The Denison review. [volume] (Denison, Iowa) 1867-current, 1912-09-04

The fun loving passengers were
massed on the after deck around a
large canvas tank that had been i'm
provised in front of temporary stage.
The crowd covered every square foot
of space that offered viewpoint, and
the more venturesome were hanging
in the rigging, perched upon awnings
and standing upon the lifeboats. .
Now, the crossing of the line is
pre-eminently sailors feast day and
the ceremonies are carried out by the
crew. In honor of the event the men
of the sea had rugged themselves up
in every kind of grotesque costume
that they could think of and had fres-
coed their faces and bodies with the
most vivid paint that could be found
in the ships stores. The band was
also in fantastic uniform, for it was
to lead the procession over the prom
enate deck and aft to the stage. The
ships bell had already struck the
llOui, Dut lic Uol Ddl ~ lAdoQuSi a0SAo
had fingered a moment on the fore
castle deck to be photographed. This
momentous business finished, they
lined up and awaited the signal from
the bridge But that signal never was
given.
Sitting quietly in corner OF the
lower promenade deck was an aged
woman who professed to have no in
terest in the uproarious proceedings
/, of the hot afternoon. But she had
acted queerly at different times and
was understood to be not mentally
normal Just as the hour of two rang
out, this aged woman climbed upon
the railing unobserved and threw her
self over. Although it happened in
the immediate vicinity of hundreds
of people, it was done so quickly that
only two persons saw her. Others
heard the splash including the pas
senger who had been in conversation
with the chief officer a few days be.
fore. He was then perched out on
the gangway, over the side of the
ship, and he looked down. Beneath
him, face upward but without move
ment OF any kind he saw the body
float swiftly past, but he thought 1t
only stuffed dummy that had been
thrown overheard as part of the
farcial program. Even when he saw
an officer rushing past him in the di'
rection of the bridge, he did not be-
come excited; it was to him and to
most of the others merely the begin
ming of the show.
When the officer was making for the
bridge at full speed, the passenger saw
a commotion on the after hurricane
deck. The second officer and two
seamen there stationed were stripping
the canvas from lifeboat No. IS and
swinging it out over the side. The
officer and men entered it, took out
the oars, and the boat slowly descend
Gu 10 WlLllu lev lScI VI lAlC "o.CA
Meanwhile the ship ploughed steadily
ahead and the passengers expected
to see Neptune picked up by the life
boat.
Hero Dives Into the Sea.
But things had been happening on
the bridge in the meantime. The mo-
ment the officer on the bridge heard
the message he signalled to the en-
CINE room to reverse both engines
Then he stepped to the starboard side
(she had gone over on this side) and
jerked a cord This released large
life preserver that always hangs there
1t is an ordinary ring such as may be
found distributed around the prone
made deck, but it has attached to it a
small tank and a torch. When 1t
drops into the water it rights itself
and the torch sticks up for a yard
above the surface. The contact with
the water produces chemical reac'
ton that generates a gas and auto
Ii. ttically lights the torch. BY night
this torch indicates to the navigat.