain.
Had it not been my custom to run up
to see him every Saturday afternoon
and to stop over till Monday morning,
this particular January Monday morn
ing would not have found me af1oat
on San Francisco bay.
Not but that was afloat in safe
craft, for the Martinez was new ferry
steamer, making her fourth or fifth
trip on the run between Sausalito and
San Francisco. The danger lay in the
heavy fog which blanketed the bay.
and of which. as a landsman, / had
little apprehension. took up my posi-
tion on the forward upper deck, direct
ly beneath the pilot house, and al
lowed the mystery of the fog to lay
hold of my Imagination. A fresh breeze
was blowing. and for a time | was
alone in the moist oUScur.Ly-yet not
alone, for was dimly conscious Of
the presence of the pilot. and OF what
I took to be the captain, in the glass
house above my head.
II was good that men should be spe-
cialists, mused. The peculiar know[
edge of the pilot and captain sufiiced
for many thousands of people who
knew no more of the sea and naviga-
ton than | knew. On the other hand,
instead OF having to devote my en-
ergy to the learning OF a multitude OF
things, l concentrated it upon few
particular things. such as, for instance,
the analysis of Poe's place in Ameri-
can literature-an essay Of mine. by
the way, in the current Atlantic.
From out the fog came the mourn
full tolling of a bell, and ! could sea
the pilot turning the wheel with great
rapidity. The bell. which had seemed
straight ahead. was now sounding
from the side. Our own whistle was
blowing hoarsely, and from time to
time the sound Of other whistles came
TO us from out of the fog. An unseen
ferryboat was blowing blast after
blast, and a mouth-blown horn was
footing In terror-stricken fashion.
A shrill whistle. piping as If gone
mad, came from directly ahead and
from very near at hand. Gongs sound
ed on the Martinez. Our paddlewheels
stopped, their pulsing beat died away
and then they started again. The
shrill whistle, like the chirping of a
cricket amid the cries of great beasts
shot through the fog from more to
the side and swiftly grew faint and
fainter.
I glanced up. The captain hac
thrust his head and shoulders out o.
the pilot house, and was staring In
tently into the fog as though by shee1
force of will he could penetrate 1t. Hi
face was anxious.
Then everything happened, and will
inconceivable rapidity. The foi
seemed to break away as though spill
by a wedge. and the bow of a steam
boat emerged. trailing fog-wreaths o.
either side like seaweed on the snou
of Leviathan. I could see the pilo
house and a white-bearded man lear
ing partly out of 1t, on his elbows. II
was clad in blue uniform. and ] n
member noting how trim and quiet b
was. His quietness. under the circun
stances, was terrible. He accepte
destiny, marched hand in hand with !
and coolly measured the stroke. A
he leaned there. he ran calm an
speculative eye over US. as though
Edetermine the precise point Of the co
lision. and took no notice whateve
when our pilot. white with rage. shou
ed. Now you've done it,"
We must have been struck squarel
amidships, for ] saw nothing, th
strange steamboat having passed b
yond my line of vision. The MARITIME
heeled over, sharply. and there was
crashing and rending of timber. wa
thrown fat on the wet deck. and b
fore I could scramble to my feet
heard the screams Of women. Th
Il was, l am certain-the most ind
scribable of blood-curdling sounds
that threw me into a panic. ! remen
bered the life preservers stored in ii
cabin, but was met at the door an
swept back by wild rush of men an
women. What happened in the ne'
few minutes do not recollect. thoue
have a clear remembrance of pul
ing down life preservers from the owe
head racks. while a red-faced ma
fastened them about the bodies of
hysterical group OF women.
II was the screaming of the wome