Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1893-01-19
pevils Loose in the Elold.

Devils Loose in the Hold.
This story may recall TO the reader
celebrated chapter in French fiction
from the master pen of Victor Hugo,
which tells how a cannon on board q
little ship manned by halfsayage Ven
oceans got loose in gale and came
near wrecking the ship before il was
secured. Hugo endows the cannon
with the fierce instinct Of Il living mon
| ster.
Capt. Creeden of the steamship Elsie,
like the true Briton that lie is. scolns
to read anything accept standard Eng
lish writer's who know the forecastle
head from marlinspille, but he de-
clared Tuesday that the big spare pro-
peller, weightier than Iugo's cannon,
that broke from its lashings on the
Elsie seemed to have three or four dew
lis in il. 1t is the habit Of every we'll
regulated tramp steamship TO carry,
usually between decks. aft, asparc pro-
peller and a tail Shaft, which is that
section of the shaft nearest TO the pro-
peller. These extra pieces OF maehin-
cry may be put in place by the engi-
neers OF the ship in almos; any port.
The extra tail shaft OF The Elsie,
weighing over four tons, and the spare
propeller, weighing about two tons,
were lashed between decks oft in thc
ship, which was in ballast. Capt. Cree
den saws they were made fast in the
most approved sailor fashion, and
would have stood any strain except the
altogether abnormal and unexpected
one they were subjected 20 on Wedncs-
dav last. The Elsie is from S;. Vim
cent, Cape Verde Islands, and she had
Il fine voyage until she reached the lati-
tude of frost. Capt. Creedon WAS in
his bert!! at 3 o'clock last "Wednesday
morning trying to get a few winks. y
frigid gale was bowling out Of the
northwest. and every bit OF spray that
struck the ship fro2e instantly, weight
ing her weather bow with two feet ot,
ice. She rolled deep in the seas, ana
every movable thing on her decks was
carried away. Capt. Crecden was
awakened by a thunder-like rumGling
aft The mate rushed forward and re-
ported that the spare propeller had cot
loose.
The little skipper summoned every
one of the crew except the helmsman,
and flew to the after hatch and scram-
bled down the ladder He says The
ship when she rolled went over to an
angle of Go from the perpendicular.
The compartment where the propeller
cot loose was only dimly lighted. When
the skipper recovered his equilibrium
ae deserted what seemed TO be several
propellers whrling and curying like
gigantic bats about the hold. He also
saw that there were two big holes, one
in each quarter, through which the
seas gushed whenever the ship went on
her side.
Not man dared at first TO venture
within the space where the huge pieces
of iron tore about. They were the pro-
peller blades, all smashed from the hub
excepte on That was the most danger
Gus.
Ten men in all were in the hold
watching their chances with pieces Of
scantliug and lassoes to intercept the
destructive career fthe broken blades.
There were many close shaves. One
by one, by the sudden placing Of a
lever or the dexterous use Of n moose,
all save the blade attached to the hub
were secured. That one seemed TO
have positive genius for lodging, and
terribly earnest desire TO crush the
adventurous sailorinan who tried to
Get a lever under it or lasso around
it. 1t resisted all the efforts to make it
fast Of the men, who sometimes were
thrown by the wild motion Of the ship
into tangled heaps. II was like a pro
peller that had an invisible engine
attached to it.
While it was flying and pounding fore
and aft and athwart the hold, Capt.
Creeden saw the ponderous extra tail
shaft tremble and move. He knew
if that massive cylinder snapped its
lasbings nothing could prevent it
smashing the bottom out OF the ship.
So. regardless of the danger from the
flying propeller blade, all bands were
called to secure the tail shaft. The
skipper himself WAS the first man to
advance upon the shaft. II had
becun to roll. He showed one
nnd of pieee Of scantling under it and
hraced the Other cnd against deck beam
above simultaneously sailor had got i
i.,Y1.v hawser nooSed about Que end OF the
s,,.tfr Just then the propeller blade made
ri,o ,yor; of the mpcrilcd sailors compara-
~ -. saf. 1t secured itself by punching
uno.S foot hole in the siarboard quarter ana
e%%i lin there. The hub was stuck INSIDE on
st'e +to deek and the blade protruded, Ike
80 .tV iyo,n the heel of Mercury, outside the
7 hrI fri,e ,ight with the b:ad@S ana Tue G,ll
shaft had been so hot that the ih0,; 49, 80
knew that tie ship was in danger ol Ieti,s M
swamped by the seas that came through 't'e
Tic The sEipper * moppcd the porsrireton from
his forehead and with his neil began Stopping
IN lie holes. Buriaps, dunnagc, aad Glfl,'u-
lin were iaalmed into them. ne sk.ilel'
fsayad some of the dunnage which pefs'aIod
in working out Q! the holes. might ioni the
DroneI;er and break the blades but he h'sG ~
take the chances on that. The gale mooer
atea and the seas weut down that day. ana
mighty glad The skipper was 20 see the ilshls
of the Delaware 3reakwater. He came iron
that ice-bound hasen yesterday WITH inc pro-
ralics blade still sticking from the Elsie
starhcard auarter The Elsie g.,il 90 III dry
| dock. and Dcnuld Mcneil G Ero.' viii IL her
up.-N. !. San.
FJ,yAPQRATED APPLES, Peaches and
/ - tor:e0fS poi.irc filIrrgufe titrOn, IRE