The Morris County chronicle. [volume] (Morristown, N.J.) 1877-1915, 1908-12-01
CHAPTER XII.

She was in an upper berth and had
gone regularly to bed.
II am rather stiff.' she said to
Gertrude. "Could you kindly help
me to get down."
Then Mary Burt came, and the two
together dressed her completely in a
few seconds. Just as they had fin
ished the cabin door was burst open
impetuously and sandy-haired
young man, much freckled, with a
wide mouth, fat nose and laughing
blue eyes, dressed in shirt and trou-
sers only, barefooted, and with his
braces hanging down behind, rushed
in. He had d life-belt on his shout
der.
"Oh, mamma, there you are!" he
said, cheerfully, to the sweet little
elderly lady. "You really do look
nice, but you just want this to COM
plete your scostoom, and he care
fully put the life-belt round her.
Now, old lady. Just take my arm and
let me escort YOU
DUTY first" he said, putting him.
self out with a fine affectation of i'm
portance. and hurrying her out as
he spoke. "I'll just see you safe on
deck, and then Ill look after the
girls"
Now that the door was open those
below could hear what was said by
the hoarse voices shouting necessarily
to each other above, and just at this
! moment they heard the order bawled,
Bring up the women! There's not
moment to be lost!" and as If to EN-.
/ phasize it, the atmosphere of the
ladies' cabin began to grow thick
with smoke. Several of the ladies
shrieked Historically, which made the
stewardess more irascible than ever.
She said it was just the kind of thing
she could not stand, and, beginning
with the nearest, she was apparently
going all round to shake them one by
one into their senses methodically.
But several gentlemen now came to
the rescue, and in a few seconds, by
dint of pulling, hauling, driving and
coaxing, the more helpless were safe.
ly huddled up on deck, the others fol-
lowing as they were able. Gertrude
was the last to leave the cabin, hav.
ing been Obliged to return for love-
ly little child who was lame. His
mother had gone herself-and forgot
ten him! The scene on deck for
those who had courage and leisure to
observe it, was at once grand and APP
palling. The fire was in the fore part
of the ship. The engines had
stopped, and the vessel had headed
| up to the wind, which now blew the
smoke and flame aft in searching. suf-
locating volumes. The pumps were
still going frantically, and chain of
men, mostly passengers, in motley
garb, night shirts, day shirts, many
hued flannel and cotton shirts, no
shirts at all, but drawers or trousers,
often evidently not belonging to the
wearer, judging by the fit-and all
more or less scorched and begrimed,
passed buckets full of water to the
fire and back again empty to the side
of tie vessel, where two men with
ropes and hooks at the end of them,
with almost rhythmical regularity,
continually filed them afresh in the
sea. There was silence save for the
shouting of directions, which were
repeated from one to the other, and
such perfect order prevailed that had
it not been for the sight of fire, which
is always terrific, no cause for alarm
would have been APPARENT The cap
tain was as cool as when he left port
that night, and his officers supported
him manfully, while the conduct of
the crew and most of the passengers
left nothing to be desired. Some, in
fact, of the latter behaved heroically.
But all their efforts only suf1iced to
check the fire for time, never for a
moment were they able to control it.
There were one hundred and fifty
passengers on board, over sixty of
whom were women; and there were
about fifteen children, nearly all
babies in arms. The greater number
of women and children were second
class passengers, but all were huddled
together now in the after part of the
ship, the working women generally
setting an example of patient forth
tude which might have made many
of their so-called betters blush AS
usual, however, in times of great ex-
element, the best as we'll as the worst
traits Of character were freely exhib-
| tied.
tn he Continued