The Beaver herald. [volume] (Beaver, O.T. [Okla.]) 1895-1923, 1921-12-29

tended 10 sour disposition not nat
urany sweet. The yearning to com
Dand a steamboat gradually had de
veloped Into an obsession, Result
the fast and ccmmodious 8. S. Mag.
gle" as the United States marshal
had had the audaclty 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 Seraggs at
tempted TO tow q heavily laden barge
up river, a light fog had come down,
necessitatlng the frequent blowing of
the whistle. Following the sixth long
blast, Mr.. McGufreyv had whlstled
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. IL was using up his
steam faster than he could manufac-
ture It,. Thereafter. Seraggs had used
a patent foghorn. and when the hon
est McGuffey had once more succeed.
ed in conserving sufficient steam to
crawl up river, the tide had turned
and the Maggie could not buck the
ebt. 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 a 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 freIglfting OF garden
truck and dairy produce from Half
moon bay. TO San Francisco.
But now n difficulty arose. The new
run Was an "outside" one-salt water
all the way. Under the ruling of the
inspectors, the Maggie would be 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
cifc 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 miles? they
pointed out. The voyage was unde-
niably coastwise and carried with II
/ 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 codstwise voyages without
consulting them. Furthermore. they
warned him that the. next time he did
II they would condemn the fast and
commodious Maggie. ~ s''f'
In this extremity. Fate had sent to
Captain ,Seraggs. n large. imposing,
capable. but socially Indifferent per-
son who responded to the name OF
1 Adelbert =. Gibney. Mr.. Gibney had
spent part Of an adventurous life In
the United States navy, where he had
applied himself and acquired fair
smattering of navigation. Prior to en-
tering the navy he had been fore
mast hand In clipper ships and had
held a second mates berth. Follow
ing his discharge from the navy he
had sailed coastwise on steam schoon-
ers. and after attending n 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 and
Imagination and thirst which re-
quired quenching around, pay day.
Also. he mad that beastly habit OF
command which Is Inseparable from a
born leader; when he held a first
mates berth, he was wont TO try 10
run the ship" and, ON occasions,
iadle out suggestions TO his skipper.
Thus. In time. he acquired reputa-
tion for being unreliable and wind
bag, with the result that, skippers
were chary Of engaging HIM Not TO
be too prolix, nj the time Captain
| Scraggs made the dlsheartenng dis
icovery that he had to have a skipper
for the Maggie, Mr., Gibney found
himself reduced to The alternative Of
longshore work or fo'castle berth In
windjammer bound for blue water.
With alacrity,s therefore, Mr.. Glib
ney lad accepted Scraggs' Offer OF
seventy-five dollars a month-"ane
fonnd'-to skipper the, Maggie on her
coastwlse run. As first mate OF
steam he had no difficulty inducing
the inspectors TO grant him license
to skipper such an abandoned craft
as the Maggie, and accordingly he
hung up his ticket nj her pilot house
and was registered as her master. al
belt, under a gentleman's agreement
with Scraggs he was not to claim the
] title Of captain and was known TO
the world as the Maggie's first mate.
/. second mate, third mate, quartermas-
tor rurSar and frfiHhf flerk Ono