“Oh, it’s done now and then,” Jerry rejoined carelessly. “These days they’ll even steal the hawsers off a boat.”
“What value would the rope have to a thief?”
“Hawsers are expensive,” the reporter explained. “Right now it’s almost impossible to get good grade hemp. A hawser of any size commands a big price second hand.”
“How do the thieves get the ropes, Jerry?”
“Oh, they wait for a dark or foggy night and then slip up to an unguarded boat and cut her loose.”
“Why, that’s a form of sabotage!” Penny cried indignantly.
“Sure, it is. The boats float free and unless they’re spotted, they’re likely to collide with other incoming vessels. Only last week an empty coal barge was cut loose. She crashed into an oil tanker and rammed a hole in her.”
“Then Carl Oaks really has an important job,” Penny said thoughtfully.
“Important in the sense that he’s got to keep his eyes open. But he’s not required to do any hard work. All he has to do is sit.”
“Then he should like the job,” Penny smiled, sliding down from the stool. “When does he start work?”