The morning Astorian. [volume] (Astoria, Oregon) 1899-1930, 1906-06-17

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when he saw that water was rapidly
rushing with every sea into the fur
mace room. threatening with extinction
the fires that could alone give power
to the vessel, he called one OF the dech
hands to the wheel and. instructins
him as to the course to be laid. himself
hurriedly inspected ship. With the aid
OF the other deck hand he quickly re
moved from bow to stern everything
that had weight, Then he and the
deck hand and fireman, with some aid
from the engineer. proceeded TO shovel
the coal supply from its bunkers for
ward of the fire room into the cap
lain's cabin aft OF the furnaces,
This done, the tug no longer ran her
PROV into and under the tremendous
seas, but rode over them instead, ship
ping no further water
Then Duncan returned to the pilot
house and few minutes later reached
the imperiled fleet Of coal barges.
There havoc had already begun
Three barges had gone down. and tive
men had been drowned. The rest OF
the harges were riding so uneasily that
their seams We're opening. and the wa
ter that must presently swamp them
was finding its insidious way through
their sides and bottoms,
When the tug appeared all the men
on board the coal barges clamored
piteously to be taken off at once
"Stand to your duty, men, shouted
| Duncan. Don't be towards! Do your
part of the work, and we'll save all OF
you and all the coal! Only obey orders
promptly, and III be responsible for
the rest! Go TO the pumps and an
swer every command promptly
He then ordered flaming torches kin
died on every barge, and In the light
thus created he was able to tow one
after another OF the coal boats into that
harbor Of safety In which the tug cap
tain should have moored them during
the day before, the men meanwhile
pumping to keep the water down.
Then, with his clothing drenched and
frozen stiff upon him. he steered the
tug back TO her landing place through
the now receding storm.
Kennedy, the tug captain. was there,
waiting As Duncan came ashore Ken
nedy said menacingly:
If ! get my discharge for this I'll
prosecute you for plotting without a
license
The ice incased and half frozen
young man made no reply. He sim
ply hurried ashore.
AS he mounted to the top of the levee,
though it was only little after day
light, Duncan encountered Captain
VIII Hallam, who stood there waiting
for him.
"Go to the hotel" said the employer.
1--WE ordered piping hot bath for you
there and blazing wood fire. There's
nothing like wood fre after chill
Ing such as you've had. When you get
good and warm 80 to bed. When you
wake naturally telegraph to the office
for me, and Wen breakfast together.
I've ordered the breakfast The hotel
keeper thinks 1t will bankrupt him or
make his fortune to furnish It, but that
doesn't matter. Get warm and get
some sleep. Sleep as long as you can"
" don't think ! care for Sleep" an
swered the half frozen and wholly ex-
hausted young man. "But would you
mind sending Dutch John to me at the
hotel? I'd like to have him rub me
down with some Turkish towels after
my hot bath. Tell him | have dollar
for him II he rubs me we'll"
"That fellow is certainly new
brand" muttered Captain Hallam to
himself as he walked away up the
levee. "but he's triple X for endur-
ance and modesty and courage and
all the rest of 1t. What a fighter he
must have been! I'd like to see him In
O hot battle II | were bullet proof my
self. I'll bet bonds to brickbats he got
all the fight there was In them out Of
his men. But why doesn't he look out
for his own interests, wonder? I'm
still paying him the salary on which he
began. ANY other man In my employ
who could have done one-tenth of what
he has done would have made me pay
three ffmas as much nv thig time Rut