The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1895-04-30

J SteeraRe passengers VINO are In the
most deadly danger. The cotton In
the hcld Is on fire, and they have been
fighting it night and day. A con
| moment. 1t means, then, sir, that the
| Vulcan is going to stand by the
| Adamant.'"
| a wall of anguish burst from the
| frightened women at the awful fate that
| might be In store for 80 many human
beings 80 near to them, and they chung
closer to their children and thanked
God that no such danger threatened
them and those dear to them.
And, sir" cried the Congressman,
"do you mean to tell as that we have
to go against our will--without even
being consulted-back to Queenstown
F" mean to tell you SO, sir"
Well, by the gods, that's an out
rage, and l won't stand it. sir. Imust
be i'm New York by the 9th. | won't
stand it, SIR"
should be delayed."<
Delayed ? Hang 1t all, why don't
you take the people on board and take
em 70 New York protest against
this. I'll bring lawsuit against the
company, SIR"
"Mr. Vincent" said the captain
sternly, "permit me to remind you that
[ am captain of this ship. Good after
noon, SIR"
The Congressman departed from the
saloon exceeding wrOth, breathing
dire threats of legal proceedings
against the line and the captain per-
sOnally, but most of the passengers
agreed that 1t would be an inhuman
thing to leave the "Adamant" alone
in mid-ocean in such terrible straits.
why didn't they turn back, Cap
tain Flint ?" asked Mrs. General
Weller.
Because, madam, every moment
is of value in such a case, and we are
nearer Queenstown than Now York"
And so the two steamships, side by
sidc, worried their way toward tho
east, always within eight of each other
by day, and with the rows of lights in
each visible at night to the sympa-
thetic souls on the OtAer. The sw eitcr-
ing men poured wator into the hold
of the ore and the pounding pumps
poured water out of the hold of the
other, and thus they reached Queens
town.
On board the tender that took the
passengers ashore at Queenstown from
met each other.
why! Mrs -General--Weler!! !! |!
You don't mean to say you were on
board that unfortunate Vulcan y"
For the lands sake, Mrs. Assls-
tant Browning! Is that really You
Will wonders never cease Unfortu-
nate, did you say? Mighty fortunate
for you, i think Why! weren't you
just frightened to death 2"
was, but 1 had no idea anyone
knew was on board
"Woll, you were on board yourself
That would have been enough to have
killed NO."
"On board myself? Why, what do
Vulcan Did you get any sleep ut all
after you knew you might go down at
any mOment?"
My sakes, Jane, what are you
talking about? Down Mt any moment?
1t was you that might have gone down
at any moment or worse still, have
been burnt to death il the fire had got
ahead. You don't mean to say you
didn't know the 'Adamant' was ON fire
most of the way across ?"
Mrs.-General-Well There's
some horrible mistake. 1t was the
Vulcan Everything depended on her
bulkheads, the captain said. There
was q hole rs big us barn door in the
Vulcan The pumps were going
night and day."
Mrs. General looked at Mrs. Assis-
tant "a the light began to dawn on
both of them.
"Then it wasn't the engines, but
tho pumps" she said.
And it wasn't the steam, but the
fire." screamed Mrs. Assistant. "Oh,
dear, how that captain lied, and
thought him such nice man, too.
Oh, shall go into Mysteries, know
shall"
=" wouldn't If were you," said the
sensible Mrs. General, who was
strOng-minded woman: besides, it is
too late. Wore all pretty safe now.
think both captains were pretty
sensible men. Evidently married,
both of 'em.' Which was quite true