The Holly chieftain., 1920-01-22

| be a land mark for long time I'M
less she pulls of.
Tuesday we rugged up the winch
es, took off the matches and started
! on the cargo which is raw sugar.
Sugar went Off all day as fast as
we could send it, One-half ton or
more at sweep.
We had an accident that took
the life out of things somewhat.
One boy got his foot caught in a
| sling as the sugar went overheard
and the edge of the rail cut it off
| clean at the ankle except for lit
| tie flesh and skin at one side. They
! all got excited after they got him
aboard and most of the crew could
not stand it SO / helped with him
| for quite while. Then we worked
harder than ever so we could get off
and take him to doctor as there
was none on board. In the evening
| one of their crew and myself sat up
| with him until 10 from about $50,
| but we still saw no hopes for doe
| tor soon. One of the messmen was
good man and took q razor and
| took the foot off and bandaged the
! leg / held it for him while he per-
| formed the operation.
During the night the wind drifted
the boat about six or eight yards
| farther up the rocks so we did not
try to unload any sugar
While unloading sugar / got to
| talking to Allen, the quartermast-
en- He went through the F. A. G.
| O. r. S. about one month before
myself so we felt acquainted. We'd
nesday morning he called me up on
the bridge and all the rest of the
| day / helped on the lookout for
ships. One came in sight and we
hoisted our signals, tried to wire
less blew our whistles, hOisted our
colors and house flag and she sailed
right on by not over a mile or so
off. 1t was certainly dirty trick.
The first mate managed to get
ashore in little Cuban sailing YES
sell
The next day | was on the bridge
again and finally the third mate
sighted the steamer. We watched
it., she was in the regular course
for ships along the coast. Finally
we made out her masts, white
bridge and the stripes on her
smoke stack and knew the Alabat
was back.
| had heard the orders the night
oSAoiS anu IL WIG W IuS SIilCCu
we would have taken the boats for
the shore which was small island
beyond the breakers and a mile or
so distant. This was about 40
miles from Cuba.
Tie Alabat came up and gave us
the news. About 10 or IL ships
were reported on their way to us.
After the accident and the boat
pulling her anchors and drifting
toward the rocks we had kept the
air hot with s. o. S. calls. A boat
came over to take the Alabat crew
| off. | went on the second load and
they took us in life boat in tow
behind the captains motor boat. 1t
was a big load and some one al
most caused panic by hollering
we were about to capSiZe when
we got on the cable 1t was the
truth, but he used poor judgment
The Alabat kept her search light on
us all of the time However we got
alongside and all of them got aboard
on the Jacobs ladder except two of
us who stayed on and hooked on to
the falls from the davits and they
hauled us in.
Up to that time I felt fine, but 1
couldn't eat then though it was
about 9 p. m. and l had not eaten
since noon. T felt pretty sick as I
turned in but was o. k, this morn
ing. We got the line all o. X. this
morning, then the Lake Felicity,
another shipping board steamer,
came up. We dropped the cable
and after a while we swung away
for Sienfuegas, about 80 miles dis
lance. This is the place the Ala
bat has already been and got rid
OF some of her cargo. She will get
| the sick man ashore and may dis
charge the rest of her cargo bound
| for this port. I expect she will,
then we can go back and be ready
for Santiago, our next stop.
There l will get mail that was
sent to camp and we will make a
long stop. Our stop at Sienfuegas
was to be short any how, only
three or four days. / guess the
crew of the Lake Port is o. k. now,
but the black gang (firemen and
coal passers) were on the point of
mutiny. The skipper chased them
below at the point of gun the
other day and the second assistant
engineer bruised up one while we
were there, The skipper showed
me his chart and claims his COM
pass is slightly off and the beacon
was out is the cause of his trouble.
The ship is owned by the s. B. but
is operated by the Ward line. I
wonder If Canadian club whisky or
Jamaica rum had anything to do
with it. 1t may have helped the
| other two causes but don't know