The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1898-09-29


wasn't paralyzed with fear. While all
of the others stood waiting for the ship
to go into the air. he slid down the
hoist chain like cat descending from
a tree. He grabbed the lamp, the wick
of which. still abaze, was heating the
iron can, and blew il out. Then he
clutched the handle of the powder can
with one hand took a firm hold on the
hoist chain with the other, and yelled:
shoot me up out q this you fellows
above there, quick"
The lad with the can of powder i'm his
hand was at the top of the hatch in no
time. He ran for the poop as soon as
he made the spar deck and Chucked
the can, the lid of which was hot from
the wick of the lantern lamp, over the
side into the water. The lad certainly
saved his ship from being blown up.
The skipper didn't punish the boy for
wasting government ammunition. as
may be taken for granted. Instead, he
commended the lad so highly in a let
ter to the department that the boy re-
received special letter of praise from
the secretary of the navy.
TNEXI ECTED BRAVERY.
An American sealing vessel, bound
for Japan and thence to the Aleutian
scaling waters, got onto the French
Frigote Shoals, a couple Of hundred
! miles off the Hawaiian Islands, a few
years ago, and began to go to pieces.
An American man-o'-War. making
suundings down in that neighbOrhood,
sighted the wrecked sealer, and,
though the sea was terrific, boats
Grey. under the leadership of the
chiefs bO'sunS mate, was put off
from the w2rship to succor the seal
crs crew. The chief bc'sun's mate
was not a man notable for nerve. He
had, in fact. shown the white feather
in two or three miX-ups he had had
with other chief petty officers of his
ship. and he had lost prestige among
f, the men forward for this reason. When
the man-o-war boat got within a hun
dred feet or so of the sealer which was
| rapidly going to pieces, the crew of the
succOring boat saw, with considerable
disgust, that all hands aboard the seal
| or, including the skipper, were boiling
| drunk, and were standing maundering
| to one another, waiting fer the last
| lurch of their shin. instead of making
| an effort to clear the life-aoats of the
| davits. 1t was impossible for the war;
| ships boat to get alongside the
wrecked sealer on account of the giant
! seas, The chief bosuns mate, who
| had hitherto lacked the nerve to take
| his own part i'm fo'c'sle sqIabbles,
| didn't intend to let it go at that, how
ever. He leaped suddenly into the sea,
and he had navy pistol stuck into
| the bosom of his mastering shirt when
| he lcaped. When he drew near to the
| distressed sealer the seas slammed him
| against the ships sides time and again
| before he was able to clutch at a raj
| chain to pull himself aboard. He sue
ceeded in climbing aboard finally, how
| ever. and then he made q race forward
| to where the crew, including the skip
| per and mates, We're huddled around a
| rum cask soaking themselves The
chief bo'sun's mate hoped into the
middle of the gang of drunkards,
whipped out his big navy pistol, and
made the bluff of his life. The bluff
| went
"Cut away the boats, ye sors, and
take a chance or I'll put an ounce of
! lead into every drunken dog of ye!" he
yelled.
he spoke, and his attitude sobered the
men. They numbered out of the fo'-
c'sle, and, despite their half-helpless
condition, they got two longboats clear
Of the davits, and All hands, nineteen
men in all Of the sealer's crew, got al
the oars in the nick Of time. The
bQ'sun's mate vert along in one of the
longboats. and, followed by the man
| o'-war's boat. they all made for the
Amc rican warshir, which was hove Il
| a quarter Of mile away. The sealel
went to pieces ten minutes after the
crew had left her The crew was taken
to Honolulu by the warship. The chief
| bo'sun's mate was afterwsrd regarded
by his shipmates as a man who could
only be carried along a certain mum,
bCr OF knots.
SAVED HIS LIFE.
Commander Thomas, formerly of the
gunboat Bennington, had his life saved
aboard that ship by a Cingalese mess
attendant in ar odd sort of way. He
was doing a bit of inspecting on the
berth deck, aft one afternoon wher
the executive officer Of the ship, came
to the head of the after berth decl
ladder and shouted down below TO any
body within hearing:
rs the captain below therc?"
Commander Thomas heard the call
and, without making any reply to the
question, started from the pay Office
for the ladder intending to go abov,
to the main deck TO see what the frs