The Miller press. [volume] (Miller, S.D.) 190?-current, 1922-08-10
Copyright by Edwin Balmer
CHAPTER xx-continued.

Wnat IS IL you want 10 KNOW!
Sheriff. asked.
"What were the relations between
Benjamin Corvet and Captain Stat
ford?"
Sheriff. thought a moment.
"Corvet," he replied. was a very
grasp-and he had the fault which
sometimes goes with those, a hesltancy
of action. Stafford was an able man.
too, considerably younger than Corvet.
Twenty years ago. when the conflict
of competing interests was at Its
height, Corvet was the head of one
line, Stafford was head Of another. and
the two lines had very much the same
connections and competed for the same
~cargoes."
II begin to seer Father Perron ex-
claimed. please go on"
"In the early ninetles both lines still
We're young Stafford had, ! believe.
two ships Corvet had three"
$50 few? Yes: II grows palmer"
"In 1894, Stafford managed a stroke
which. IL fate bad not interviewed. must
have assured the ultimate extinction
of Corvet's line or Its absorption into
Stafford's. Stafford gained az his part
ner Franklin Ramsdell, a wealthy man
whom he had convinced that the lake
traffic offered chances of great profit
and this connection supplied him with
the capital whose lack had been ham
pering him, as II was still hampering
Corvet. The new firm-Staffar and
Ramsdell-projected the construction.
with Ramsdell's money, of q number
of great steel ~freighters. The first of
these--the Miwaka, a test ship whose
experience was TO guide them In the
construction Of the rest-was launched
In the fall Of 1895, and was lost on It's
maiden trip with both Stafford and
Ramsdell aboard. The Stafford and
Ramsdell interests could not survive
the death of both owners and disap-
peared from the lakes. Is this what
You wanted to know"
The priest nodded. Alan leaned
tensely forward, watching; what he
had heard seemed TO have increased
and deepened the priests feeling over
what he had to tell ana to have aided
his comprehension Of Il.
"His name was Caleb Stafford" Fa-
ther Perron began. "(This Is what
Benjamin Corvet told to me when he
was dying under the wreckage on the
ferry.) He was as fair and able a
man as the lakes ever knew. I had
my will Of most men In the lake trade
n those days; but l could not have
my Will of him. With all the lakes to
trade In, he had to pick out for his that
traffic which already had chosen for
my own. But fought him fair, Fa-
fher--T fought him fair. and ! would
have continued TO do that to the end.
= 81 was at Manistee. Father, In the
end of the season-December fifth Of
1895. The Ice had begun to form very
early that year and was already bad
there was cold and a high gale. ! had
laid up one Of my ships at Manistee,
and l was crossing that night upon a
ltug TO Manitowoc. where another was
Ito be laid up, ! had still a third one
loading up on the northern peninsula at
lManlstique for a last trip which, II II
could be made, would mean a good
profit from d season which so far. be-
cause of Stafford's competition, had
been only fair. After leaving Manis-
tee, 1t grew still more cold, and l was
afraid the ice would close In on her
and keep her where she was, so I deter
mined TO go north that night and see
that she got out. None knew. Father,
except those aboard the tug, that ! had
made that change.
~.At midnight. Father, to westward
of the Foxes, we heard the four blasts
of a steamer In distress-the four long
blasts which have sounded In my soul
ever since! We turned toward where
we saw the steamers lights; we went
nearer and. Father. 1t was his great
ship--the Miwaka We hid heard two
days before that she had passed the
500; we had not known more han that
of where she was. She had broken her
new shaft, Father, and was intact ex-
cept for that, but helpless In the rising
sea ="
The priest broke Of. "The Miwaka !
u UAu HIt unUti ctuHu Ah thdt Ohdt iau
meant TO him until just now-the new
ship Of the rival line, whose building
meant for him failure and defeatl
AThere Is no higher duty than the
rescue OF those In peril AT sea. He
Benjamin Corvet. who told me this
swore to me that. at the beginning
none upon the tug had any thought ex-
Icent 10 give aid. A small line was
ldrffted down to the rug and TO this a
'hawser was attached which they
hauled aboard. There happened then
the first OF those events which led
those upon the tug into doing a great
wrong. He-Renjamin Corvet-had
taken charge OF the wheel OF the tug
three men were handling the hawser
in Ice and Washing water at the stern.
lThe whistle accidentally blew, which
those ON the Miwaka understood q
mean than tie hawser bad been Sc
cured. ! q they drew IN the slack; the