Butler citizen. [volume] (Butler, Pa.) 1877-1922, 1899-01-19


could hear Mcpherson and the captain
in earnest conversation, broken now
and lhen by n dull tapping. as Of
hammer on hollow or fractured steel
Occasionally cne of the Spanish as
sistants would shout some order TO the
oilers, at work upon the high-pressure
cross-head. Presently we heard Hal
stead say: Turn her over once ol
twice, Mac, while keep my hand on
the shaft" and in a moment one OF the
great oily pistons stretched itself VI
to within a 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, greasjly
insinuatingly, they slid. while we
could hear little sharper tapping
from the shaft-alley; then, with a
slippery sough OF content, they rested
again. Another period of consulta-
ton below. while the steamer rolled in
the trough of the sea; after which we
heard the captain say: We'll, 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 he
stepped out OH deck the passengers
crowded about with anxious ques-
tions; and he told them, briefly, that
there had been an accident to the
shaft, how serious a 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
to question him, but, by an almost i'm
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 speculating as to wheth-
er the steamer would be obliged to lay
up for repairs at Yap. The pulsation
Of the screw was noticeably slower;
and the second mate, after hastily fin
ishing his meal, hurried on deck to re-
iieve Diaz, so that he might consult
with the captain. The engineers chair
was empty; he did not put in an ap-
pearance until dinner-time. About
the time we reached the dessert, the
screw stopped again. The stewards
continued to wait upon us as if 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, a
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 1t 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 senorita, Padre Sebastiano
and me if we would like to go down
. h.. . he q
aged shaft. | fancy the padre would
have preferred remaining on deck,
but, as ii was against his principles 10
miss anything, we went, holding
punches of cotton waste as a protec-
tion against grease on the hand-rails
ly went first, and the senorita fol
lowed, blushing like peony at the
revelations for which the steepness of
the iron ladder was responsible.
Down, down, grating after grating,
until we were 12 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 at inter
walls by hanging incandescents and ex-
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 navvies
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 lashed 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 as Hal
stead swung torch over it, There
was quite a 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
ing spirally toward Che stern. To our
eyes it seemed that any
thing over the normal resistance upon
the screw might easily twist it apart,
but the captain said II was not quite
rs bad as it looked, tapping the steel
with a hammer and calling our atten-
ton to the sound as he did So lie said
that in ordinarily smooth weather he
might get back TO Manila without an
actual break, but that, as .he risk
would be great in squalls or heavy
seas, it would be foolhardy to proceed
without the strengthening rings and
clamps which he expected to find at
Guaian.
With that omtnous fracture before
IS, the wisdom of his decision seemed
and the whole affair had
,een managed in so realistic manner
hat thought the engineer had done
lis work u little too well. Having
cen all there was to see, we made our
way back to the engine-room, where
Ialstead scared Gracia nearly out of
Ter wits by placing her hand upon the
and telling her to push
t down, slowly, the answering plunge
# the great connecting rods making
Ter think that something was about
o explode Then we climbed to the
leck, the senorita insisting that Sc
,astiano should go first with me, and
Halstead's support in order
o keep him on u level with herself.