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Updated: May 31, 2025
She had compared, bitterly, the poverty of her household arrangements with the abundant comfort of her sisters-in-law. Now, she seized eagerly at the opportunity of improving her style of living. The old Wales house was quite a pretentious edifice for those times. All the drawback to her delight was, that Grandma should have the southwest fire-room.
The captain had therefore ordered this scuttle to be secured below, so that it could not be removed. Those who had occasion to go below in that part of the vessel were compelled to do so through the fire-room. Though Scott was a bold and brave fellow, and even daring when the occasion required, he was a prudent commander, and never took any unnecessary chances.
He found only the six men mentioned by Stopfoot, though he had looked in every part of the vessel, even to the fire-room and the quarters of the crew and firemen. "I find everything as you stated, Captain Stopfoot; but I should say that you were proposing to go to sea short-handed. I did not even see a person whom I took for the mate.
After the third hopeless attempt, Larry let go, and without a word bolted through the passage to the fire-room. "You miserable quitter!" Neville screamed after him, and bent again to the wheel. As he looked up, despairing of any chance to loosen the rusted valve, Larry came back on the run, carrying a coal-pick handle. He thrust it between the spokes of the wheel. "Now, Mr. Neville, all together!"
He waited, and his men, with their shovels and slice-bars and oil-cans they waited, every one of them, with one sharp eye to the nearest ash-hoist, which reminded the chief that he would never leave home again and this time he meant it without installing those four more ladders leading up from the engine and fire-room quarters to the decks. No, sir, he would not. But nothing happened!
I'll take the lead, Bucky, and Long Jim last, and we've got the ship. We can let the fire-room chinks and the nigger go until morning. We'll take the bridge and keep the old tub going until day and then pick out a good place to drop her when we've got what we want. Petrak's got the wheel now, and we can do for the chinks, come day.
That there was grave danger was evidenced a short while after when the fire-room force which had been ordered to keep steam up in the hope of backing the ship off later came pouring on deck crying that there was three feet of water in the fire-room. "That settles it," said the chief. "We are on a doomed ship." "The boats! The boats!" shouted the men.
He clutched desperately to gain a hold on the smooth-worn steel plates, his face distorted by fear as he slid down to the fire. Larry, crying a shrill warning, sprang between Sullivan and the open furnace. He stooped, and with all the strength he could gather shoved the big stoker from danger. Then above the crashing sounds a shriek tore the steam-clouded air of the fire-room. Larry had fallen!
But the more complicated the organization is, the more invisible are the communicating wires that tie the men together, and yet the more important it is that those wires shall tie them; it is even more important, for instance, that the wires connecting the chief engineer with all his force shall operate than that the wires in any one fire-room shall operate.
I was much absorbed on the voyage, but I saw how you, officers and seamen, worked to take advantage of every puff of wind and every current of the sea. I know how you others were working in the hell of the fire-room, and I shall be grateful to you as long as I live. I wish you all health, happiness and prosperity in the future.
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