The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1899-03-23
DANGER IN WEIGHING ANCHOR.
Two Men Within a Few Inches of "a
Chain That May Crush Them.

From the Washington Star
There are dangers to seamen about
which landsmen never think, said the cap
tain of one of the Baltimore feet engaged
in the Rio coffee trade to a little company
at the Riggs. You wouldn't consider the
apparently simple process of Weighing an
Choir a risky one, yet there is a part of the
job so disagreeable, not to say dangerous,
that the men always draw lots to see who
shall perform the duty. In the ships bow
there is a compartment hardly big enough
to hold two persons comfortably, and here
the anchor chain is slowed. The seaman
who is to do the slowing and the under off
Ger who is to oversee the work reach the
place down a little ladder through an aper-
ture scarcely large enough for a fellow to
squeeze himself. 1t is so dark there that
you can't see your hand before your face.
and lantern has to be taken along.
The odor at this time is bad enough,
but when the chain begins TO come in it
becomes almost unbearabe Some of the
harbors in the tropics, indeed most of them
are filthy and there is brought up from
their bottoms all sorts of dlsagreeable
souvenirs of your visit. When 1 was first
before the mast on more than
one occasion almost sue
cumbed TO the frightful odor, and
l have known finicky young tars who act
ually had to leave the ship because they
could not perform this part of their duties
without fainting.
But of the real danger. Each link has
TO be carefully placed in its proper position
as the chain comes slowy in for other
wise Wheh 1t came TO dropping anchor
again the whole side of the shin might he
torn out. Sometimes through the careless
ness Of the men on deck the MINDLESS is
allowed TO slip and the chain begins to run
out at a great rate. Then a fellow has IN
be quick, or he will be dragged up through
the chute and his life dashed out. He is
warned of the danger by the metallic RAT
tie ana the smoke arising from the fric
tlon as the fast-moving chain comes in
contact win the chute, and he presses as
lar pdck as ne can from the iron mass
Ior ne knows too well that a terrible death
awaits him If his clothing should become
entangled in the chain at such moment
only few voyages since on NV sbin q
man was caught in this wav. The mate
VINO was by his side, managed TO rescue
hlm' put IN doing so was himself carried
along with the chain and had his life
squeezed out had pretty close call nv
self once. While slowing away tbe chain
l accidentally kicked over the lantern and
the HSht was eXtlnguished. OF course I
could not stop in my work to let those
above know what had happened for the
misplacing of a single link, as have said
might result in disaster and the mate. I'M
fortunately, was not then near at hand
To be alone in the darkness and horrible
stencil was far from pleasant, but of a
sudden heard sound that filed me with
terror-the rattle of the chain as il began
to swiftly pay out. Some one had blum
dered, and there l was in that black md
lcathsome hole, the victim of the blum
der. l shrank back pale and trembling
for it was only a few months before that
a poor devil had met the same fate that
it seemed. awaited me.
Remember, l was only few inches re-
moved from that rushing, rampant mass
of iron, and there was no little likelihood
that in some vagary of its motion it might
ensnare me, in its tolls. The awful noise
the stencil, the odor of smoke. the sparks
as the chain strained against the chute.
all these had their effect upon me. and nv
mind became a blank When the mate
came for me with lantern had swoon-
ed and fallen across the compartment
where the chain had lain few minutes
before. The chain had run its course be-
fore / tainted, else / should have been
ground to pieces