Maritime History of the Great Lakes

Marine Review (Cleveland, OH), 5 Mar 1908, p. 48

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THe Marine REVIEW 48 OL eri ee Yt Ve: j j 5 Pile | | ls - rT -- | 7 Se Fee YR Ya hig & } emt Wen a UAC a Mb AN Sapte i a oa ; | Z eS ad ute = _ hu cal By, UAE 3 Ne ait Ez ul! SSA MINT chat in Hin Hl | at Mind yal eT |! (ia at \ ate bs \ RTT A a i ml "i inci i | Hi ti | Ms ul TLC i ------ bls "DOESN'T IT HURT YOU TO SLEEP pry of repose. As he was on the 4 to 8 watch he could speak as one well versed on the matter. "You are going on watch at mid- night," he proceeded, "and if any- thing turns up in the way of a break- down between now and then you will be hurriedly called. You know," adopt- ing a fatherly tone, "you really ought to have been in bed a couple of hours ago." 2 lwo. Hoursll do me,' said. the fourth as he rolled into the blankets. "Switch off the light when you get through." "Don't be too sure of even the two hours," continued the aggravating one, carefully ignoring the broad hint that peace would be appreciated, "suppose, for instance, the chief decides to put a turn of soft packing in that valve- stem gland that's blowing so badly. This is about the best hour for a job like that. Suppose a fan engine gives out, or a feed pump, and you are turned out to do- your little bit. You 'are certainly taking chances." "Chances nothing," said Higgins in a tone intended to close the conversa- tion, "the old man won't stop her to pack that gland the way it is now. The main engines never ran better than they are doing now, and have not been stopped for anything but the tele- graph for six months. The fan en. gines are running easy and quiet, for which you, I suppose, being in charge IN THAT SUIT?' ASKED THE THIRD. of the fire-rooms, take the credit. The pumps were never in better shape, thanks to me, so, you see, I am all right for a couple of hours." By this time the curtains had been. arranged with elaborate care across the front of the fourth's bunk, and the third's most seductive remarks failed to draw any response therefrom. Suddenly, seemingly faint and afar off, the long low blast of a steamer's horn broke forth on the night air. "Fog," said the third. "Fog," he re- peated, in a louder tone. The figure behind the curtains stirred uneasily, but took no other notice of the re- mark. Again the mournful wail iof the horn penetrated to the most remote corners of the vessel and spread itself over the waste of water. A sharp tap at the door was followed by the appearance of an oiler from the engine orom. "Ts Misther Higgins aslape, sorr?" he asked the third in a hoarse whisper, The third nodded his head in the af- firmative and motioned the oiler to awaken his room-mate. "Shtand by, for fog, Misther Hig- gins," said the knight of the swab- brush, as he gently pulled the curtains aside and found the fourth very much awake, "the horn's blowin'," he added. "Do you think I'm deaf?" snarled the outraged engineer, as he jerked the curtains violently along the rail. The oiler withdrew precipitately, and the | engineer climbed forth. "Hard lines,' commented the third, as he proceeded to take off his shoes and make other preparations incidental to his retiral for the night. "Darn sea-going, anyway,". muttered the fourth, as he peeled off his sleep- ing suit. "If it isn't one form of trou- ble it's another. Who expected fog at this place on the chart?" he asked of no one in particular. "J did," answered his room-mate easily, "I could both see and smell it coming when I came in off the deck." The fourth relieved his mind to some extent by slamming the cabin door as he stepped out in the alley- way. On his way below to take up his plost at the levers he passed the oiler who had announced the stand- by. The oiler, unaware of the prox- imity of lthe engineer, was cheerily singing as he wiped around the "tops" with a handful of waste. This was too much. "Cut that bawling out," barked the unhappy fourth, as he climbed down the ladder. THe "STAND-By" MAN, A NOTABLE ENGINEERING FEAT IN MID-OCEAN It was not until the steamship Eagle Point, considerably overdue, arrived at Philadelphia recently, that any details could be gathered of the commendable engineering feat of Chief Engineer William Jack and his assist- ants in compounding the disabled triple-expansion engines of the vessel in mid-ocean. Not being equipped with a wireless installation the Eagle Point was unable to communicate the news of the mishap to her machinery, and considerable anxiety was for a time felt among shipping people on both sides of the Atlantic. The Red Star liner Vaderland spoke the disabled steamer, bringing to New York the first accurate information. ' The Eagle Point sailed from» Lon- don for Philadelphia, in the Philadel- phia Transatlantic line service, on Jan. 11, laden with general merchandise and manned by a crew of 40, officers and men. Shortly after leaving London the vessel encountered extremely dirty weather, and before clearing the Eng- lish channel was driving through a nor'easter, the worst experienced by

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