The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1922-02-10

Synopsis. = Captain Phineas p.
Scraggs has grown up around the
docks of San Francisco. n from
mess boy on a river steamer, risen
to the ownership of the steamer
Maggie. Since each annual in
spection promised to be the last or
the old weatherbeaten vessel.
Scraggs naturally has some diff
Guilty in securing a crew. When
the story opens, Adelbert p. Glib
ney, likable, but erratic, a man
whom nobody but Scraggs would
hire. is the skipper, Neils Halvor-
sen, a solemn Swede, constitutes
the forecastle hands, and Bart Nc
Guffey, a wastrel of the Gibney
type, reigns in the engine room.
With this motley crew and his an
cient vessel, Captain Scraggs is
engaged in freighting garden
truck from Halfmoon bay to San
Francisco. The inevitable happens;
the Maggie goes ashore in a fog.
A passing vessel hailing the wreck.
Mr.. Gibney gets word to a towing
company in San Francisco that the
ship ashore is the Yankee Prince,
with promise of a rich salvage.
Two tugs succeed in pulling the
Maggie into deep water, and she
slips her tow lines and gets away
in the fog. Furious at the decep-
ton practiced on them, Captains
Hicks and Flaherty. commanding
the two ~tugboats, ascertain the
identity of the Yankee Prince
and, fearing ridicule should the
facts become known along the wa
ter front, determine On personal
vengeance. Their hostile visit to
the Maggie results in Captain
Scraggs promising to get a new
boiler and make needed repairs to
the steamer. Scraggs refuses to
fulfill his promises and Gibney and
McGuffeyA strike" With marvel
Gus luck, Scraggs ships a fresh
crew. AT the end of a few days
of wild conviviality Gibney and
McGuffey are stranded and seek
their old positions on the Maggie.
They are hostilely received, but re-
MAN.. On their way to San Fran
cisco they sight a derelict and Glib
ney and McGuffey swim to it. The
derelict proves to be the Chesa-
peake, richly laden, it's entire crew
stricken with scurvy. Scraggs at
tempts to tow her in, but the Mag
gle is unequal to the task and Glib
icy and McGuffey, alone, sail the
ship to San Francisco, their sal
wage money amounting to $1,000
apiece. His crew having deserted
him, Captain Scraggs induces them
to return. At an "old horse" sale
the three purchase two mysterious
boxes which they believe to con-
tain smuggled Oriental goods"
They find, instead, two dead Chi
namen. Scraggs seeks to double
cross his two associates, but Mr..
Gibney outwits him and makes a
satisfactory financial settlement
with the Chinese company to
whom the bodies have been con-
signed, leaving Scraggs out in the
cold. Gibney resents McGuffey's
action in lending money to Scraggs
without consulting him, and after
a terrific wordy combat the three
separate, McGuffey becoming as
sistant engineer on an oil tanker,
Gibney disappearing. and Scraggs.
forced to lay up the Maggie, takes
a subordinate position on a ferry
steamer. Senior Lopez, Mexican
revolutionist, makes Scraggs a gen.
erous offer for transportation of
munitions to Lower California.
Scraggs accepts. and the old Mag
gle is once more put into commits
sion. Arriving at his destination,
Scraggs finds his old companion,
Mr.. Gibney, is the consignee. Time
having softened animosities, the re-
union is joyful. Gibney plans to
steal the ammunition and convey
it to revolutionists In Colombia. On
the way they are attacked by a
Mexican gunboat and a terrific
combat ensues.