Freeland tribune. (Freeland, Pa.) 1888-1921, 1898-04-18
QUICK -WITTED TARS.
SAILOR LAES WHO ROSE TO THE OC-
CASlON AND SAVED THE SHIP.
Episodes Which Reveal the Danger Mem
acing the Lives of Those Aboard a Modern
Battieship-One Hero at the Risk of His
Life Prevented IA Magazine Explosion.

acing the Lives of Those Aboard "a Modern
BattIeship-One Hero at the Risk of His
Life Prevented IA Magazine Explosion.
| A veteran American naval officer re-
lates what he calls "a little incident"
/ to show the nerve of an apprentice
boy. A division of the crew of one of
the battle-ships was overhauling the
after magazine one day breaking out
fixed ammunition, cans of powder and
gun-cotton, and cleaning house, as it
were, under the direction of a lieuten-
ant and a gunner's mate. The latter
stood leaning over the hatch, singing
out orders to the men in the magazine.
when he accidentally knocked his Ian
tern against the steel side of the hatch
way. The spring that held the lamp
gave way, and it fell into the pit, bot
I tom-side up and still burning. upon
the top of a large tin can of powder
The men in the pit were busy slowing,
with their backs turned. and did not
see the accident. The lieutenant, the
gunner's mate and others who were
looking over the hatch were stupified
with horror, but, fortunately for that
ship and its crew of 800 men, an ap-
prentice boy had his wits with him,
and quicker than you can tell it
Skinned down the tackle, seized the
lamp, eXtinguished the flame with his
fingers. grabbed the heated can of
powder in his arms and sang out:
You lubberS, haul me and this here
can to the deck. d quick Two
jerks upon rope lifted the boy and
his dangerous burden to the deck and
in an instant he had cast it over the
side into the sea.
The commanding officer did not
complain of the loss of that powder,
and the boy now wears the sword of a
gunner's mate.
1T was only the other day" said
an other officer that another gun
ner's mate, by Bit of swift head and
hand work, saved one of the battle
ships of the North Atlantic Squadron
which is now cruising around Key
West, from an awful peril in which
1t was placed by sheer carelessness.
The ship was engaged in big-g gun prac-
tice at sea, and solid shot were being
fired from the main battery The gun
gers mate referred to was stationed
in the conning-tower with the skipper
One of the big guns was loaded with
solid shot and the skipper was about
to press the electric button held in his
hand, when the boy noticed that the
breech of the gun was not locked He
might have let loose a yell of warn
ing that would have startled the skip
per and caused a contraction of the
muscles of the hand that would have
pressed the button and discharged the
gun, but he had too much sense for
that. He did not utter sound, but
with quick spring he seized the cleo
trio wire and broke it with his hands.
thus cutting the circuit. Then he
sank on the floor of the conning-tower
without bit of blood in his face and
as weak as kitten. The skipper
thought he had fallen in faint or
had gone crazy, but the boy recovered
himself in "A moment and explained
how near the captain had come to
raking his own deck with solid shot.
If that gun had been fired very little of
the ship would have been left. and
100 or 200 men or more, including the
captain, would have gone on the list
of casualties"