Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-04-23

|
| Written for The Evening Star by william Thorp
| kiplng discovered romance in the life
| and work of the modern steamship engi-
| neer. There is romance, too, in the stoke
| hold-the last place in which the landsman
| would look for 1t. When watch of fire.
| men and trimmers-or 'stokers." as the
| world ashore calls them-have a lazy time
| In port they spin enough yarns in half an
hour to supply a busy writer of fiction with
| plots for lifetime. Here are some typical
| stories
Some years ago there was little steam
| ship in the West Indian trade which car
| ried six negro stokers. One fine day. when
| the sea was almost as smooth as glass, this
| vessel turned turtle and went to the bot
| tom. a few miles off the coast of one of the
islands. She had put to sea with a heavy
| list to starboard caused by big deckload
| of coal and oranges.
The crew managed to cut boat adrift
| and drop her overheard with two men when
the ship was manifestly sinking. She went
| on for mile ahead of the boat at full
speed before she sank, and every one of
those stokers kept at his post. although
| they could hardly retain their footing on
the sloping iron floor of the bunkers. The
| skipper had to run down to order them up,
| and several Of them actually slipped into
|
! as it was in the act of turning turtle.
One man was caught in the propeller and
| killed. but the others were picked up by the
| boat after waiting YEARLY for half an hour
| with several big sharks around them.
| They returned to the port which they had
| only left few hours before, and the agent
| of the steamship expressed great admira-
| ton of their pluck and GOODNESS.
| See here, SIR" said the skipper. These
men have lost all their kit. and words won't
| do 'em much good. Couldn't the firm give
1 'em new outfit?'
| I'm afraid the firm wouldn't stand for
it" replied the agent but 1 will. anyhow
| and he scrubbed an order to a local clothier:
| Let these men have what they require ana
1 charge it to me-" He expected. Of course,
| that they would each get an ordinary stok-
| er's kit and let him out of the business for
| about $50.
1 But when those FIVE orawny negroes were
| given that precious piece of paper they saw
| that the chance of their lives had come.
They had G grudge against the firm. any,
| way. for they believed the ship had been
sent to sea to sink and earn insurance
| money. So they~determined to get even
Good Clothes First.
They marched into the store and
nouneed that the first things they required
| were five evening dress suits. The pro-
| prietor looked astonished, but the agents
| order was good enough. and he saw no OBJ
| lection to making money. On the contrary.
| he FASTENED to show them his finest linen
| shirts his most gorgeous silk neckt1es and
| shiniest patent leather boots They ordered
| quantities of each article, several suits of
| expensive clothing, elegant toilet sets, silk
| pajamas fine underwear. numerous pairs
| of gloves, and all the appurtenances of a
| modern Beau BrummeiS wardrobe.
| When they could think Of nothing more in
| clothes they bought the five most expensive
| leather bags in the store, packed their pur-
chases in them, and then. arrayed in plug
| hats and frock coats, marched down to the
| agents office to thank him for his Kindness.
OF course, the agent was furious; and he
| refused to pay the bill. which amounted to
| several hundred dollars. The clothier
| brought suit and compelled him to do so.
the Judge still further narrowing his feel
| ings by telling him that If he had written
| What thew need" instead of what they
| require he could not have been held Ia
4 BILE
MANY men who have "seen better days"
are to be found in the republic of the
| stokeho1d.
! 81 remember" said a trimmer on big
| Atlantic liner. ''once sailing with crew
of iremen and trinlmers which included
| an ex-captain of the British army, young
| London newspaper man who was out for
experience-and got 1t; lawyer who had
| been disbarred, and several other men VINO
were obviously of good birth and educa-
| ton but would tell nothing about their
antecedents AS rule, the engineers
don't like such a crew. They drink worse
| than the ordinary hands. they cannot work
so hard, and they won't knuckle under to
discipline.
Years ago. when / served on a liner ply
| ing to the far east, there was a young
Englishman with me as a trimmer We
went several voyages together to the same
port-the principal town of an important
British colony. He was plainly a gentle
man. but he stuck to his work well and
never went on a spree. He liked to look
fOraiRD towns [
whenever we lay in that particular British
port he never went ashore. He would not
even go on deck, unless he was obliged to
do so, preferring to stay In his bunk all
day.
This was such unusual conduct for
trimmer that asked him what his motive
was. He muttered that he had his res-
sons so 1 left him alone, supposing that
he had committed some crime in that town
and was afraid he would be arrested If he
went ashore.
Next time we visited that port the gov
ernor of the colony and his wife came
aboard to bid goodbye to their daughter,
who was sailing with us to England to
finish her education.
1.-THE second engineer sent the young
Englishman on to the wharf with a mes
sage to the dock superintendent. Going
down the gangway he met the governor and
his party. That distinguished old gentle
mana famous British general-turned pale
and stared at him as II he were ghost
Then ne gripped that grimy trimmer by the
hand and cried, BY Cd, it's Harryr The
women hung around him and began to cry
and before could grasp what was happen
ing they had hustled him into carriage
and driven him of to Government House.
Governor Fixed Him.
1.-THE governor talked to our skipper, and
fixed things up 50 that the young fellow |
didn't return to the stokehofd. But on our |
next voyage he travelled with us as a first |
class passenger After dinner one evening |
he met me on the deck and told me that he |
was the governors only son..
He had been sent to Sandhurst to train |
for the British army. but was expelled for |
throwing an obnoxious tutor into horse |
pond He dared not face his father, who !
was ane old soldier. with stern ideas OF /
discipline, SO he tried his luck for himself /
nj r,ltis7 toIy iriffad into ot.r sfakah oId