Waterbury evening Democrat., 1903-08-10

uHIl4 tnSy ldndeQ ana read or IL 1n InS papers, Tomlinson had the satisfaction at least, of knowing that his work had prevented the shaft from knocking hole into the shops side and leaving the vessel helpless and in peril of a stormy sea until tow should chance along.
 It was Scotchman who pried open safety valve and prevented a serious explosion on liner that Is sailing the seas to-day.
 For some reason or other the donkey engine, used for hoisting cargo and luggage, had been started at sea and @ fireman put in charge of it. An hour or so later the second engineer, whose watch it was, distinguished an unusual noise among the multitude of sounds of the big ship-so keen is an engi- neer's sense of hearing.
 He located it as coming from the donkey engine, and rushed thither. As he got near he realized that the safe ty valve had stuck and after he had slid down the narrow, oily companion way, he found not only the safety valve stuck tight, but the fireman asleep at his post, and the boiler all but ready to explode
 In less time than it takes to tell it, he grabbed a crowbar and was up among the pipes, frantically trying to pry open the valve. How long he worked he does not know-"it seemed years," he said; but he finally got the valve open in the nick of time and prevented an explosion, which would surely have blown a, big hole in the ships bottom.
 Not infrequently the engineers are compelled to work in water up to their knees. The plates of many ship, when she straddles sea, move and cut at their rivets and leak nightly Then the engineer must wade around in an engine-room flooded from port to port and give heed to naught but the welfare of his engines.
 He must not think about the mani fold dangers of sailing in a 'tleaky old tub,'' or of rheumatism, or other ills that will come to him from work ing for hours in brine and bilge water 1t is a trite saying of the sea that wherever there is a ship engineer there also is 8 bad case of rheuma- tism.
 It is only when cylinder head bursts or a large valve gives way, filling the engine-rooms with scala ing steam before the opportunity can be seized upon to repair the damage, that an engineer is forced to leave his post. Then it is that he has to charge for dear life up steep, narrow companfonways made slippery by en- zine oil, to a place of safety And all the time be climbs upward, the steam pursues him, for the companionways are in the only opening leading out of the engine-rooms.
 But 1t is not often that escaping steam gets ahead of an engineer, for he is man trained to act like light ming flash in emergencies. The emer- gency is not always below decks
 An English tramp once came into New York harbor showing the queer est-looking funnel imaginable. While several days out 8 storm carried away 1 the funnel, and to keep their ship from having to be towed in, the engi- neers rigged up funnel out of pieces of old sails, twine, rope ends, f1attened out tin cans, and all other kinds of junk that they could make to serve their purpose.
 This wonderful work they held in position by lines made fast to the masts, and so well did it fulfil the 1 duty for which it was constructed that the tramp made port only day or so 1 late under her own. steam, refusing all offers of assistance and thus saving to her owners thousands of dollars 1 in salvage money.
 l And such instances" said the man. i ager, are almost of everyday occur 1 rence"-N. Y Sun