The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1902-05-25

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her over to the port side.
Then the terrible hurricane of fir
struck her and heeled her far over tn
the starboard side, so that she lay al
most on her beam ends. At the momen
this fire wave swept over US and I hesr'
a rafting, whirling noise, frightfull.
loud and threatening. That was the
! sound of our two masts and the smoke
stack and the port side of the bridg
being swept away life chaf.
Even then we had not received tn
full force of the fire-blast for the cable
steamer Grappler served as a screeI
for US. I was told later that the Crap
pher was flung down on her side, blazeC
UP in fame in every part of her hull. and
plunged down beneath the water, all IL
an instant.
II should have said that when Capt
Muggah heard the explosion he leaped
out OF bed, dressed only in his night
clothes, and ran up on the bridge. He
was a brave man.
Mr. Scott he called to the first Of
fcer, get ready to heave the anchor.
Then the captain called down through
the tube to Chief Engineer AIcTear.
For Gods sake let Us get out of
here as fast as we can
I'VE had full steam up in one boiler
/ and the other fire banked. The chief
and the third engineer made a rush for
engine-room TO help get the ship going.
First officer Scott yelled TO the car
| penter, d Swede named Benson. Car
/ penter. get the windlass ready to heave-'
1 The carpenter ran toward the windlass
and just then the fire blast struck US
and swept him away so that he never
reached the windlass
Mr.. Scott was running for the com
panion ladder so as to get up on the
fore peak where he could give further
orders when a big black laborer from
St. Kits, whom we knew only as
Quashi, seized him around the waist
and dragged him into the steerage. That
act saved Mr. SCOTS life. and neither
he nor Quashi were even singed by the
fire.
When I ran into my stateroom on
the starboard side of the ship, my idea
was to plunge under the bedclothes in
my bench and so protect myself from the
wave of fire and gas from the volcano,
but before I got half covered, the fire.
hurricane hurled the ship over almost
on her beam ends on the starboard side.
The portfolio of the stateroom was wide,
open, and the green water came dash
ing in with great force. 1t WAS almost
scalding hot because the flames had just
swept over it.
las the Roraima lay wallowing in the
sea and trying to pick herself up l held
fast to the electric-light fixture. which
depended from the ceiling I again
thought Of burrowing under the bed
clothes. when barrel of oil and some
other heavy stuff that was swept along
the starboard gangway by the rush of
the water knocked my door open.
I jumped outside then into the gang
way, and the door slammed behind me.
Somehow it got jammed, and I could
not open it again, so I made my way
forward. 1t was not until afterward
that learned what happened when the
dre-huricane struck our ship, but 1 viii
tell it here.
Capt. Muggah was on the bridge Civ
ing his orders and trying to save his ship !
when the blast of fame overwhelmed !
him. Bareheaded and dressed only IN his |
night clothes. his hair was singed off
The cooper, Daniels a black man from /
way down the companion ladder from
the bridge to the main deck.
Ny God, Captain he cried, you |
are terribly burned. let me help your"
=. No answered the Captain, I am |
rot burned, but I am suffering great
pain
Then, whether he was crazed and de-
lrious by the pain or whether he be-
came so weak that he could not support !.
himself I do not know. but our captain
fell overheard.
Cooper Daniels jumped after him.
Daniels is an enormous fellow and a
powerful swimmer. having been used to
swimming since he knew how to walk.
He caught Capt. Muggah by the shirt
collar and tried TO bring him back TO
the Roraima, but the tide was too strong
for him with that heavy burden. Just
then the BOBBY hatch torn from one of
the American sckooners came floating by
and Daniels got onto it and pulled the
captain up on it. too.
The black man tried to paddle the
hatch back to our ship, but could not
make any Roadway. For many minutes
Capt. Muggah lay unconscious and Dan
iels thought he was dead. Then he was
70 hear him say suddenly:
Get me back 10 Mr.. Scott, For Gods
sake get me back TO the Roraima, I
want to die on board my ship. am will I
ng to die. but it must be aboard my
ship
Then the Captain lay back as If dead. /
and he never spoke or moved again. {
When he was convinced that the cap {
ain was dead Daniels plunged over
board and swan to the Roroima He 7
90. had escaped burning by being IN
he storage with Squashi and Mr. I
scott. SO that ne had All Of his strength
yet he was more than half an hour in $
getting back 10 the ship.
1T was at this time that I made my I
way forward from my stateroom. I saw &
he pantryman. a young fellow named {
sitting crouched by the Ne. . S
latch. He was all huddled over, with
us hands clasped below his knees and
lis head bent down. 1 tried to arouse
lin by shouting. and then I shook him. L
found that he was dead e
His hair was Ell burned OF. his skin T
vas scorched black. his clothes and skin [
.apg together IN scorched and ragged p
atches. I never saw such frightful o
ight before. And everywhere that I r
cooked there was notAng but misery >
nd death and dying mon and vo-
len moaning ana crying out 70 God FOR c
rater. a
The blast Of flame had passed !ouE :
20. That came straight down upon US
rom the hole in the side OF che noun $
ain But ~ the moment Of the erup- z
len there were hurled into the air many 9
,ns OF white-,fke lava ana r,,r-,sea Il