, 1921-12-24

commodore. spreading the paper %
bis knee. read aloudi
TOR SALE CHEAP
The stern@wheel steamer Victor.
well found. stauneh and newly painted.
Boilers and engines in excellent shape
Vessel must be sold to close out an
estetf. Address John Coakiey. Jack
son Street wharf"
How dye know she's q fortune.
CHR NcGufey demanded. -Lemme
look at her engines before you get
excited"
Il Amt saying she ir." Mr.. GibDey
retortsd testify. 'Lemme finish read.
in'r" He continued:
REPORTS PASSING DERELIcr
The steam schooner Arethusa.
Grays Harbor to Oakland Long wharf.
reports passing a derelict schooner
twenty Eues OF Point Reyes at sir
o'clock last night. The 1srelIct was
down by the head. and her rail Just
showed above the water. 1t was i'm
possible to learn her identity.
The presence OF this dereiict IN
the steamer lanes to North Pacific
ports Is a distinct menace to nayiga-
ton, and II Is probable. that a e
cutter will be dispatched today TO
search for the derelict and either tow
her into port or destroy her"
"oenuemen O. the syndicate, them's
the only two items in the shippin'
page that looks likely. The question
Is, In which lies our fortunef"
Neils H~alyorsen spoke up, giving II
as his opinion that the f~ortune-teliing
lady probably knew her business and
that their fortune really lay at sea.
The dereiict was at sea. How else,
then. could the prophecy be inter
prefed7
well, this steamer Victor isn't ex.
actiy travelling overland" McGurey
suggested He had a secret hankering
to mess around some real engines
again. md gave II as his opinion that
fortune was likely to lurk in a
solid stern-wheel steamer with good
engines and boilers than In a battered
hulk at sea. Captain Scraggs agreed
with him most heartily and a tie vote
resulted. Mr.. Gibney inclining toward
the dereiict-
"whnt're we goin' to do about It,
CHR Captain Scraggs demanded.
when In doubt. ~scraggsy. old tar
pot, always play trumps. In order to
make no mistake. r.sht after break
fast you an Mts1ney go down to
Jackson street wharf an Interview
this man Coakley about his steamer
Victor. Tou been goin' TO sen long
enough to know a good hull when You
see II, an II We can't trust Mac to
know a good set Of inner works we'd
better dissolve the syndicate. As for
me an Neiis. wen 90 down to the
Front an charter a tug an chase out
after that there derelIct before the
revenue cutter gets her an blows her
out o. the path o. m with q
stick O. dynamite"
Forthwith Mr.. Gibney and Neils
after snatchlng a hasty breakfast, de
parted for the waterfront. where they
chartered a tug for three days and
put to sen. At about ten o'clock Cap
tain Scraggs and McGuffey strolled
lclsureIy down to Jackson street wharf
to inspect the Victor. By noon they
had completed a most satisfactory In
spection OF the steamers hull and
boilers. and bought her in for, seven
thousand dollars. Captain Scraggs
was delighted. He said she was worth
ten thousand Already he had de-
cided that heavy and profitable
freightsN awaited the syndicate along
the Sacramento river, where the farm
ers and or%chardists had been for
years the victims of a monopoly and
a gentlemen's agreement between the
two steamboat lines that piled be-
tween Sacramento. Stockton and San
Francisco.
On the afternoon Of the third day
Mr.. Gibney and NeiIs Halvorsen re-
turned from sea. They were unutter-
ably weary and hoIlow-eyed for lack
Of sleep.
swell. 1 suppose you two suckers
found that derelict." challenged Nc
Guffey.
yep. Found her an got a line
aboard an towed her in, an It was
a tough job. She's layin' over on the
Berkeley tide fats, an at Iowtide to-
morrow we'll 60 over an find out
what we've got. Don't ever know her
name yet. She's practically sub
merged"
II think you was awful foolish. Glib,
buyin' a pig in a poke that way. ]
don't believe In goln' in blind. Me
an Macs bought a real ship. We
own the Victor"
I'm dead on my feet" growled the
commodore. and jumping into bed he
refused to discuss the matter further
and was sound asleep in a jiny.
Mr.. G;bney was up bright and early
and aroused the syndicate to action
Tho tide would be at its lowest ebt
at nine t~hirty-one and the commodore
figured that his fortune would be ly
Ing well exposed on the Berkeley It'd,
fats. He engaged a diver and a small
gasoline launch, and after an earl,
breakfast in q chophouse on the EN-