The Irish standard., 1898-12-17


at sea, had taken their stations for the
signal: Gall hands stand by to aban-
don ship"
When it came to actually approach
ing the vicinity of danger, the senor-
ita's curiosity, with possibly an UNI
confessed anxiety for the captain. got
the better Of her fears, and she fol.
lowed me as far as the gratings over
the cylinders. No one else had the
temerity to accompany US, If, indeed,
they knew where the gangway led to.
could hear Mcpherson and the captain
in earnest conversation, broken now
and then by dull tapping, as of a
hammer on hollow or fractured steel.
Occasionally enc of the Spanish as
sistants would shout some order to the
oilers, at work upon the high-pressure
cross-head. Presently we heard Hall
stead say: "Turn her over once or
twice, Mas, while keep my hand ON
the shaft" and in a moment one of the
great oily pistons stretched itself up
to within foot of Garcia's pretty
nose, as she leaned over the steel rail,
startling subdued squeal of surprise
from the girl, who had no idea the
thing moved. Up and down, greasily,
insinuatingly, they slid. while we
could hear a little sharper tapping
from the shaft-alley; then, with q
slippery sough of content, they rested
again. Another period of consulta-
tion below, while the steamer rolled in
the trough of the sea; after which we
heard the captain say: well, keep
her at about GO turns for half an hour
and see how she feels. Then report
to me-" In another moment we saw
him coming up. ....
He smiled reassuringly as he
reached the grating where we stood,
but looked thoughtful. AS soon as no
stepped out on deck the passengers
crowded about with anxious qucs-
lions; and he told them, briefly, that
there had been an accident to the
shaft, how serious one it was impos-
sible to say at present, but that the
ship was in no immediate danger, and
that they had better go below for
lunch. Then he called to the mate, on
the bridge: "Pipe your men down, Mr..
Diaz, and come to my room as soon as
you are relieved" Twas very anxious
to question him, but, by an almost inn
perceptible motion, he signaled me to
go below with the senorita.
When we reached the saloon every
one was talking excitedly about the
accident and specializing as to wheth-
er the steamer would be obliged 70 lay
Of ho
of the screw was noticeably sloweri
and the second mate, after hastily fin
fishing his meal, hurried on deck to re-
Ueve Diaz, so that he might consult
with the captain. The engineers chair
was empty; he did not put in an APP
pearance until dinner-time. About
the time we reached the dessert, the
screw stopped again. The stewards
continued to wait upon us as it moth
ing had happened, and this alone kept
several from rushing on deck again.
When we did finally leave the table.
Mcpherson came down from the cap
tain's quarters and assured Padre Sc
bastiano that the danger was not seri.
Gus. But as bell after bell struck
without the engines being started, q
vague uneasiness spread through the
ship, and every one talked. in subdued
tones. Three of the passengers went
below to make up small bundles Of
their valuables in case it should be
necessary to take to the boats.
Late in the afternoon, Halstead
came down from his room, followed
by the mate, and told those on deck
that, owing to the accident, he had de-
cided to head for the island of Guajan
In the Ladrones, where he hoped to OBJ
tain spare machinery which would en-
able the steamer to make, the remain
der of the voyage in safety. Then he
asked the senorilta, Padre Sebastiano
and me If we would like to go down
into the engine-room and see the dam
aged shaft. fancy the padre would
have preferred remaining on deck,
but, as 1t was against his principles to
miss anything, we went, holding
ton against grease on the hand-rails
and machinery. The captain natural-
~ went first, and the senorita fol.
lowed, blushing like q peony at the
revelations for which the steepness Of
the iron ladder was responsible.
Down, down, grating after grating,
until we were 10 feet below the water.
line and the cylinders lowered above
US like grotesque monsters; then
through tiny door into the long tun-
mel, or shaft-alley, lighted ut inter.
walls by hanging incandescents and exc
tending clear to the inboard bearing
at the stern of the ship. -Four of the
assistants and oilers were leaning
against the wall-plates, like navvles
waiting for the ore car In coal mine;
while down at one side, obstructing
the passage, was the wreck of an iron
tank which had been dashed on brack-
cts to hold lubricating oil, and which
evidently, fetching loose as the steam-
er rolled, had fallen upon the shaft
with sufficient force to start the crack
that we could see distinctly "a Hal.
stead swung Il torch over It. There
was quito perceptible dent where
the tank had struck, and, leading from
II, the finer line Of a fracture In the
steel which extended two-thirds Of
the distance around the shaft, slant
Ding spirally toward the stern, 10 our
Inexperienced eyes 1t seemed that any.
thing over the normal resistance upon
the screw might easily twist " apart,
but the captain sa!d " was not quite
| S>oS 1oo1,os ~ ~