The Black Hills union. [volume] (Rapid City, Pennington County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1889-1904, 1903-02-20
DARING ACT
Hung Head Down In a Big
Steamers Funnel.
RIsKED ROASTING Oh sUrrooAT1oN

Nine Feet Down the Huge F1ue Was
a Damper to Be Opened, and En-
Rineer ON La Champagne Opened 1t.
His Heroism Saved a Life and Re-
stored Vessels Speed.
Members of the crew Of the steam
ship La Champagne on her trip from
Havre performed a feat which for
nerve and daring Chief Engineer Ho-
Chef %pronounces unsurpassed in the an
nails Of the sea, says the New York
World. The mechanical exigency max
ing necessary the performance of the
duty is unique.
The heroism Of Henri Pommier, as
sistant engineer, the principal actor on
the occasion. is enhanced from the fact
that he saved a life as well as restored
to use furnaces ard machinery abso-
lutely Indispensable to the navigation
of the ship.
Again is the performance Of Pommier
exceptional because nearly all in
stances Of bravery recorded of sailors
are In the navigation or deck depart
ment and not in the engineering force.
At about six bells Of the afternoon
watch, the sea being exceedingly
rough. a gale screeching through guys,
stays and the manifold gear around
the tidley back and the ship rolling in
the trough Of the peaked waves. an as
sistant reported to NJ. Hochet that the
fires under the after funnel were burn
ing low and could not be revived.
The chief engineer OWNED that the
three ton damper within the funnel
had become Unattached from it's catch
and had fallen into n horizontal posi-
ton, shutting off the draft. While the
vessel had been laid up for her over
hauling the damper had been kept
closed to prevent dust from falling into
the CRATES. When turned up, it had
probably not been secured properly or
else the latch was defective.
Pierre Yvot, a greaser, was ordered
up the iron ladder to peep over the
brink into the huge stack. Yvot was
overcome by the gas and hung bal
anced, senseless. on the edge of the
funnel. AS the steamer rocked or
pitched he was in peril Of plunging
either down the chimney or falling
upon the tidley back. In the one event
he would have dropped through the
t%rapdoorlike damper. to be roasted. In
the other he would have been dashed to
death.
Pommier jumped to the rungs Of the
vertical ladder. climbed to tile top Of
the funnel and brought down from his
critical position the insensible greaser,
who was borne to the hospital. where
he was Oon revived.
The heavy damper. which had shaken
loose and closed itself, had then to be
turned and secured. Pommier, cheered
by his shipmates, again assembled to
the edge Of the stack and risked his life
by allowing a seaman to grasp him by
the ankles while he hung head down,
with a sponge tied to mouth and nos
trils, within the chimney. until he had
secured with extra lashings the damper
to the inside of the funnel. The shut
off Is nearly nine feet below the edge
of the stack.
He accomplished this feat and re-
turned to the 'tidley back unframed,
while his comrades congratulated him.
Upon the arrival of the liner at Havre
Commander Verlynde reported Pom
mier's bravery to the head offices Of
La Compagnie Generate Transatlan-
tique in Paris. Straightway was re-
turned by telegraph an order pro,not-
Ing Pommier to a full engis,xership and
awarding him a special ~gratification''
or prize in money. The sailor who did
most to assist Pommier Nas also ad.
vanced to the rank of frat class sea-
man and received a prize Of $50 francs.