Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1893-05-26
HIS REVENGE.

ing gear, isn't it, All that we have above
heck is a little bit of 3-foot wheel that
you can move with one finger, just handy
| rOntrivance, in fact, for opening and shut
ting a steam valve. Below are pair of
small engines and some natty lodges for
governing them. They move "a dram, ard
round the drum is the chain working the
quadrant on the rubber head.
There bit of an index finger for show
ing you how much helm you're giving her,
and there you are
at is handy, and if you want to appre-
ciate the thing to the full you've only got
to look back at the old style Ocean liners
weren't nearly so big then, but vet I've
seen four men hanging on to a G-foot wheel,
and the pair on the weather spokes gctti. {
lifted off the gratings."
So spoke the chief officer to a quiet trio
in the doctors cabn-a seafaring trio
'Of course" he went on, accidents will
happen to the best regulated steam steer
ing gear and as long as the sea and bad
weather keep company together | suppose
they'll continue to happen.
"'Twasn't on this boat. 1t was four years
ago, and was second then on the-well, no,
! ! won't tell you her name either
The old man was a regular sea dandy
patent leather shoes, pattern plate bags,
new brass bindings and all the rest of it
and he was II rare popular man with pas
sengers. a good seaman, too, but his com
pany manners scored for him best, and he's
skipper of one of the regular fiers now.
However, on that trip we'd a chap
aboard he couldn't get on with any way.
You see this poor fellow was Il planter who
had been out in the Pacific islands some
where and had got a touch of the sun
| tcl, L.
days he was n, mad a. II halter.
Directly the old man went up to do the
civil to some of the ladies on deck the plant
er would tuIn up, too, and teach him how
to take lunar, and in the saloon, so soon
as ever the old man pull cd out his society
stop and started the conversation in that
key, this blessed nuisance would shove in
his tune, spite of all the snubbings whatso
ever.
so that when we were four days out no
one was very much surprised when the old
man got through his TEN per altogether and
told the other chap what he thought of
him straight
THE planter stared for minute or two
through his Sits of eyes without speaking
Then said he, I'll make you lose your ship
for this, captain, ard without putting an
other word to it got up and stalked away
to Lis LDrth.
Nothing happened that day nor the
next except that the wind shifted round to
norrard and worked itself into whole gale
with Il humping great sea to match
ION the third day about midnight we
guessed we'd seen about the worst of it,
I'd got the watch, but the old man was
with me for the first hour. At the end of
that time said he: 1 think the back of this
il n hCrt for I r
OF watch below. Be sure and let me
know, though, if it worsens again
The rain had knocked off, but there was
a good deal of scud flying, and the air was
thick. When had been in charge about
an hour, the quartermaster forward report
Cd II steamer somewhere ahead
she was heading directly down orr
course and lay about mile away. Wish. z
to give her wiGiol berth to starboard gave
orders to put the holm over couple of
points to port.
The fellow spun round the wheel lightly
enough. Nothing jammed there, but fro.l
the house below, where the wheel engl $
were, came half dozen sharp jolts. which
Jared the bridge 1t was nothing much,
just perceptible, and that's about all. but
we on the bridge looked at one another and
wondered what was up
Then big wave thumpCd her broad on
the starbOard bow, ana she gave such
quick heel that | was very nearly shot off
my pins. In that moment | tumbled to
what Lad happened. The ship was falling
Off to port; the steering gear had burst
| somewhere.
Then took another squint ahead. That
other steamer was drawing up hand ov~r
/ fist, right do, n atop of us, and humping
heavy one she was too"
The chief officer paused, whistling drear-
/ lily. One of US told him impatiently to get
along
Get alongl BE movingl That was just
it. There were "A score Of things to do, and
! ! didn't know which to begin at first. And
meanwhile Rome was burning.
81 wasted 20 seconds thinking, and it
seemed that ! WAS frittering away 20 years.
! Meanwhile she had fallen of more Into The
trough, and n sea caught her on the beam
and sent lot of green squirting bang over
the bridge That washed some wits into
me again. | rang off the engines to stand
by ahead and tumbled down myself for
the old man.
Bless his clever heart! He must have
dreamed the whole yarn, for | met him
tumbling up the companion in his paiamas,
and he cut me short with Yes, kno-I :.
Get the hand wheel geared, and if that
won't do, rig the winches aft to the rudder
head. Bawl me news to the bridge
"Fishesl how those lazy she'll backs
worked! I'd only got one quartermaster
rnd another hand with me. The boatswain
ad all the rest of the watch gearing tackles
10 the after hatch winch, so as to yoke the
rudder head-in case and as a very desper-
ale resort. As it happened, luckily their
work was thrown away. The damage was
only forward. In the after wheelhouse
nothing had smashed
But still we three there had our work
cut out. The steering wheels-there were
three of them, whoppers-worked double
ended screw. All we had to do was to socket
tie pins Of the connecting rods.
But the rudder was steering wildly,
madly, furiously, with the seas, and the big
iron bars tore and plunged at us for five
.wful minutes before we could get them
Taught.
And then, were we in timer What had
we to dor The big steamer was lying down