New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1898-02-27

guarded against There Is good deal Of coal dug
out Of the in a a5s i she
but is not used by men-of war on account OF us
Srs abutting upon fire and boiler rooms. In all
men-of war bunkers there Is an apparatus that
gives the alarm when the temperature Of the bunk
Err rises above a certain set figure. The bunkers
are all numbered. II the temperature OF bunker
No l. for instance rises beyond the set mark the
alarm is given by means of ringing registering
machine placed Just outside the skippers CABIN
whose station outside the cabin door enables him
to keep his eye on and his ear attuned to me
man to make the rush to the officer Of the deck
with the that there is something wrong IN
one OF the bunkers. Then the ships bugler sounds
fire quarters. and all hands gallop to their fire
stations. Steam is turned into the bunker me
Such fires are not at all uncommon. but accounts
OF them rarely get into print.
no coal-passcr or any other member OF me en-.
sinccr's gang is permitted to carry an open light
into the bunkcrs. bu; the coal-Dassers often do
this all the same. Coai-bunkers modern ships
OF all fitted with a couple OF standing
electric lights each but in coaling ship the glass
for the most parr leaving the bunkers unligh,cd
The oal-passers can't to get out coal in bunk
open lights into the bunkers. orders or no orders.
''on one Of the big cruisers Of the Pacific Station
4. few years ago the bunker hre-aiarm outside the
shippers door set up steady ringing. and the
marine orderly rushed forward with the announce
The shin at at the time. but this coal
bunker was as yet unbroached or at least the chief
engineer had not been Informed. as Il required.
that the oa-passers had started TO haul coal out
OF that bunker. Clearly, then. in the minds OF the
chief engineer and the officer of the deck. there
was Spontaneous combustion in No. bunker and
"A minute after the alarm given the fremen
at the bunker door with the steam hose.
They found the bunker door open. which the chief
engineer couldn't understand. but they let enough
knots before steady bawlng Of sea eXpletives
from within The bunker caused them to shut the
steam hose OF. Their the voice within was heard
growing:
4" What the bloomin' devil are yousc hat-foot
pa.nt-scrubbers a-tryin to do? Drown an
choke me TO death. ye blasted And the rest Of
IT was simply a torrent Of Jolly Roger talk
'"rhc voice withln the bunker belonged a coal
passer who, without The knowledge OF the chief
engineer had preached No bunker because IL
was close TO the iireroOmS. ana therefore easy to
work. The coal-passer had taken open light
into The bunker. and he had set this light down on
apparatus 1t d Int take the firm alarm para us
two minutes to become heated sufficiently to make
IT'S automatic report on deck. The cOal-passer was
given a chance to think the thing over while doing
a ten-day trick in the brig I'm double irons.
"A week rarely passes by that some man Or other
on a manor war doesn't get less grcvOuSly
hurt II therc Il not an unguarded open hatch for
him 10 step into. the mau-o' -warsnan has It chance
ical ndnuuvre drill # oycrhaung batteries. on
the cruisers that still carry sail for Steadying pur
poses he may be slapped the side of the ead by
"A loose. Swapping halyard. or he may and often
does take a bad tumble 10 the deck from 4 sud
denly slackcning ridge rope. Down below among
the black gang fireman is always thou ;htlcssly
picking NJ an almost rcdhOt slicebar or devils
Claws AT the wrong end, or getting of
on the whole Notwithstanding the firm conviction
or most saiOrmcn that there is less danger on the
sea than on the land. the man-O' -Narsman on a
modern cruising ship is kept pretty constantly
sweetheart as sound whole and healthy as when he
last saw her"