The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1890-07-21
STORY OF A sTOWAWAY.
Remarkable Experience Of a Money
less Man.


Every now and then some pathetic story
about a 'stowawaY" is printed in the
newspapers, but, says the New York Star,
very few of them become public, the cap
tains and officers of the ocean steamers con-
cealing them whenever they can. The
usual way when a Stowaway is discovered
is to set him at work among the ''stokers, "
who shovel coal into the furnaces. This
the sailors say, often kills stowaway in a
few days, and then his body is cast over
board and that is the last of him. People
on the steamship know nothing about it,
and neither they nor anybody else cares, so
Investigations never take place, and even
notice is rare. If any unfortunate
man wants to die. yet does not want
to commit the crime Of suicide, | advise
him to stow himself away in the next ocean
steamship that leaves this port. He will be
discovered in few hours, 70 matter how
sklllfully he may hide himseIf, and he will
then be put to the hottest and hardest work
around the furnaces-work which the
strongest and most experienced men cannot
endure. He can reckon on dying and being
thrown into the ocean at night, 'unwept,
unhonored and unsung," before the ship
gets to port, and the strictesJ search of his
relatives, if he has any, will be unable to
discover any trace of him.
All these remarks have been suggested by
an awful story heard the other night of a
stowaway. This poor fellow was an
Englishman, who had became penniless,
discouraged and homesick. He made up
! his mind in his desperaticn to stow himself
| away and take his chances. He stole into
an ocean steamship-one of the regular
liners which ply between New York and
Liverpool-and hunted for hiding place.
He knew nothing about machinery and in
his ignorance he picked out the most
horrible place in the whole ship. 1t
looked quite attractive when the poor fell
low picked it out, and he thought that he
was lucky to find it. 1t was the hole--the
crank-pit, | think it is called-in the floor
of the engine room into which the great
| crank sinks twenty-four times minute
when the vessel is at full speed. While the
vessel was still this crank was elevated
above this hole, and the unfortunate man,
ignorant of marine engines, didn't know
that in a few minutes it would descend with
terrible effect upon him.
He crept in: the ship started. The crank,
In its first descent, struck his left arm with
terrible force and crushed it. He could not
move, for in less than three seconds down il
came again, crushing more bones and tear
ing more flesh. Just imagine such fate if
you can. The wretched man drew himself
into the smallest COMPASS he could and ex-
pected death. Every time the crank came
Down it escaped his head by about an inch
and half He didn't know the exact dis
lance, of course, but he knew it came very
near, and he was in mortal dread that it
would come nearer.
Most of this that have been telling came
from the lips of the stowaway. For he
lived to tell it, and is still alive. He must
have tainted away after enduring this ter
ribe agony for while and probably he did
not regain CONSCIOUSNESS until the ship was
twenty eight hours beyond Sandy Hook.
1t was then the middle of the night, and
one Of the assistant engineers, who had
charge of the engines on that watch,
heard heartrending grOans proceed
from the machinery. He was horri-
fled, and the men employed about the
engines, who are superstitous, were not
only appalled, but thoroughly frightened, so
much SO that they became demoralized and
almost unable to work. The assistant engi-
neer went TO the chief engineer and re-
ported to him what he had heard. He was
called fool for his paius. Presently his
watch was over and he was relieved. The
new assistant engineer heard the groans,
zoo, and, thoroughly alarmed, lie appealed
TO the chief engineer, and succeeded in
getting him outapf his berth into the engine
room. The CHIEF heard them, too, and at
oEce stopped the ship. The watch on deck
was called down, and the machinery was
thoroughly examined by the light of Ian
terms. WHAT demoralized the superstitious
men about the engines was the impossible
lty, as they believed, of human being re-
manning alive amid the swiftly moving
gigantic machinery, and their natural in
ference was that ghosts or fiends were pres
ent and the ship was doomed
BY and by lantern was lowered into the
crauk-pit, aud bundle Of rags was discov-
cred at the bottom. On being prodded a
groan proceeded from the rags They were