Blackfoot news. (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1891-1902, 1894-10-20

what would you do II the Ten.
tonic took fire in mid.ocean. win a
thousand passengers on board. and
the fire SO bad that there was no way
OF putting it out?"
That question was put to Captain
Joha y. Cameron, the commander an
the White star lines crack boat DO
New York journal man.
III should get away from the shin
just as quickly as possible. nut the
RATS together, get all the provisions
Into the boats aud RATS thai time
aud room would allow, zee that the
passengers were made as eomiorta.
bio Ia the boats as circumstances
would permit get the sailors over.
board and then 60 over the side nv
self
There are few old captains who
have not experienced a fire at sea.
They toll Of II with bated breath as
tho most terrible experience OF
their lives. IL is no rare thing for
ships 70 come into port with fire
raging Ia their hold or their coal.
bunkera Captain Cameron knows
all abodt II, as he has ..been there
more than once" He never lost a
vessel or lie, though always sue.
ceeding 10 smOthering the ire and
reaching land
As an illustration Of the working
Of his idea. Captain Cameron tells
the story q the burning Of the At
lanile Her captain was Robert Mac
Dou2al. IS line al old sailor as ever
irod q deck. They left Boston for
Liverpool With a hundred saloon
passengers aud forty or ftiy in the
Storage She was a slow boat aud
took from twelve 20 fourteen days 10
cross the ocean But she was one Of
the staneh. old fashioned kind. with.
out any trllis on her, but a splendid.
seaworihy slip
When i've days oat ire was dis.
covered IN tho hold How Il started
20 ono ever knew Captain Mac
DOugal examined II himself and
found Il vas pretty bad. but he
thought he could another Il aud
reach Liverpool all right The
matches were nailed down tight 10
keep all air oai aud water was
pumped iuto the spot where the ire
WAS
Mono o. tho passengers knew any
thing about IL at Grsl The day
following tho discovery Il was found
that tho fro was gaining The
SMOKE that trlcklcl through every
crcyiec made IL impossible TO con-
ccal tho situation from the passan.
gers any logger
Captain MaoDougal summoned all
tho mon and told them the ship was
on hro lo assured them that there
was very little danger. aud said he
thought they could reach port before
the fire gained enough hcaiway TO
30 dangerous
The engines we're driven AZ the NJ.
most possible speed. and tho hold
wab delayed with q stream 81 water
that would have put out any or
binary arc. That night. however,
tho gallant captain realized that tho
flames were gaining the victory.
AZ midnight tho chief engineer 70.
ported that the heat was becoming
30 intense IN the engine room that
Il was almost impossible 10 roman
thcrc. AZ tho same time the first
officer reported that so far as he
could soc. tho Ere had become AN.
manageable.
The captain ordered all hands on
deck as quickly as possible. IN order
not 10 alarm tho sleeping passcn.
gers. Provisions and kegs OF water
Z we're carefully slowed away In all
the life boats ICompassos. chronom-
eters ard scStants we're packed
I into them Blankets, oilsktns and
/ other ncccssarics were added and
( tho davits were swung ready FOR
I launching the boats Of moments
notice,
/ Tho crew behaved admirably.
( having perfect confidence 10 their
captain There was no footing of
/ tho stewards room. no raid upon tho
rum. as occasionally happens
Captain Mc.sougal determined to
/ hang on as long as possible, in the
/ hope OF sighting another ship. lie
\ knew he was right in the beaten
I track Of ocean vessels. and wished
TO avoid taking to tho boats II
possible.
At noon tho FIRE had gained such
headway that it became evident that
/ Il must break out before tho follow
7 ing morning.
/ Captain McDougal, realizing that
4 the ship must be abandoned. deter
mined TO do IL before sunset He
called all the passengers together
and told them ~ his determination.
directing them to make haste and
nat on their heaviest cloihiug aud 20
stow away as much OF their valu.
ablcs as thoy could carry
Il was just before sunset that the
order was given TO man the boats
/ The FIRE. hitherto confined TO the
hold. had taken possession OF other
parts OF tho vessels inside, and the
amount of water that had been
pumped In made her lie very low aud
roll terribly,
Fortunately the sea was calm. The
boats were launched and women and
7 children sent overheard. Then came