Macon beacon. [volume] (Macon, Miss.) 1859-1995, 1921-10-14

One-a condition or analrS Whlcn nl0
tended to sour a disposition not nat
urally sweet, The yearning to com
mand steamboat gradually had de-
vel0ped into an obsession. Result
the fast and commOdlous S. S. Mag
gle" as the United States marshal
had had the audacity to advertise her.
In the beginning, Captain Scraggs
had planned to do bay and river tow
ing with the Maggie. Alas The
first time the unfortunate Scraggs at
tempted to tow a heavily laden barge
up river, light fog had come down,
necessitating the frequent blowing of
the whistle. Following the sixth long
blast Mr. McGuffey had whsted
Scraggs on the engine-roOm bowler;
swearing horribly, he had demanded
to be Informed why in this and that
the skipper didn't leave that dod-gast-
ed whistle alone. 1t was using up his
steam faster than he could manufac-
ture it Thereafter, ScraggS had used
patent fOghorn, and when the hon
est McGufIey had once more succeed
ed in conserving sufficient steam TO
crawl up river the tide had turned
and the Maggie could not buck the
ebb. McGuffey declared few new
tubes in the boiler would do the trick,
but on the other hand, Mr. Gibney
pointed out that the old craft was
practically punk aft and stiff tow
would jerk the tail of the old girl, In
despair, therefore Captain Scraggs
had abandoned bay and river towing
and was prepared to jump overheard
and end all, when an opportunity Of
fered for the frelghting OF garden
truck and dairy produce from Half
moon bay to San Francisco.
But now difficulty arose, The new
run was an Outside" one-salt water
all the way. Under the ruling Of the
inspectors, the Maggie would he run
ming coastwise the instant she en-
gagged in the green-pea and string bean
trade, and Captain Scraggs license
provided for no such contingency. His
! ticket entitled him to act as master
on the waters of San Francisco bay
and the waters tributary thereto, and
| although Scraggs argued that the Pa
cific ocean constituted waters ''tribu-
| tary thereto If he understood the
English language, the inspectors were
obdurate. What If the distance was
less than twenty-five mles2 they
pointed out. The voyage was unde-
niably Coastwise and carried with It
all the risk of wind and wave. And
in order to impress upon Captain
Scraggs the weight of their authority,
the inspectors suspended for SIX
months Captain Scraggs' bay and
river license for having dared to ne
gOtiate two coastwise voyages without
consulting them. Furthermore, they
warned him that the next time he did
II they would condemn the fast and
commodlous Maggie.
In this extremity, Fate had sent to
Captain Scraggs large, imposing
capable, but socially Indifferent per
son who responded to the name OF
Adelbert p Gibney Mr.. Gibney had
spent part Of an adventurous life in
the United States navy, where he had
! onnltoJ hIn,palf opH oOonirol 20 >
smattering of navigation. Prior to en-
terlng the navy he had been a fore
mast hand in clipper ships and had
held second mates berth Follow
ing his discharge from the navy he
had sailed coastwise on steam Schoon
ers, and after attending a navigation
school for two months, had procured
a license as chief mate of steam, any
ocean and any tonnage,
Unfortunately for Mr.. Gibney, he
had a failing. Most of us have The
most genial fellow in the world, he
was cursed with too much brains ant
imagination and a thirst which re
qulred quenching around pay day
Also, he had that heastly habit o
command which is inseparahle from 8
born leader; when he held frs
mates berth, he was wont to try tC
"run the ship" and, on occasions
ladle out suggestions to his skipper
Thus in time, he acquired a reputa
ton for being unreliable and a wind
bag. with the result that skipper,
were chary Of engaging him. Not Il
be too proliX, at the time Captain
Scraggs made the disheartening dis
cOvery that he had to have a skipper
for the Maggie, Mr.. Gihney founC
himself reduced to the alternative O
longshore work or a fo'caStle berth II
a windiammer bound for blue water.
With alacrty, therefore, Mr. Glib
ney had accepted Scraggs' offer o
! Seventy-fve dollars month-"anC
found"-to skipper the Maggie on he
coastwise run. As first mate o
steam he had no difficulty inducin!
the inspectors to grant him licens,
to skipper such an abandoned Graf
as the Maggie, and accordingly h
hung mp his ticket in her pilot hous
and was registered as her master, al
belt. under gentleman's asreemen
with Scraggs he was not to clNim tn
title of captain and was known +
the world as the Maggies first mate
second mate, third mate, QuartetmaS
ter, purser and freight clerk, On
Neils IIalvorsen, a solemn Swede wit
a placid, bovine disposition, const
tuted the fo'castle hands, while Bar
McGuffey a wastrel Of the Chine
t,.,nn Inf eln,unr.,uiItn1 1ninnnl ~