Highland recorder. (Monterey, Highland County, Va.) 1877-1972, 1906-09-07


As the tug quilted her mornings and
began her voyage up the river Duncan
caught glimpse Of Captain Hallam's
form hurrying toward the landing. Al
most Immediately the tug began to
plunge in perilous fashion, thrusting
her head under the waves and shipping
water enough to dampen the fires and
diminish steam pressure In a way that
threatened failure to the enterprise.
Failure in the work of rescue was
the only thing that .Guilford Duncan
feared.
He had already had the matches Sc
curely battened down so that no water
could find its way into the hold, but
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 deck
hands to the wheel and, instructing
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 it's bunkers for
ward Of the fire room into the cap
tains 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 two
men had been drowned. The rest Of
the barges were riding SO uneasily that
their seams were 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 Mt once.
"Stand to your duty, menv' 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 I'll be responsible for
the rest, Go to the pumps and an
swer every command promptly"
He then ordered flaming torches kim
died OH 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
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
Will Hallam, who stood there waiting
for him.
go to the hotel" said the employer.
ave ordered piping hot bath for you
there and blazing wood fire. There's
nothing like wood fire after chill
ing such as you've had. When you get
good and warm go 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 it will bankrupt him or
make his fortune to furnish 1t, but that
doesn't matter. Get warm and get
some sleep. Sleep as long as you can"
IL don't think l 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 IL he rubs me WELL"
"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
4 hot battle If / were bullet proof my
self. I'll bet bonds to brickbats he got
all the fight there was In them out of
MS men. But why doesn't he look out
for. his own interests, l 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
le has done would have made me pay
hree times as much by this time. But,
ag & -