The Orangeburg news. [volume] (Orangeburg, S.C.) 1867-1875, 1872-09-14
OUR NEW ENGINEER.
A FrREMAN's S STORY.
ny WILLIAM SIMPSON.

twenty seven years. fired pp the little
steamer Pearl every trip, FIRST to last,
three years 10 a day and how I'm SO
exact as to the time, is owing to it's
being one of my birth days when 1 took.
her furnace in charge, and another of
my birthdays when ! was hlown up on
her faw miles above Sacramento l
can't tell much about the fault of tha.
s,,'ash-pp. although l have my suspi-
cions; but since Mr b., our engineer,
was picked up in small pieces on that
occasion, l never will mention 'em out
of respect to his memory.
At the time of that bust up, am
ashamed to tell that behaved very
awkward. it being the first but got
sort O used to EN- atterward WheH
man gets blowsd about u hun
dred yards OF so, as was thea, and Gni.
himself landed about the tules OH the
river bank, with boxes and barrels of
provisions scattered around him, enough
10 feed him for his natura! life. il ain't
to his credit to sit staring half an hour,
WI dering what's happened, more par
,icular he being TIE fireman IF the brat.
and the engineer killed, toge her with
hogs, sheep, and cattle, besides u matter
of twenty or thirty pas engers,s ,sbig AND
ii'tc. 1t was cowardly in me that time,
but take em different now. You see,
twenty seven year. steady ieRdin' on
furnace learns II man something, his ear
sets eddicutel, and lie can hear 1t com
ing-1 mean the bast-up When sh,
carries her biler OH deck, always try
to get the clear sky above me at the first
strange noise IN the fue. It's bad
chance for me, though, when the bilcr
Is below, and the engineer careless aud
aa5 desperate, ), US vas tlse aase when l.
fired 90 the C., about fifteen years ago
am loing to tell what know abou,
that affair, come what may.
You see, just while WAS kindling up
for our trip down to San Francisco,
heard that Jr. Davis, the engineer,
had left the boat sudden, in huff, on
account of the captains $ saying he didn't
carry steam enough to cuok aa egg.
New, know Mr.. Davis WASH t any
coward-only very particular aud care
iul; and / heard him say more than
once he never had bust.u and never
would, and also ahat before he'd carry
steam above his judgment anywhere,
he'd give up his billet. MIR. Davis
leaving, therefore, set me feeling very
down at heart. 1t looked to me he
gave up his billet too ready, being
poor man, and having family to feed
| set it down he didu't have much faith
in our biler, it being high pressure.
and about ten years old
What nude it more part rticular trying
on lie was my wife and children coming
aboard to go down with me to San
francisco Katy and the youngsters
never looked brighter and more loyiIg
like than then, aud hope it's not say
ing more than / ought, that the mother
aud them smiling, rosy children might
be took for the captains, and not as
belonging TO the smptty fireman in the
hold / CANT help the WAGER coming
into my eyes whea think how bcauti-
tul them precious ones looked playing
around on the freight deck and pecpin.
down at me through the hatchway.
We'll, just before we were ready to
start, the captain brought down new
engineer, Mr.. Irippet, to his quarters
which was near the furnace, and heard
him say thai Air. Davis was the biggest
od woman he ever saw in regard to
carrying steam, and that the opposition,
with their old tubs, was always beating
our time. Then the captain and MIR
Trippet began talking very quiet aud
secrct-like, which set he t,n,ns CLOS.
to hear what was In the wind. As the
discovery of what was going op came to
my ears weakened like baby. |
ami what may be called cowurdly
man, having been in many tight places
/" NY. tine, aud coming out without a
finch, but somehow the images Of kat,
aud the children kept passing bqek aud
I"r'h before my eyes, aud wil,ed all the
courage out of me.
T"e truth 20 be told is, that the cap
taiu and our new engineer being despe-
rate sports, like most al sich men in
them days on the river, had made the
biggest kind of u joint bet, uubeknown
to the owners, that we would beat the