Ship-Agent.

Memories Of The

"Beulah."

Tribulations Of A Papeete Ship-Agent.

INFORMATION has come to us that the M.V. “Beulah” has been lost at sea.

Years ago the “Beulah” voyaged at irregular intervals from San Francisco to Papeete. Hitherto we had believed the “Beulah” immortal; as indestruct able as the galleon of the Flying Dutch man* a deathless instrument of the Erinyes to punish the trangressions of owners, agents and port authorities.

The agent at Papeete used to pray fervently, with his head bowed toward Jerusalem, Mecca and every other sanc tuary known to him, for a hurricane to smite her; a whirlpool to swallow her up; an upheaval of sharp, hard basalt columns in her pathway; whenever he learned of the departure of the “Beulah” from San Francisco for Tahiti.

His prayers were never answered.

The “Beulah” always arrived —a week late, a fortnight late —but eventually she appeared in the pass and his troubles began.

The captain of the “Beulah” was a buHy and truculent Swede. The chief engineer was a burly, inflammable Irish man.

The tension between them, during the

voyage, resembled that in a steam boiler of high pressure set over a fur nace continually stoked. The only ele ment necessary to fulminate these emotions was a little priming of strong waters. The explosion came, usually, within an hour and served as a sunset gun to notify the agent that the night of tribulation was about to descend upon him.

The twilight period extended through the days of unloading and loading (if the winches worked —as they sometimes did); for the ship was then in the hands of the very able and efficient stevedores of Papeete. It was when he tried to get the “Beulah” out of the harbour that Tartarus yawned and engulfed the suffering agent.

The ship was propelled by two semi diesel engines of ancient vintage. It took hours to heat up the cylinder heads

by some blowpipe arrangement whicn was like a glimpse into the infernal regions when viewed through the engine ro °™ hatcl J; When all was ready—the clearance papers in order; the supplies put on board; and the several members of the crew fished up from the subterranean warrens of Papeete—one or both of these cylinder heads would blow out.

There may or may not have been spare cylinder heads aboard; but the chief engineer always told the agent that there were none.

Three or four days would then pass while the broken and cracked cylinder heads were being brazed at a machine shop ashore.

Eventually, they would be finished; the crew again ferreted out of the by-

ways and warrens; and the agent would repair hopefully to the wharf to des patch the ship.

There he might find a leading officer —well fortified by many days at the wassail bowl—storming the cabin door with an iron belaying-pin in order to get at another officer barricaded within, In this event the ship had to be towed out to a buoy and an armed guard placed aboard until the wrath of the leading officer had abated. Or, as a variant, the anchor davil would collapse as the anchor was being lifted; which meant four or five days further delay while a new apparatus was being forged at the machine shop ashore, Whatever the cause, the “Beulah”, day after day, for a period which seemed to have no prospect of an ending, rose

like Banquo’s ghost before his waking vision and followed the harassed agent into refuge of his dreams. And to add to his exasperation came a daily cable from the owners: “Has the ‘Beulah’ sailed? If not, why not?”

Yes, we remember the “Beulah”. May she rest in peace! But will she? Is it not possible that she will exasperate the realm under the sea as she has the world of men and, Poseidon casting her forth, she will sail again the face of

the waters ?-

A.C.R.