Phoenix tribune., 1921-12-17


DOne SO foolish as to trust him with
one-a condition of affairs which had
tended to sour a disposition not nat
urally sweet. The yearning to COM
mand a steamboat gradually had de-
veloped into an obsession. Result
the fast and commodious 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 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 whistled
Scraggs on the engine-room hOwler:
swearing horribly, he bad demanded
to be informed why in this and that
the skipper didn't leave that dod-gas5-
ed whistle alone. It was using up his
steam faster than he could manufac-
ture it Thereafter, Scraggs 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 tie
ebb. McGuffey declared a few new
tubes in the boiler would do the trick,
but on the other hand, Mr.. Gibncy
pointed out that the old craft was
practically punk aft and a stiff tow
would jerk the tail off the old girl. IN
despair, therefore Captain ScIaggs
had abandoned bay and river towing
and was prepared to jump overheard
and end all, when an opportunity Of
fered for the freighting of garden
truck and dairy produce from Half
moon bay to San Francisco.
But now a 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
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 miles? they
pointed out The voyage was unde-
niably cOastwise and carried with it
all the risk of wind and wave And
in order to imp ess upon Captain
Scraggs thc weight OF their authority.
H.c Inspectors suspended for six
months Captain Scraggs' bay md
river license for having dared to ne
gotiate two eoastwise voyages without
consulting them. Furthermore, they
warned him that the next time he did
it they would condemn the fast and
commodious Maggie.
In this extremity, Fate had sent to
Captain Scraggs a 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
applied himself and acquired fair
smattering of navigation. Prior to en-
tering the navy he had been a 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 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 and
imagination and thirst which re-
quired quenching around pay day.
Also. he had that beastly habit Of
command which is inseparable from q
born leader; when be held a first
mates berth, he was wont to try TO
''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 shippers
were chary Of engaging him. Not to
he too prolix, at the time Captain
Scraggs made the disheartening dis
cOvery 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
a windiammer bound for blue water.
With alacrity. therefore, Mr.. Glib
ney lad accepted Scraggs' offer of
seventy-fve dollars a month-"and
found"-to skipper the Maggie on her
coastwise run. AS a first mate Of
steam he had no difficulty inducing
the inspectors to grant him a license
to skipper such an abandoned craft
as the Maggie, and accordingly he
hung up his ticket in her pilot house
and was registered as her master, al
belt. under a gentleman's agreement
with Scraggs he was not to claim the