The Holly chieftain., 1922-02-23

of adventure In the South Pacific.
officers say she Is lucky to be afioat.
he West Wind steamed 1000 miles with her
lkers afire, the record shows, drove within three
lie lengths Of the rocks after all-night strug-
when her anchors dragged in typhoon of
wcastle. N S. W., cawed out of Brisbane har-
half an hour ahead Of quarantine prOcama-
n for bubonic plague and had to shift cargo In
i-Pacific to tinker her tall shaft. All this, to
naught of being laid up two weeks for boiler
,airs at Panama.
IN entry in the log dated August records that
ship was Joined that day at Pulpit Point, Sgd
!, by one Sinbad. An elaboration of this entry
Teals that Sinbad is tabby tom cat formerly
ps mascot and supercnrgo of the 8,500-ton
lighter. Canastota also flying the U. s. & A.
flag, which mysteriously vanished with all
nds between Sydney and Wellington the last
elk in June.
The advent Of this feline marine adventurer out
a vast and mysterious void enshrouding the
e of so men and officers who constituted the
nastotas complement, appeared to have been
asidered an event of rare Significance. The crew
s he's the luckiest cat afOat Hundreds of good
,men are ashore In worlds ports because of
rd times In the ocean carrying trade, but Sim
d. rover Of the Seven Seas, can sign on any
uute anywhere. All he's got to do is walk
oard
Both the Canastota and West Wind piled be-
cen New Zealand and New South Wales ports.
rrying benzIne for the Vacuum OIL company of
wv Jersey. The Canastota had 10000 cases
oard when she left Sydney bound for Welling-
to take on more cargo This vessel was spok-
Of up and down the Australian and New Zea.
nd COASTS as 'the bomb ship" Her commander
ptain A. w. Locke, capable officer was well
own in New York, Montreal, Havre and up the
ersey. He ran the submarine blockade between
ontrea and French ports through the war.
The West Wind, probably In recognition of haz.
IS inseparable from the benzine carrying trade,
referred to alongshore In Sydney, Newcastle,
ellington and Auckland as ''the coffin box" Her
mmander, Captain Abbott, halls from New York
Is home is at 09G Simpson street. the Bronx
Among officers and men of the West Wind few
e without mement0s such burns and bruises,
terrific hurricane that kept the vessel steam
full speed ahead into her anchor chains during
thtrty-hour fight to prevent piling up on tho
fobbies" off Stockton Blight, Newcastle, July "a
uring that storm everything loose on deck went
erside When day dawned the West Wind was
ose enough to have tossed biscuit ashore, with
lily three fatisoms of water under her keel The
'phoon had blown itself out
Since the Canastota signaled "All clear off Syd
y harbor that June afternoon, no trace of her
rs been found. What happened to the vessel will
iobaby never be known. Australian sen lawyers
Nd that benzine from punctured containers leaked
ITO her bilEe, mixed with the water there form
,g an explosive gas and blew her sky high when
lantern was carried into the hold by an oIler at
ork On shaft bearing 1t is sufficiently reason.
ole hypothesis, but that ds all. Whatever han.
aned must have taken the ships company nm
wares, because, although equipped with modern
lreless outfits the CanastOta sent no calls for
Id. All any one really knows is that she van
.hed--spurlos versenkt.
Far out at sea the West Wind picked UP wire
.ss alarms GENT out by Dnlgettys Australian ship
ing agents. and by Captain Williams director Of
avigation at Sydney Half dozen times day
,e radio chattered: Report Canastota" vary
ig this later to REPORT Canastota wreckage" The
Vest Wind laid off her course and swung wde
ainly seeking the missing vessel. Her disappear
nee constitutes another deep sea mystery inscrut-
hle that surrounding the fate of the United
ates naval supply ship Cyclops. The West Wind
eaded for Newcastle.
1t was three days later that Sinbad, the Canas-
otas mascot, bounded mp the lgangplank at Pulpit
'ont. William Hodgs0n. able seaman of the West
Wind. spotted the old cat. having served ship.
iates with him aboard the CanastOta when she
vas known as "The Falls of Orkney" and sailed
nut Of British port. H0dgson instantly recog-
zed Snbad's cinder-scarred body. The cats ad-
ent was followed by serious discussions above and
'eiow decks.
Why had Sinbad quilt the Canastota7 Plain