The Bamberg herald. [volume] (Bamberg, S.C.) 1891-1972, 1906-02-15

N9ERk Frencn steamer plying u
the Indian Ocean. took ser
vice on the Borodino, at Madagascar
The war vessels of the Russian fleet
then on the way to the East. were short
of stokerS. and good wages We're OF
fered-as far as Saigon, Cochin China
for which port about thirty of the mel
in the fre-room were engaged. But
the Borodino did not put into Saigon
and whoever came aboard at NADIA
sascar had no opportunity Of leaving
the ship. The men were compelled to
proceed with the feet to the Strait
of Korea.
There were ninety-eight fremen Oh
the Borodino, in either three or four
shifts. each of which worked before
the furnaces for four hours at a time.
These men were from nearly every
nation and country of the known
world. Alittle Chilean. called 'Pancho,' -
a New Orleans negro, Sam Lafayette,
two Welshmen, designated as Big
Mac" and Little Mac" an Irishman,
Finn. and Fuzzy" from Saukin,
who had served on an English P. & 0.
steamer, were in the same shift with
McComfrey.
There were also with them four
Firms and six Russians, two Of the
former being anarchists, who were be-
lieved to be plotting the destruction
of the ship.
The heat below during the whole
long voyage from Madagascar to the
China Sea was well-nigh insupportable.
Often the blowers were not operated,
and when the ship lay to, the men were
on the verge of suffocation from bad
air, the temperature rising to 1OS de-
grees Fahrenheit. All the men in Nc
Comfrey's shift intended to leave at
Saigon, if they had to desert without
their pay. They never had the chance.
McComfrey's letter home, describing
the Battle of Tsu Shipa: is as fol-
lows:
"Our shift was to go on at two bells.
had been asleep, but turned out a
! little ahead of time, and took the bad
coffee, mush and canned beef they gave
rs, then went up tween decks to look
out to sea. 1t was cool, damp and
foggy. We were making about fen
knots, and sailor told me We were
of the coast Of Japan.
II could just make out the kniaz
Suvaroff in the mist ahead, and the
Imperator alexander H. in the line
behind us. Those were all the vessels
could see on that side. There was
quite sea on that seemed like the tail
of storm farther north. for there
was no wind. eve shall be at Flah-
vostok tomorrow, matey,' the sailor
said to me in Russian.
1.-TWO bells struck, and I heard the
pipe ealing our shift down to the fire
room. If you have been aboard bat
tleship, you know how narrow the
gangways ere from the main deck, and
how steep the stairs to the stoke-hole
and bunkers are set.
eve had cleaned the fires twice when
we felt the ship begin turning to port;
and just then the third engineer. a
German from Bremen, came to the fire.
room door. He said something in his
: own language to the head fireman, who
was also a Bremen man. They shook
bands, embraced, and then each gave
little packet to the other. ! guessed
at once that the Japanese fleet was
sighted. For away down there, with
the noise of the furnaces, we could
hear nothing of what passed on deck.
"a moment. later the forced draft
went on. 1t made our ears feel queer.
Immediately too, we We're piped to
clean fires and coal faster. They We're
giving the screws more steam, working
1p to full speed. I wondered at 1t, in
that fog, with twenty ships all around
us. but have been told since that the
fog lifted at this time.
The heavy air pressure made the
furnaces roar tremendously. Il was
all white fame inside and cut out coal
like cheese. We would no more than
get the fires stirred up and coal in, and
stand back a moment to breathe, when
the pipes would scream again.
"The Borodino was now doing six
teen knots; and just then We heard 8
dull report that came to US like blow
struck against the ships side. 1t was
a gun long way off. Little Pancho
who stood next to ne, cried, Los Yap
posi- crossing himself after his Cath
olic fashion. The Russian stokers alst
dropped their shovels to cross them
selves, and the Fuzzy threw down hi:
cleaning bar. Big Mac came across t.
where Finn and I stood.
"'What dye think, mon:' he cried
'What dye think:
"'No good thinkin' now" growiet
Finn.
The head fireman ordered Mac bacl
to his place.
"'Stand by your furnaces" he shout
ed to US. first in German, then in Rus
sian. Tend your fires! No bolting