Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1915-05-09

capes, her fate is on tho knees of the
gods OF war and tempest and disaster
until she reaches her destination. She
cannot hold to any definite sea lane. but
must lay hes course according to in
formation Which her skipper may pos
sess. to take him beyond tho hunting
ground of predatory raiders.
And then the forty or more cattlemen
who are carried on every ship are q
constant menace to the officers. Draft
cd usually from the dregs of the water
side. they are as unruly as Wild beasts
and as tricky snakes. Many OIL
Ger on the cattle boats ont of Newport
News has felt block of wood or be-
laying pin whizz by his head in the
dark OF midwatch. and the chief
kicker aboard cattle boat az
blackjack or gun handy to protect
himself against the assaults OF some
disgruntled member OF the cattle crew
As yet the English have never lost
cargo of horses. but even II the ship
escapes the threat of commerce de
stroyers and the wrath of .ne sea gales.
witness the tale of the sailing of the
Rembrandt from Baltimore and her re
turn to Newport News four days Later
her afterhoId Quilted by incendiary hre.
half her horses dead. and her crew eS
hausted with their fight against the
flames.
Alexander Edlin lis skipper of the
Rembrandt Tom Jones is his "hrst
kicker" Charles q. Taylor is second
officer The Rembrandt. aside from the
incendiary attempt to destroy her car
go. is notable for being the FIRST horse
ship to clear from an American port
for the war zone. She cleared on her
fourth voyage about ten days ago. and
as she left Taylor complained:
We've been legally 'shanghafed,' 80
to speak They told us we'd have only
one trip and be back 'ome in six
weeks. We've been runnin' 'er now for
six months,'-which shows how much
in demand the cattle steamers really
are. But of the first memorable voy-
age of the Rembrandt:
She cleared from Baltimore. October
"a. 1914. In the stalls were 79s horses.
as fine specimens could he obtained.
And all went well until the morning
of the 29th. when. with Taylor on the
bridge. at one bell of the midwatch-
which is 1890 am, the alarm which
of all is most dreaded at sea. that of
Fire" was sounded. Smoke poured
from the hatch which gave to No,
4 lower hold. aft.
Fire hose were manned. the pumps
We're started, and the firefghters. un-
der command of the second officer
charged the flames in the hold. Time
after time they were driven back by
the heavy gases. until thirteen of them.
overcome by smoke, were dragged
back from death to lie gasping on
deck.
The horses having been stalled over
the other matches. all hope of getting
to the fire from in front was cut OF
and again and again the men ventured
back into that seething furnace in the
hold.
Then panic broke loose among the
animals.
The horses cried like babies" Tay-
for. telling of the catastrophe, declared
Many of them in their fright kicked
down their stalls. and. loose upon the
decks. dashed wildly through the
smoke. As the gases grew thicker |
saw horses gasp and drop. and then
literally crawl along the planking
Next morning eight of them lay in one
corner alone. noses stretched out
toward the floor to get the last breath
of fresh air"
Then the cattlemen, who had refused
to venture near the fire, rushed the
Iifeboats. but Capt. Edlin and his Of
hcers. armed with the fire axes with
which they had been attempting to
chop their way through the deck to
the fire, held them at bay
They went clean off their chumps. :,
said Capt. Edlin. who had Joined the
conversation, after having gone to his
cabin for "a bit of brass" by which he
meant his gold-corded cap.
But when once the officers quelled
the incipient mutiny among the cattle
men, driving them back from the boats
and holding them in check by fear OF
personal violence. they drove the
sweepings of the water front to the
hose lines. and held them there, work
ing hour after long hour until the
fire was under control.
course for Newport News the FIRE was
extinguished after thirty hours. al
though it was necessary to flood the
after hold with seventeen feet of water.
One hundred and ten horses died be-
fore port was reached, and before they
cleared again 244 more had succumbed
to the effects Of the fire.
I'VE don't know that any horse ship
has ever been captured" declared Sec
ond officer Taylor, but two which put
out from New Orleans months ago
have never been heard from. on our
second voyage, too. when We cleared
from that port, a white powder which
afterward turned out to be of a high
ly inf1ammable nature was found
among the hay. In New York, too. a
man was caught taking bomb aboard
ono of the cattle ships.