The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1893-12-22
THE ALER1'S STRANGE PERIL.
BATTING WITH 4 PROPELLER LOOSE
ON TIE SIEI MEk,S DECk.
Line the Loose Cnnaon Victor Hupo Tells
Of the Mass or Iron Tkrentened 90
Send the Tossine Vessel to the Bottom

Line the Loose Cnaaon Victor Huuo Tells
Of the Mass OF Iron Threatened 90
Send the Tossing Vessel to the BottonN
None OF the sea nomnds, all Scandinavian
on the little Norwegian steam shin Alert. which
arrived from Cardenas yesterday. ever heard
OF Victor Hugo's demoniacal cannon that got
loose on a little French sailing vessel away
back in the days OF the great Revolution. This
circumstance did not. however. prevent Mate
Julius ARMAND from spinning n vivid yarn OF
the Alert's spare three-ton, iour-bladed pro-
peller which was freed from its fastening in a
gale at II 30 o'clock on Friday morning. and
was master Of the quarter deck for hou!
The Alert sailed from Cardenas on Dec IA.
She found herself pitching ana rolling in a
fricid Northwestern before midnight The
crests OF the seas seemed to be us high as the
little tramp's trucks. Sometimes she rolled her
rails under. At 1910 A. NJ on Friday Capt.
Welchman, who was on the bridge, heard n
great rumbling aft Ho thought OF tho spare
propeller made fast to a ing bolt Just aft Of the
after hatch. The ship was rolling so deep that
the port and sturboard ends OF her bridge
nearly touched tho sides oi the tall waves.
Mate Julius Amland, with Second Mate Loser
and three senmen, was sent aft to see what
had befallen the ship.
=, 1t was pitch dark, and the mate. suspectng
that the spare propeller mad Y, hdriU. moved
cautiously. He saw indistinctly, the mass Of
iron whirl across IN. ship like a giant
sounded like thunder nearly. and did
not rcassure the sailors; The second time the
blades pierced the bulwarks, smashing n
thrce-foot hole through two plates Mate AM
lasso the iron derylah when It danced across
tie deck again They missed i, onr Of them.
ine n5'e says hi to pmp ard let the nr%re!
side and made another wide Cup In the bull
w,atka The skipper was fearful that the lump
AMI pound o hole through the ships bottom.
The mate and his men PLAYED reriio4Is
another dash across the iecli It showed of an
iron vcntilator and broke pump connected
of The snors Who eS ttHn IL e gre isa s
that 1t might suddenly rounce uron them. and
accident had been in the day. the mat lsays
the propeller might have been quickly 30
slble for him and his men TO see the con.
scionceless thing until it was almost ON top OF
The ship was running athwart the tempest
and Capt. Wochman decided to bring her
around and let her go before thus getting
Ter would slide less violently fore and aft with
the pitching, Of the ship than 1t had spun
right. Just. after the ship started running
before the blast the mate got loop over one
the rope turn or two around VH eek Su S
and the second mate and tho three sailors
lassoed the other blades. scandinavian AL ors
are not much given to shouting hut they
emitted yell OF triumph thon. Chains had
been got IN on deck out OF the locker. and the
way those sailormen hound aud fastened that
propeller might have led an observer 10 think
that II wasa yeritabe sea monster.
Folks who clambercd aboard the Alert yes
terday as She lay at Pier IT, North River, won.
dered why such n Misunderstanding mass OF
iron should he SO securely fastened. 1t was
nearly half concealed with heavy chain that
stretched from its blades to deck fixtures like
the tentacles 0f u devil fish. The mate look ell
at it as II IL were. a Gagged lion. and remarked
in broken English that ii was all right enough
when chained in harbor. but was devil Of q
thing In q seaway when loose.