The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1902-05-18
l know WHO he is. He is a Gentle

upon Shackleby and approached them,
still swinging the basket The cloud
disappeared from his face and he smiled
upon the angry foundry proprietor.
"a fine day, Mr.. Errich!" he said.
"Mr. Burden is going across with
me- Bessie said calmly. Il want him
to see if he can do anything to help
poor little Vic. Mr.. Burden knows a
great deal about dogs. 1 understand.
You fiatter me-" Burden said, not
noticing the unresponsiveness of her
father, and the two young folk turned
coolly away and left their elders gasp
ing upon the wharf as the ole steamer
swung out into the river.
Did you hear that" burst forth
Shackleby.
But Erich was swallowing his dis
comfiture. and after a minute said:
There's an awful stencil of gas here.
Shackleby. I'll bet that main leaks
again"
The gas works was next to the land
ing. Here a big main plunged under
the river to supply the dwellings of
Pinkerton Heights with light.
Shackleby swore at the gas. You're
not going to stand for that, are you,
Errich?" he demanded.
mo. I'm going to tell Col. Monroe
what 1 think of it, It's disgraceful to
have such an odor of gas about here.
Sometimes you can smell it clear across
the river"
II don't mean that" cried Shackle-
by. Are you going to be browbeaten
by a chit of a girl?'
Have the kindness, Shackleby, to
mind your own concerns!" snapped the
foundry proprietor. and his brother
capitalist turned angrily away and
STROBE up the wharf.
But Erich remained and cast a
sheepsh eye after the ferryboat. There
We're Bessie and Burden chatting away
on the low deck of the steamer as
though they had no thought for the
angry man upon the landing. Erich
was not used to being treated with so
little Difference and his gorge rose, al
though he would not display his feel
ings further to Shackleby.
Suddenly the ferryboat stopped.
Something had happened to her old en-
CINE and the paddlewheels ceased to
revolve. She was not many rods from
the shore and Erich could hear the
captain shouting orders from the wheel
box as the old steamer swung broad
side to the stream.
The delay was not pleasant for the
| passengers. either. The odor of gas
was frightful all over the river and
along the wharves.
Suddenly the foundry man saw those
on the deck of the ferryboat leaning
over the rail and looking at something
| in the water. He looked himself into
| the smoothly flowing river.
/ There were great patches Of discol-
ored, oily looking scum on the surface,
| and here and there bubbles of gas
| came up from below.
whats the matter?" he asked of
smutty faced fellow who hurried by.
| There's a crack in the gas main,
| boss; that's what's the matter. The
gas oughter be shut off till it's fixed"
And then came an explosion-an ex-
| plosion which shook the echoes on both
/ sides of the river! Erich turned
swiftly to the old ferryboat. 1t was
enveloped for an instant ia a sheet of
| flame!
He realized what had happened. The
gas bubbling up through the water
| from the broken main had been ignited
| by the fires underneath the Amos G..
| Pinkertons boiler. She had been just
over the main when the accident hap
| pened, which had caused her to stop.
For a. few moments the surface of the
river all about the vessel seemed like a
sea of fire. Then the worst of the gas
! burned off, but there were spouting
geysers of fire rising half-mast high,
and the boat herself had caught in
dozen places.
She'll be burned to DEATH" gasped
Erich
He ran to the other side of the wharf
| and threw his bulk into a rowboat and
| seized the oars, although he could not
row to any purpose. He even forgot to
unite the painter which held the boat
to the dock.
He saw man after man leap out from
the burning boat and swim through
| the geysers of flame There were
shrieks of agony from those remaining
aboard. Erich pulled madly at the
oars and succeeded in doing nothing
| but entangle one of them in the piers
and swapping the blade short off.
And then he turned again to look at
the burning boat, and saw, at a clear
space at the rail, two figures appear.
He knew one to be Bessie.
The man by her side tore his coat
off, wrapped it quickly around her head
and shoulders, and selling her bodily
in his arms, plunged into the river
Erich shrieked, but the sound of his
voice was lost in the shouts of the peo-
pie who had been drawn to the water
front by the explosion. A man leaped
into the boat with the old gentleman,
cut loose the painter, seized the re-
naming oar from Errich's grasp. and
sculled the craft out toward the burn
ing boat.
Erich leaned over the bow and peer
ed under the pail of smoke which was
fast settling down upon the river. Sud-
denly he saw two heads bobbfng to-
gether just in front of them, out of the
line of the geysers of burning gas.
Another sweep of the sculling oar
and they were upon the endangered
couple. Enrich seized both of them,
and in a moment Burden had raised
Bessie over the gunwale and was then
! helped out himself.
Then the old gentleman recovered his
presence of mind. ACROSS the river
quick!" he commanded the oarsman-
'She must be taken home at once"
But Bessie was not even scorched,
although the fright and exposure had
done her no manner of good. Her
father had little attention for anything
or anybody else until, on reaching the
far shore of the river he found that
Burden had quietly tainted in the bot
tom of the boat. His shoulders and
arms had been unprotected from the
flames.
Later, when the doctors had dressed
the young mans burns, and Bessie and
her mother were both out of the room
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