Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1935-06-06
Slippery Eels
By James j. Montague

had sounded. From his post by
the gang plank sailor man had
repeatedly cried "All ashore that's
going ashore" and turned away to
other duties. The captain and his
subordinates were on the bridge, and
the engineer himself presumably stood
by the throttle, for this was small
liner and required no gold braid on the
engine room or costly flotilla Of tug
boats to swing her out into the stream.
Deep within the belly of the craft
sounded gong, and on deck one felt
slight tremor. Obviously we were on
our way.
Looking toward the shore OBJ
served human figure approaching,
and gesticulating as it approached.
It's occupant wasted no breath in
sound, but applied himself only to the
serious and obviously important bust
ness of joining our vessel before it
was everlastingly too late. He ran
low to the ground, only glancing up
now and then to note how wide a gap
the ship had opened between her and
himself. There was perhaps four or
five feet to clear when he set his right
foot on the string piece. While the
passengers stood gasping, the runner
slightly coiled his figure, then opened
1t swiftly out and took off. A split
second later he was sprawling on the
deck, engaged in a violent effort to
In hn fhok hnd
knocked out Of him by his contact
with the deck.
Presently he succeeded in this highly
important undertaking, and looked up,
at first In trepldation at the bridge,
afterward curlously at those of us
who stood near his alighting place.
His eye met mine. After a second
look to make sure he said, slowly and
painfully:
always late, amt IT
"But this time you at least man.
aged to arrive" l said, while the spec
tators, having been deprived of the
spectacle of man plunging into the
uttermost depths Of the harbor had
begun to walk slowly away.
"Yep," said the informal visitor,
"Tm improvin'."
He was indeed, for he was a regular
member of the crew, and that meant a
Job at least as long as 1t required the
ship to journey from New York to
Savannah. And for this young man
that was considerable.
The next day I found him engaged
in polishing the brass work and other
shining metal trimmings on the boat
deck. Anxious to learn where and how
he had occupied himself since we last
had foregathered on another ship and
In another port, / inquired of him II
1t would be too violative of ships dis
cipline If he dropped in on me In my
room during his watch below. He said
that it could be managed, and that
night he arrived, bearing In a news
paper under his arm package which
it would be permissible to open after
we passed the ten mile limit
Having nothing of any import to tell
about himself, asked him to pick up
his story from the time / had last
seen him, almost on the other side of
the world.
listed my questions In the order
of their Importance.
"What had become of the whale
farming enterpriseT
"Had he got any steamship magnate
to listen to his scheme to have trout
pool, and a thIcket for grouse shooting
on great linerT
Had he perfected his FIVE lap to
the mile track SO that small motor
cars could be raced on ship board dur
Ing voyager
"And had he pursued any further
his researches into the possible USE
fulness Of electric eels."
"All of 'em was fops but the eel
idea" he said. "And that would Of
been all right II I'd Of had sense
enough to get out In time. An you
can't hang that on me very hard, for
look at all them birds in the stock
market who thought a good thing was
goin' to last forever. Where are they
nowT
"But what about the eelsr' In.
sisted.
swell, was wrong about one thing,
an that was that you could get cleo
tricity out Of electric cells. You can't
get away from the fact that the Juice
is in 'em, but glttin' It out an maxim
1t Of commercial use was the trouble"
About five years ago when l was
in the tropics stepped Off the
frelghter / was servin' on without
speakin' to the skipper about 1t, an