Kingsbury County independent. (DeSmet, Kingsbury County, S.D.) 1894-1929, 1905-06-16
Told by the Suckers.

and offered to pay the passage money
for a certain one of the hremen if the
captain would transfer him from the
stokehold TO the first saloon. Astonish-
ed beyond measure. the captain refus-
ed. saying II would be contrary TO all
discipline.
The the girl confessed thai he was
a former lover, a man of good family.
but o They had been engaged to
be married, but the engagement was
broken on because, in a lovers TIT. n
said TO him:
You live on your father now, and
you want 10 live on me after we are
married.
The young man thereupon set out to
earn his w living, n "roughed IT.
for a couple of years. Then he became
a fireman on the very ship in which his
former sweetheart was a passenger.
She saw him on deck n evening when
he had come up for a breath OF fresh
air after his exhausting work in the
bowels of the vessel.
After this explanation the captain
agreed to have him brought 10 the
saloon: but the young man declined to
leave his stocking, and persisted IN
treating his former sweetheart with
the distant respect which stokers are
supposed to show toward passengers.
The girl tried in vain to win him back
to her, and by the time the shop reach
ed Alden she was nearly heartbroken.
He Saved Her Life.
Going ashore there for a walk. she
managed to offend the religious fanati-
cism of some Mohammendan pilgrims
who were travelling from India TO Mec-
ca. They mobbed her, n for .
momen her life was In danger; but
the stoker, who had also gone ashore,
rushed into the thick OF the mob and
saved her.
What happened after that nobody
knew except the lovers. but they EVIL
IDENTIFY made up their quarrel. She re-
turned to the ship, radiantly happy
He went back TO the stokehold for the
rest OF h voyage, but at Bombay they
left the ship together n were mar
ried within a couple OF hours by spe-
cial license, the skipper giving the
bride away.
Many stories are told among sailor
men OF the heroism and coolness dis
played by stokers In the moment or
danger. When peril ZONES TO a man In
the vitals OF a big steamship 1t comes
with a rush. He has no time to screw
up his courage" Unless he keeps IT
always screwed up he fails mtserably.
Suckers rarely fall.
The Prince Victor. a tramp steamer,
which used to be well known In the
West Indian fruit trade, was nearly cut
in two by a liner in the English chan
mel some years ago. The stem of the
liner struck the Inflated vessel at right
angles. cut two thirds through Ii. as IL
II were cheese, and then stuck.
They Were Heroes.
The stokehold VAS penetrated by the
stem. Some OF the stokers were killed
by the impact, others by the rush OF
boiling water and steam from the
smashed boilers. Only three escaped
60 the deck, and two of them insisted
IN rushing back TO the stokehold to
see II they could rescue any of their
mates. The stem was grinding up and
down, half way across the hold, n
the steam and hot water tortured them
horribly. yet they persisted until they
brought up one nan They vent Town
again, and neither OF them returned.
The ship sunk a few minutes later.
This Is a typical story OF the heroism
Of the stoker, and II could be parallel
ed a hundred times. But their bravery
Ii usually of the far harder kind, which
simply sticks to routine duty In the
face of death. Suckers can generally
be depended on to keep III fire going
In the engine room. even when they
know that the ship Is In monlentary
danger of sinking.