The St. Charles herald., 1922-08-26
Copyright by Edwin Balmel
CHAPTER xx-continued


-16-
"What is 1t you want to know"
Sheriff. asked.
"What were the relations between
Benjamin Corvet and Captain Stat
fordT"
Sheriff. thought moment.
"Corvet." he replied, was q very
able man; he had insight and mental
grasp-and he had the fault which
sometimes goes with those. hesitancy
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 see I" Father Perron ex-
claimed. "PleAse 20 on"
I'm the early nineties both lines still
were young; Stafford had, believe,
two ships; Corvet had three"
$50 few? Yes; 1t grows palmer ]"
"In 1894, Stafford managed stroke
which, II fate had not intervened, must
have assured the ultimate extinction
OF Corvet's line or its absorption into
Stafford's. Stafford gained as his part
ner Franklin Ramsdell, 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 1t was still hampering
Corvet. The new Hrm-StaffOrd and
Ramsdell-projected the construction,
with Ramsdell's money, Of number
OF great steel freighters. The first of
these-the Miwaka, test ship whose
experience was to guide them in the
construction Of the rest-was launched
In the TALL Of 1895, and was lost on its
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 and to have aided
his comprehension Of 1t.
His name was Caleb Stafford" Fa-
ther Perron began. "(This IL what
Benjamin Corvet told to me when he
was dying under the wreckage on the
ferry.y He was as fair and able Q
man as the lakes ever knew. had
my will Of most men In the lake trade
In those days; but could not have
my will of him. With all the lakes to
trade In, he had to pick out for his that
traflc which already had chosen for
my own. But fought him fair, Fa-
ther-I fought him fair. and ! would
have continued to do that to the end.
"I 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 . high gale. ! had
laid ND one Of my ships at Manistee,
and l was crossing that night upon a
tug to Manitowoc. where another was
to be laid up. had still third one
loading up on the northern peninsula at
Manistique for q last trip which, II It
could be made, would mean good
profit from 4 season which so Ear. be.
cause Of Staftord's competition. had
been only fair. After leaving Manis-
tee, 1t grew still more cold, and ! was
afraid the Ice would close In on her
and keen her where she was. SO deter.
mined to 20 north that night and see
that she got ont, None knew, Father,
except those aboard the tug. that ! had
made that change.
AZ midnight, Father, to westward
Of the Foxes. we heard the four blasts
of d steamer IN dIstress-the four long
blasts which have sounded In my SOU
ever since! We turned toward where
We saw the qDeamer's lights; we wen'
nearer and, Father, It was his great
ship-the Miwaka! We had heard twt
DAYS before that she had passed thu
500: We had not known more than tha1
Of where she was. She had broken heI
new shaft, Father. and was Intact ex
cept for that. but helpless In the risini
oeQ /.
The priest broke OF. ''The Miwaka
did not understand all that that hat
meant to him until just now-the new
ship Of the rival line, whose building
meant for him failure and defeat!
'There IL no higher duty than th'
rescue Of those In peril at sea. He
Benjamin Corvet. who told me this
svore to me that, at the beginning
none upon the tug had any thought ex
cept to give aid. A small line wa
drifted down to the tug and to this |
hawser was attached which the,
hauled aboard. There happened thel
the flrst Of those events which LEI
chose upon the tug into doing : grea
wrung. He Benjamin Corvet--ha'
taken charge Of the wheel Of the tug
three men were handling the hawse
il ite and washing water at the sterr
The whistle accidentally blew. whicl
those IN the Niwakn understood !.
mean thai the hawser Ind been =
<ursd. = they drew y ~ slAck /; q