The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1895-11-21


lands where whales are never found.
All that time she smelt abominabiy,
and the smell, though fishy, was mot
wholesome. In the middle of the tenth
week calamity descended upon her
from the island of Pygang-Watai, ana
she fled while her crew jeered at q fat
black and brown gunboat pulling far
behind. They knew TO the last reyolu-
ton the capacity of every boat on THOSE
seas that they were anxious to avoid. a
British ship with a good conscienced does
not, MS a rule, fee from the man=of=Mac.
of "A foreign power, and 1T is also u
breach of etiquette 20 stop and search
British ships at sea. These things n
skipper of the Haliotis did not pause to
urove, but held on at an inspiriting
eleven knots an hour till nightfall. One
thing only had he overlooked.
The power that kept an expensive
steam-patrol moving up and down
those waters (the skipper had lodged
the two regular ships of the station
with an ease that bred contempt) had
newly brought up n third and a four
teen-knot boat with a clean bottom 10
help the work; and that was why the
Haliotis, driving hard from the east TO
the west. found herself at daylight in
such a position that she could not help
seeing an arrangement of four flags n
mile and n half behind, which read:
"Heaye 10, or take the consequences"
She had her choice, and she took ii,
and the end came when, presuming on
her lighter draft and international eti-
quette, she tried TO draw away north
ward over a friendly shoal. The shell
that arrived by way of the chief engin-
GERS cabin was some five inches in
diameter with a practice, not a burst
ing, charge. 1T had been intended to
cross her bows, and hat was why IL
knocked the framed portrait of the
chief engineers wife, and she was a
very pretty girl, on the floor, splin-
tered his Northumberland, crossed the
alley way into the engine-room, and
striking on a grating dropped directly
In front of the forward engine, where it
burst, neatly fracturing both the bolts
that held the connecting-rod to the for
ward crank.
What follows is worth consideration.
The forward engine had no more work
to do. It's released ~piston-rod, there
fore, drove up fiercely with nothing to
check it, and started most of the nuts OF
the cylinder-coyer. 1t came down
again, the weight of the steam behind,
and the foot Of the connecting-rod, use
less as the leg of a man with a sprained
ankle, flung out to the right and struck
the starboard or right-hand cast iron
supporting-column of the forward en-
CINE, cracking ii clean through about
six inches above the base and weighing
the upper portion outwards three
inches towards the ships side. There
the connecting-rod jammed. Mean
time, the after-engine, being as yet UNI
embarrassed, went on with its work,
and in so doing brought round ut its
next revolution the crank of the for
ward engine, which smote the already
damned connecting rod, bending ii
and Herewith the piston-rod cross
head-the big cross-piece that slides up
and down so smoothly.
The crosshead jammed sideways in
the guides, and, In addition to putting
further pressure on the already broken
Istarboard supporting column, cracked
the port, or left-handed supporting col
umn in two or three places. There be-
ing nothing more that could be made
TO move, the engines brought up all
standing with a hiccough that seemed
to lift the Haliotis a foot out of the
water; and the engine room staff, open
ing every steam outlet that they could
find in the confusion, arrived on deck
somewhat scalded but calm. There was
a sound below of things happenings
rushing. clicking, purring, grunting,
rafting noise that did not last for more
than a minute. 1t was the machinery
adjusting itself On the spur of the mo-
~