IT PAYS TO BE CAREFUL.

Clutha Leader, Volume XL, Issue 69, 6 March 1914, Page 7

IT PAYS TO BE CAREFUL.

..There is nothing like being careful," rtid Captain / r im , Bradlev of the reyTp cutter Hudson, as he stood in fi," nilot-liouse guiding the vessel neat--1 between a heavy car float and a ILteii M'uul ferryboat. "I remember fI • time I «as on the Mercedida block- ,' Charleston during the civil war. ■'•'fiio .Mercedida mounted a Parrott r n,i in the b'W a"d several six-pounders ■-> „ the sides. I was a first-class firemaii"aboanl of her and only 17 years ~1.1 jit that. ••\»d I was a careful bov in those hvs as I was saying. I had a new miroi ,)(lots on aml tlie way I usetl to like care of those boots was a caution. Mi-id to watch 'em like a hawk or they would have been stolen. ••fairly one morning, just before g0.,,, ~,, ~'ii watch, 1 was sitting there in the loV.sle and what was I doing but putter "mutton tallow on my .boots. I thou"ht they were getting dried up and •is tliey <'ost me '2B dollars I couldn't allow that to happen. •• \nd did 1 tell vou alwut the rats on the'.Mercedida I' "Well, sir, there were move rate on that ship than si broken ,]mvn cornerili, and big fellows too, some „f them big enough" to frighten the at arms, and he had seen some rats in his day, being, a deep water sailor j'ist off " tea (''iPl)er",|ust as I said before, I was latherin' , nv new boots with tallow this morning j,i. s t before turn to and what did i do liut go to slee]). And when the call came" to go below and tend the fires there was Jim Bradley .snoozin' away fit to kill and the first thing I knew I f,,|t a sharp pain in my hand and looking down saw a rat as big as a wnodchiick nibbling awav at my thumb. J lot out a yell and just then there ,vas a thundering re]>ort and the ship vermeil to be knocked galley west. ••Come to find out a rebel gunboat had sneaked out of the hat nor in the oarlv morning mist, had come close aboard and fired a shot clean through the tire-room willing every man there. about 11 ail told. An' I s'pose if I had bi'i'ii there I'd V got it too. "So you see it pays to be careful. If [ hadn't got up earlv to grease my boots and tell asleep doing it, why. I'd lip there vet and not dodsiin' car floats still in I'ncle Sam's service. "What did the rat bite mv hand for? Well, he and some of Irs friends had eaten all the tallow off my boots and lie wanted what was on my hand. They ate a lot of boles in my boots and I had to chuck 'em overboard. -The Mercedida : j Well, sir. the little .Mercedida was captured that morning by the Jonny Rebs and had to go tiTrlilton Head and behave herself. We were all sent up to Philadelphia on parole afterwards and I wound up as captain of the Admiral's gig."