Dodgeville chronicle. [volume] (Dodgeville, Wis.) 1862-current, 1866-10-18

fires"
Ono said chap at my side, :" and
there amt no running away into the next
street" -
Then saw the captain run to the man at
I the wheel, and he changed the course OF the
ship. so that all the smoke ami fame went
over the side; and then at it ne went, send-
ing in the water at tremendous rate, but
to all appearance it did DO good-not bit
"Now, my lads said the captain, "wlth
| wift-:'' and then ne cheered again and
that noble fellow stood with the engine noz
zle in his hand, leaning right over the fiery
hole, where the flames darted out, scorch-
ing him, and there he stood battling with
them, and aiming. the water where ne
thought best. - - -
You see stood close aside him, so that /
could see all that he did-a brave fellow
\ and it was not, toos You know lives taking
the buckets as they were passed to me, and
sending the water in with a regular splash
as far as could every time; and the cap
tain nodded to me every now ana then, and'
"Well .done!" he says, when 1t was him as
ought to have had the praise.
| 1t was as looking down into the mouth OF
4 a furnace and as far as could see, we
might just as well have bsen playing with
a couple of boys squirts: but knew
enough of duty to feel what Fought to do; ;
and though I'd liked to be aside the wife
| to comfort her, my duty was to stand there
pouring in that there water till couldn't
do it no longer and the more it didn't seem
no good, the more warmed up-obstinate
like and meant to try, for didn't see no
| fun in being beaten off by q few flames and
sparks, while the look as L got now and
then from the captain went right through
me, and in went the water. $50, s
All at once lot of sailors stops pump
| ing, and one shouts out
ssTain't no good, mates. Boats out ~ 2
But he hadn't hardly said it, before saw
the captain dart back and then there was
bright light as the copper branch Of the
hose pipe flashed through the air, and then
down came the sailor on the deck. 0
"Baeks 10. yeur work. men y sang out
the captain and let a man go to the boats,
if he dares !"
And then they stood hanging about, NUT
tering, and one Dutch chap pulls out
knife Just at the same minute, too, a
couple of sailors as had been handing me
the buckets, strikes work, too, a-saying
they'd be hanged if they'd stop there and
| be frizzled
l felt that if the men did as they liked,
it would be all over with us; and that
meant a; regular rush to- the boats, while the
poor women and children were left to burn;
so what did / do but up with the leather
bucket Ighad in my hand-Eve oftenlaughed
since-and brings it down like 'stingnish-
er right on the top of number ones head; :
as to tother-he was a little chap, andtP
six foot and pretty strong,3 gets hold OF
him. by the scruff of the neck and strap Of
/ the trousers, and afore he knew where he
was, had him up in the air, and over the
hole where the flames were pouring up, and
SO close, too, that he could feel the scorch-
ing; and them amt given much to
swearing, shut I rappeiS out something
fierce, that if he didn't work I'd hurl him
in. ...7, essia,. .,,7s.,5ths .t zgs H4. 49
Lord, you should have heard what a
shrek there was as the fellow twisted like
an eel to get away, and then l put him lit
tie nearer ) when he begged and prayed to
be- put down, and he'd work till he dropped;
and then up comes the captain for he'd
bolted off into the cabin, but now rushed
out again with a revolver in each hand y"
swell done, my man," he shouts to me,
for he raw what [ did; and then he gives
me one of the pistols, and swore he'd shoot
the first man as disobeycd, and I'm blessed
if don't believe. he would, if they'd tried
it on; but they didn't. but began pumping
away like mad again, WeitWosWent toSwork
pouring in the water, while Pm sure [ heard
regular groan from the captain, though
his face was Ikea bit o'-wood.
This didn't take us above five minutes
but believe it lost us the ship, though we
had seemed to make such little impression
when we turned on the water. But five
minutes at such a time was ruin; the flame
rose higher and higher, and the heat was
awful; SO that, do what we would, we were
beat back, and instead of aquiet, crawling
flame now, there was regular roar, and
the wind set towards the great fiery tongues
in a fierce draught. &
g Stick. to it, my man." saysth captain,
in a low voice. "It's our only chance"
"And wouldn't give much for it, sir, !"
I says, in the same tone.
"Hush!" he says; and then to the men,
Pump away, my lads"
They pumped away hearty enough, and
kept trying on cheer; but it soon could be
seen with half an, eye that the ship must
60, for the flames darted up, and, almost
before you knew it, the rigging was on fire,
and the tongues like. leaping from rope to
rope, till the tarry things blazed furiously,
right up the mainmast head, and little fiery
drops of burning tar kept falling on the
| deck, or kissing into sea, while far enough
| off, out into the dark night, the great .faky
sparks went flying along for all the world
like beautiful golden snow-storm.
"There," says the captain. throwing
down The copper branch with which he had
1 played on the fire, and shaking his fist right
in the flames, so that they must have burnt
it-"there," he says, savagely, "Pve fought
it out with you, and you've beat Now for
life saving!"59f1 h.Nsf '~A'
And then quietly and coolly he had one
j, boat lowered down, with the first mate and
4 crew of sailors, and the shrieking women
and children lowered in, while the quiet
ones he kept back Then there was a water
cask and lot of biscuit bags thrown in,
and that boat, well loaded, pushed off on
to the calm sea, and lay to, watching US.
| Then the second mate was ordered into the
second boat with a crew of sailors; water
and bags of biscuit thrust in and then,
well loaded with women and children and
one or two of the men passengers, that was
carefully lowered down, unlocked and
pushed off.
The other two boats were not swung over
/ the Sides but lay between the masts Of the
| ship, right in the middle of the deck, and
were full of stores and odd things put there
to beSopt. of the way but the captain and
men left soon had tackling fastened to the
/ boat that was right in front of the fire, and
\ it was hauled up, swung clear and lowered
down with couple of men in, and they
rowed it backsto the hinder part, of the9ship,
while we who had been launching it, had to
make regular dash through the flames,