The Portland daily press., 1894-03-06
A FIRE IN MID-OCEAN.
One Who Has Been Through 1t Re-
lates His Experience.

lates His Experience.
| Aroused by the Awed Tones of Fellow
voyaxer-Efforts of the Oficers to Keep
| the Excitement sDown-Peculiar Traits
of Character Brought Out by the Danger.
The man who has never enjoyed the
unique experience of spending week or
30 on board of burning steamer in mid
ocean can hardly realize the sensation pro-
duced by such thrilling incident. J. E..
Dodson of the Kendall company had this
experience while returning to England
some two years ago, and the story is best
told in his own words: stWe had booked
passage on one Of the big steamships" he
says. stand at the last moment it was
learned that something was the matter
with her machinery, ana we were all trans
ferred to the City Of Richmond, an old
boat, but considered perfectly sesworthy.
OF course we were disappointed at the
change, but there was no help for it, SO
we proceeded to make the best of 1t. Well,
the weather was dissgreeable from the
start, and many of the passengers were
very sick. One chap in particular had a
hard time. He was an eccentric fellow, and
he insisted upon having his meals served
on the deck, possibly because it would per-
nit him to be conveniently near the rail
in case of emergency. One day watched
him at DINNER He had soup first, and
this went into the ocean Fish followed it
there soon afterward. So did every other
course in turn At last he struck dish
he seemed TO relish. twas asparagus. He
demolished one order of it and then gave
st up to the sea. He was persistent, how
ever, and called for another portion. This
shared similar fate. A third and fourth
order followed with like results. Then he
gave in. After that we called him As
paragus, and that name stuck by him
through the voyage He used to drop into
the smoking room and lecture the men for
playing cards, saying that something
dreadful would happen to the ship If they
persisted in gambling. He was general
nuisance.
ssWell, about the fourth night out was
aroused from a sound sleep by one of the
ladies of our company. She raped on the
door of my stateroorn and told me in awed
tones that the ship was on fire. ! dressed
hastily and went on deck. It was black
night, and the rain was pouring in tor
rents. The captain and all Of his officers
were on the bridge. learned that the
cotton between decks was on fire, and
asked one of the officers, q friend of mine,
what was up. Don't say a word of this, ;
he whispered, as 1t would cost me my po-
sition, but unless we can keep that fire
under we are gone. You run to my cabin
and put on some oiIskins you II find there.
Also get two rsvolvers you'll find in my
locker Icould see the need of eilskins,
but failed to understand why needed
shooting irons. we are going to provision
the boats for an emergency he said, and
tho first mon to rush for them will be the
firemen and stokers. They are the scum
Of the earth, ana the only way to hold them
back is at the point of revolver. We
must provide for the women first. Don't
breathe word of what I've told you, or
I'll lose my place.
Sat the head Of the big companionway
there was crowd of the women, all hud
died together, and there was Caroline
Hill, the actress, her blond hair flying
and in her hands a silver backed hand
glass and other trinkets, which she pro
posed to save. With the women was my
old friend Asparagus, telling them that
he knew disaster would come on account
of the card playing in the smoking room.
/ took him gently but firmly aside and
told him to shut up--that he was soaring
the women. DO you think SOP he asked.
did, and then he went and erawled I'M
der blanket, where he remained the rest
of the night. All of us started to proyi-
sion the boats then, and we carried hams
and sides of bacon and crackers and kegs
of water and canned goods and slowed
them away in the big boats We worked
on till morning came, and the dawn was
most welcome. They had turned steam
into the hold, and 1t kept the fire down.
Once they lifted hatch to pour water
in, and looked into glowing furnace.
The air gave the fire life, and they clapped
the hatch on again, battened 1t down and
turned on the steam. 1t was our only
hope. During the morning we sighted an
other vessel and sent up signals of dis
tress. She came near and was told by sig
nails of our plight and asked to stand by.
We felt treasured, but pretty soon the Off
Ger knew told nee that we could never
transfer passengers on that sea. The
stranger signaied, too, that she had yell
low fever on board and no room for our
500 people. Wewould be obliged to sleep
on the cargo in the hold. Pleasant pros
pect, wasn't it? But she stood by us any
way.
AThe next day we sighted a big steam
er 1t proved to be the Servia of our line,
and when she learned of our trouble she
hove to and agreed to stand by. We felt
better then, as had been told that the
boats could not live five minutes in the
heavy sea. The next day it was compar-
aSively calm, and the three captains put
out in boats and had consultation, the
result of which was that the yellow fever
vessel went on her way, and the big Servia
stood by us. At last we were safe. One
day in the smoking room Scotch pas
senger arose and said that we should give
thanks to the Almighty for sour deleever-
ance.' We thought it was not the time
and place for that, exactly, but he insisted
that his friend, the Reverend Master Mac
pheerson,' offer prayer. He did SO, and
it was long one too Just as he said
amen the steward came in, went up to
him and said, Here's your cocktail, SIR
We did not dare laugh. We arranged to
take up subscription for the brave men
who had acted 80 nobly in the face of dan
ger, and I was one OF the committee ap-