Chicago eagle. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1889-19??, 1896-03-14

TT HAD slept a second longer,
the steamer, with Its LOO pas.
- sengers and crew, would have
crushed onto the rocks. Those who On.
capped drowning would have been scat.
tered over the northern part Of Ohio.
There was n frlghtful pressure of
steam. and the explosion would have
come within thirty seconds after the
machinery stopped. guess 1t was
Providence awOke me In time to save
those lives said Professor Barrett.
and then gave In detail the unwrltten
log of the sldcwlccl passenger steamer,
the city OF Buffalo.
Professor John Il. Barrett. chief clcr-
trician of Chicago, Is n man who has
led an active life. From the nature of
his various occupations he has cn.
countcrcd many perils. lie has dodg.
cd the dangers Of the deep, aud those
Of the scientists laboratory rs well.
Ills closest call was his first. 1t was
more than forty years ago. hut the r..
mcmbraDcc of 1t Is as clear and clean.
cut as the signal code of the fire depart.
mcnt. lie was not alone In hts danger,
rs the remark quoted In the beginning
will indicate. The peril OF the LOO
others was greater. for they were sleep.
ing. They never knew how near they
came to continuing their slu,n,cr In
eight feet of water or awakening ut
tbs. business center Of 3 Goi!sr cxpp.
sion. just the turn Of a wheel, the
change Of n vessels course one foot
In ten saved them from death. The
Incident. for It was but an incident.
although 1t pointed out to be one Of
the most appalling disasters In the his.
tory OF the great lakes, definitely al.
tered the line Of Professor Barrett's
life. Instead Of developing into n
Jolly scatlOg-snlt or fresh or both-hc
became one Of the most generally
known practical electricians of the
United States. Let Professor Barrett
tell why lie gave up the life Of a sca.
fnring man. lie IL a capable teller Of
stories.
Il began TO snil tho lakes when !
was 10 years old" said he. IL was
born In New York State and when a
very small boy came to Chicago. where
my father settled. Naturally took
great interest IN the lake. 1t was about
all there was to attract. l didn't con.
fine my voyages to fresh water. either.
! rounded the Horn, when II was hard
work to get by 1t and was In Pacific
coast going ships for i've years. That
has nothing to do with my failure tn
run the City OF Buffalo on tho rocks IN
Lake Erie. Just east OF Grand River.
IairpOrt IL the town there. I've got
a mental photograph Of the way the
village looked rs It lay sleeping In the
brca king August day Of more than
forty years ago. It's a picture that
doesn't fade with time.
II was only 10 years old then. rather
young to he luarternlnster OF the best
steamer Oh the lakes. but that waS
the position I held. The City OF Buff
falo. OF which wis one Of the wheels
men. and the Western Metropolis, a
sister slde.whceler. were running OF
posIte to each other between Cleve'
land and Buffalo. 1t was before the
two towns were connected 10y rail-
and tho New York Central had to carry
Its passengers for the West by boat
from Buffalo. The trntiic In freight
as well AZ travellers was extremely
heavy and the water transportation
lines made many kinds Of money. NJ
the saying goes. Our two steamers
the City Of Buffalo aud tho Western
Metropolis. were two Of the finest tim
ever turned wheel In the great lakes
They were built for speed and for com
fort both, and It was Joy and delign
to sit In their warehouses and hell
them eat up the distance. Twenty ant
twenty-five miles an hour was wlia
they had laid out for them on til,
schedule and It was very tough wealth
or indeed that kept them back OF thcil
time"
Professor Barrett grew enthuslas ti'
as he spoke of the speed qualities OF hi'
early loves, and dllatcd on the beaut!
Of their model and the hncncss o.
their lines. "The City Of Buffalo," III
said, 'was $50 odd feet long and yOl
could stand sixty feet from her bow
and touch either rail. She simply sllo
herself from Buffalo to Erie. and ,
second shot from Massassauga pOin
landed her at Clevcland-but that ism
my story.
I'VE left Buffalo at o o'clock ut nigh
or near that hour and made Cleve
land about q In the morning. hat
the wheel from Buffalo to Erlc--jus
half the distance-and from there m!
partner took the boat 70 Cleveland
One morning after we reached Buffalo
didn't 80 to sleep. was young tlel
less than 20. aud put In the da!
seeing Buffalo. I regarded It as my duty
10 know the town and become thor
oughly acquainted. That night l wa,
dead on my legs; plumb tired out.
asked my partner to take my end o.
the run and let me sleep until we reach
cd Erie. ! was still tired, but wher
he routed me out took the wheel ant
we cleared away all right for the las
half Of the run. got her ont OF tn
Nassassauga Bay all easy and smOOtl
and afterrOunding the point headed he
for Cleveland. The course Ia as stralgh
as gun barrel. The night was tn
calmest, pleasantcst ! ever knew. l
was In August, the lake was AZ sn,0Otl
as a billiard table and the speed o
the old Buffalo created Just sufficien
breeze to make It comfortable. didn'
feel sleepy-I simply was dead tired
The high swinging chair took the mo