Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1914-07-20
The Daily Story
The Man of The Merhant-By Peter vaux.


nearly hidden beneath banda,.. ..ee
he heartily: by heavens, we've =. sat
These men owe their lives % =.
Ye've pluck" And with this - ~
cate forthcoming at last for -. 80
done he dismissed the case n,
ism. no
But about this breakdov,
can you do? Our east wing scou.' 9
in touch with the enemy, and 49,. as
not doing five knots. Neyer
to be fred, and ahead they've ~ =
the work. Can you do notbin.
these starboard engines."
They are in a pretty bad A.
III DO my best to work them r..
time at least"
The senior engineer Staggered ;.
deep wallow of the stricken vs...s
tumultuous swell tilted her CO.
ed broadside. He would bsvs 49,
beadlong IL the officers had nor e.. -
forward and caught him unde, !.
arms. He moaned. my kneer =,
knee. It's smashed" y
Half an hour later be was ,,,.--
tending his officers and men -.
stripped to their trousers. weye 49,
ing away the wreck. Every orde, ~.
issued peremptorily from his blsnes.s
lips went full and fair to the mart i.
afforded succinct knowledge ana =.
fdence to the grimy, sweating worte,s
Theirs were unbegrudged obeds,..
and execution. for each now uuders,o,s
his man. launched shouldered. be ~,
through physical agonies; yet. mos.
ing that he held the lives OF ION me-,
and that great, glorious ship +. n,
hand, he maintained his viii indom,,,.
BILE. Not a detail escaped his eve !,
slipped his brain.
".
Night had long since dropped. n.
immense boat lay lurching from "A.
to side, plunging wildly under the ION,
of green seas that thudded like bate,
ing rams against her bows ana for.
castle what time the high walled svs
broke roaring.
make for northwest trade patrd
Regain nearest port Much recrs
breakdown" had been the sorely hss
assed vice admiral's latest message
Captain Widdrington, barrel swaft
ed In shawls and many waterproof
was with the first and third lieutenant
on the afterbridge. YEARLY be turr
ed from straining his eyes over the h.
distinct SUBMITS of yeasty seas and
cleared the brine off his face and bushy
eyebrows with the fat Of his left hand
He was cautiously making his way Up
the bridge when suddenly he stopped
short. A quartermaster shouted, -Dys
hear that, sir?"
A faint boom had rung through TIE
stormy wind. ominous, like to dying
worlds last echo.
The first lodged scattered spout Of
sea. 'If the enemy drive down On u
will you fight. sirT'
Eyes, by heavens! AS well go down
flghtin' as not. If we can work ship
it's the very weather for US. See Tor
shell. / must risk the port engines
And as Wingate carefully made hs
way on deck Firm east soueasfT
was the lookout's hail.
He climbed down the thirty odd Zee!
of slippery ladder into the maze Of mo
tionless machinery. AS he touched ns
senior engineer on the elbow be no'sa
his inbent and quivering lips
Cant say" was the answer. -hes
be we will. But every man is wornz
his best If it is in my power the SUI
board mills III run"
"If we can't steam God help UT
calculated the first
v.
As the luckless warship hung ne'sA
about the iron flooring beneath u
WORKOUT men seesawed mtner az
thither, throwing them on Their ieH
She evened herself in broad 'aHT
of the mountainous sea wastes
Torshell yelled: Let her goi ~
her go!'
A breaking hill of wild water va
hurting itself on the weather quaise
just as the chains ratified through ~
blocks. Torshell lurched forward az
then, to the boats violent heelins' Wy
pied helplessly between the hinoer ~
umn of the intermediate engine az
the banging mass of cylinder gear.
"Lowerl Lower! Never mina ~
came in an intense shrek. Their ~.
ed and knotted arms pulled despeiaH
", and the disconnected workings W.
lowered clear down to the floor pla.s
The MANNED and bleeding mass
flesh that had been Torshell. K ~ >
was slipping into the crank pst =
Jerroli and some others held II
And it came that as the waning ~.
moaned Give her steam! Give
steam. Mind the links!" the maa ~
ing of the telegraph made ms sssi'.
leap TO the starting engine LUG
cut Off scouts of the enemy were "
ing a heavy cannonading. a.
The dull grunting Of guns anu
quickening thud of his engines
senior engineer did not hear. -.
NayIen. on his knees beside nim'
best man among us. ana We
knew itr' an
The fighting ship went oraveiy
action. but the man OF the me'cS'
marine would never again give eA''
IL on - Amcfic1n