Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1902-02-27
SHIP ON FIRE AT SEA.
ADVENTURE ABOARD A SMALL
BRITISH NORTH BCRNeO SHIP.

Aunning for safety In tho China Sea with
Fire In We Coal i,unkers- Only Half M
Inch Of Wooden Bottcm Lott Oh Arrival
In Port.
It was August In Hong Kong; and a.
everybody knows, the worst month OF
the typhoon season. The Petrol,
q snail gun-boat, was lying at one OF
the buoys OF Kowboon ready for sea.
She had been built for the government
Of British North Borneo, and had Just
been equipped and fitted out by an ON
Ger sent over from there who was or
dered by the governor to proceed back
with her to Borneo with a. little de-
lay u possible. for the pirates who IN
fest the coast were again causing trou-
bic and she was urgently needed To
suppress them.
40 Z scratch crew Of Chin 40 sailors
and hremen was engaged European
engineer to take charge Of her triple
expansion engines, and . half-cast
deck oficer to assist the English ON
Ger In command to keep watch. Her
bunkers were veil stocked With coal.
and coal was also stored in bags IN
other parts OF the ship, for precaution-
airy measures, as well as to take tho
place Of ballast. As she was only Tor
use on the coast, to put down Malay
pirates and convey government ofhcers
from one station to another, she was
only built Of wood with iron frames
and beams and carried one quick firing
gun.
On the 9th Of August cable dis
patches were received from Manila
that a typhoon was raging In the CHI
ma sea. So giving 1t three days to blow
itself out the captain decided to start
on his voyage on the 18th, trusting
to reach a safe latitude before the
next typhoon was "brewed."
On reaching the open water outside
Hong Kong she encountered q terrifc
sea. but the little craft behaved
splendidly and after correcting the
compass she started boldly across the
China sea bound for Borneo. All went
well until two o'clock the following
morning, when the chief engineer re-
ported that the coal IN the port bunker
was on fire.
Orders were at once given to close
the stoks-hole doors on that side, and
stihs, II possible, the IRE for want OF
dr. At seven bells In the forenoon.
the Are was still reported burning, and
furthermore, the star-board bunker
had also caught. The situation was
getting serious. In the Arst place It
seemed q pity to put back to dong
Kong, for the sea was getting smooth
er and tho barometer showed no sign
yet Of another typhoon, and In few
days We could be out Of their latitude;
II was also necessary We should push
on with all speed to Borneo where the
vessel was urgently needed. At the
same time we had to consider the YES
sci was wood and the bunkers were
not lined with iron. The Are was sure
" and slowly burning through the
bottom Of the ship We only had two
small boats barely sufficient to hold us
all II we should be compelled to aban-
don the ship.
Finally It was decided to alter our
course for Manila. to close all stoke
hole doors and bunker tops, and use
coal from other parts Of the ship.
Holes we're then bored in the decks i'm
medlately over the bunkers The crew
were employed drawing water con-
stantly, and pouring 1t down these
holes; to exclude the air, plugs were
cut and fitted In these holes. One man
would stand by when the water was
brought and take out the plug, insert
the funnel. pour in water, take out
funnel and put in plug again. The
work was tedious and exhausting, but
we dared not desist. The decks, after
two days, and nights Of this. were be-
coming alarmingly hot. The boats
were provisioned and breakers Of wa
ter were placed In them to be ready II
the bottom burnt out Of the ship. Any
moment now we expected to see her
stern disappear. On the afternoon Of
the third day Of the fire the Chinese
crew suddenly refused duty; the con-
tinuous work Of drawing and carry
ing water was lrksome and hard.
On being asked what was the reason
for their not working, the serang. or
b0atswain. In charge OF the sailors. re-
piled In his pigeon English. I'VE no
wanchee work any more! Whist good
work? Suppose Joss up top side have
say makee die, must makee. die; can no
nght Joss" Now. from Chinese
point Of view this may be all right. A
Chinaman Is q fatalist, and does not
believe ha ought to 80 against what
he supposes to be the wishes Of God
or Joss, as he calls Him, but should sit
down IN such cases as the present and
walt calmly and stoically for
death. But our Ideas and
theirs on this theological point
do not coincide, and by gently but
firmly showing that II they refused
duty they would certainly die. but In
harsher method than the calm and
comfortable one Of drowning they be-
gan to think differently. Then we