The Mellette County pioneer. [volume] (Wood, Mellette County, S.D.) 19??-1971, 1922-03-03

u III wv hCNNN
Her officers say she is lucky to be afoat.
The West Wind steamed 1000 miles with her
bunkers afire, the record shows, drove within three
cable lengths of the rocks after an all-night strug-
gle, when her anchors dragged in a typhoon of
Newcastle, N. S. W., clawed out of Brisbane har-
Dor half an hour ahead of a quarantine proclama-
ton for bubenic plague and had to shift cargo in
mid-pacific to tinker her tail shaft. All this, to
say naught Of being laid up two weeks for boiler
repairs at Panama.
An entry in the log dated August / records that
the ship was joined that day at Pulpit Point, Sgd
ney, by one Sinbad. An elaboration of this entry
reveals that Sinbad is a tabby tom cat, formerly
ships mascot and supercargo of the S,500-ton
~freighter, Canastota, also flying the U. S. & A.
house flag, which mysteriously vanished with all
hands between Sydney and Wellington the last
week in June.
The advent of this feline marine adventurer out
of a vast and mysterious void enshrouding the
fate or 90 men and officers vino constituted the
Canastotas complement, appeared to have been
considered an event of rare significance. The crew
say he's the luckiest cat atioat. Hundreds Of good
Seamen are ashore in worlds ports because Of
hard times in the ocean carrying trade, but Sim
bad, rover of the Seven Seas, can sign on any
minute anywhere. All he's got to do is walk
aboard.
Both the Canastota and West Wind piled be-
tween New Zealand and New South Wales ports.
carrying benzine for the Vacuum Oil company of
New Jersey. The Canastota had $4,000 cases
aboard when she left Sydney bound for yelling
ton to take on more cargo. This vessel was spok-
en- of up and down the Australian and New Zea-
land coasts as "the bomb ship" Her commander,
Captain A. W.. locke, a capable officer, was well
known in New York, Montreal, Havre and up the
Mersey. He ran the submarine blockade between
Montreal and French ports through the war.
The West Wind, probably In recognition Of haz-
ards inseparable from the benzine carrying trade,
is referred to alongshore In Sydney, Newcastle,
Wellington and Auckland as "the coffin box" Her
commander, Captain Abbott, halls from New York.
His home is at 996 Simpson street, the Bronx.
Among officers and men Of the West Wind few
are without mementos. such as burns and bruises,
of a terrific hurricane that kept the vessel steam
ing full speed ahead into her anchor chains during
a thirty-hour fight 70 prevent piiing up on the
Mobiles off Stockton Eight, Newcastle, July "a.
During that storm everything loose on deck went
oversize. When day dawned the West Wind was
close enough to have tossed a biscuit ashore, with
only three fathoms Of water under her keel. The
typhoon had blown itself out.
Since the Canastota signaled "All clear off Syd-
ney harbor that June afternoon. no trace of her
has been found. What happened t. the vessel will
probably never be known. Australian sea lawyers
hold that benzine from p%unctured containers leaked
into her bilge, mixed with the water there, form
ing an explosive gas and blew her sky high when
a lantern was carried into the hold by an oIler at
work on shaft bearing. 1t is a sufficiently reason
able hypothesis, but that Is all. Whatever hap
pened must have taken the ships company un-
awares, because, although equipped with modern
wireless outfits, the Canastota sent no calls for
aid. All any one really knows is that she van
~ished-spurlos yersenkt.
Far out at sea the West Wind picked up WIRE
less alarms sent out by Dalgetty's, Australian ship
ping agents, and by Captain Williams. director Of
navigation at Sydney. Half a dozen times a day
the radio chartered: Report Canastota," vary
ing this later to Report Canastota wreckage." The
West Wind laid off her course and swung wide.
vainly seeking the missing vessel. Her disappear
ance constitutes another deep sea mystery, inscrut.
able as that surrounding the fate of the United
States naval supply ship Cyclops. The West Wind
headed for Newcastle.
1t was three days later that Sfnbad, the Canas-
totals mascot, sounded up the gangplank at Pulpit
Point. William Hodgson. able seaman of the West
Wind, spotted the old cat, having served ship
mates with him aboard the Canastota, when she
was known as "The ralls Of Orkney" and sailed
out of a British port. Hodgson instantly recOg-
nized Sinbad's cinder-scarred body. The cats adj
vent was followed by serious discussions above and
below decks.
Why had Sinbad quit the Canastota? Plain