The Wheeling daily register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1864-1878, 1867-03-02


as if they were working expansiveiy
with high steam; and the well-known
rushing sound in the steam-pipes, like
the wind through doorway, when the
door is ajar, showed me in n moment
that they were closely "throttled,"-
that is, that the valves in the pipes
leading to the cylinders were partially
closed, so as to check the flow of steam
from the boilers to the engines. l saw,
too, that there was very bright glow
from the furnaces, and that the fires
were more than usually intense. fan
cied, also, from the absence of the usual
currents Of air, except through the
windsail and from the forehold, and the
appearance of the lights and shadows,
that the matches over the crank
gratings, and the companion leading to
the deck, were closed,-a thing that
was very unusual except in bad wealth
er.
az was about to creep out of my lair
to see what was the meaning of all this,
when heard persons in conversation
in the passage between the engines. and
almost close to where l was. By a
slight movement was able also to see
them. One was our chiefengineer, who
had never before been known in the
engine-room at tlffs heur of night: he
had his hands on the injection handles,
and was regulating the supply of water
to the diminished quantity of steam
passing through the engines. The
other, with his back turned towards me,
was a person whom did not know at
all. He appeared n slight, gracefully
formed young man, Of middle height,
dressed i'm sailors clothes of fine text
ure, and with e.voice of youth rather
than of man. 4 should have gone out
ut once to see what was doing, but the
first words l distinguished arrested my
attention in a moment. 1t was the
youth who said -
"How long before we shall leave
the shipf
"'Not long now,' replied the chief;
but we have nothing more to do, eS-
cept to start when it is time:
care you sure the third engineer is
all rightP
"'Yes. He sleeps in one Of the wheel
houses, and have turned the key upon
him. Dick is at the wheel; the rest of
the watch OH deck, and these smutty
fellows are disposed of. We have low
cred the boat all safe, and all is ready
for q start
"Then, why not go nowW
"NO, we might still be discovered in |
time to spoil all. Let US wait till the
last moment, and we shall be SIRE that
we have got rid of the Internal ship and
all that could ever give us trouble. But,
by y" he said, with glance towards
the gauges, "there is mt much time to
spare, either. The steam mounts quick
er than l thought; it is at twenty-five
already, and tho water is all out of the
gauges. Just step OH deck. and tell
Dick we shall be off at once"
"The youth turned and assembled
quickly to the deck; and the chief went
to the stoke-hOlc, opened the furnace
doors, looked at the fires, and threw in
some Goals and tallow.
81 should make a bad hand at de-
scribing my feelings, and all that sort
of thing; but / think you may imagine
that the unaccountable appearance of a
stranger in the ship,-the intelligence
that the watch both OH deck and i'll the
engine-roOm were disposed of, - the
that the steam was at TWEEN
ty-five pounds to the inch, our usual
working pressure being fifteen, and
rapidly rising, witlrrthe safety-valves,
of course, fastened down or very heavily
loaded..-the engines throttled of half
their steam, the feed in the boilers very
low, and the furnaces fed with oil and
tallow, it was altogether enough
to make one feel queer. The boilers
were new and strong; but, for
that very reason, when they did
give way, the destruction would be the
greater; and / expected soon q terrific
explosion, which might probably send
the ship to the bottom. understood at
once-indeed, there was no room for
doubt after what had seen and heard
that the Williams had by some means
got hold of gold; that they had either
drugged OF Overpowered the watch; and
that it was their intention to blow up
the ship, and escape in the confusion;
or to get away little beforehand, and
trust to the exp plosion, which mnst inevi-
tably follow, to remove all proof of their
crime and all dread of capture. saw |
what it was: but / confess to you, sir, Mt
the risk of being thought coward,
that stood at first unable to think or
act to any useful purpose. Had / been
prompt and decided, now was my time
to have acted while the stranger was
on deck; but | own that stood rooted
to the spot, with shaky knees, with
quivering lips, and with the cold, clam
my perspiration standing on my fore
head. have often been i'll peril, but |
never felt so unnamed, before OF since,
as did then; and / verify believe that,
had been left alone, should have al
lowed the ship, and the gold, and my
own life, and the lives Of all OH board to
take their chance, rather than venture
ont to face those desperadoes.
fConclusi0a on Monday.