Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1916-09-02

| her garments swinging on their hooks At
| times the ship rolled so far that she felt
| sure II must topple over. She was not
| afraid; but subdued, rather astonished,
placidly prepared for vague eventualities.
| After the course was changed and tile
| Sirdar bore away toward the southwest,
| the commander consulted the barometer
| each half-hour. The tell.tale mercury had
| sunk over two inches in twelve hours The
abnormally low pressure quickly created
dense clouds which enhanced the melancholy
| darkness of the gale.
For many minutes together the bows Of
the ship were not visible. Masthead and
sidelights were obscured by the pelting scud.
The engines thrust the vessel forward like
lance into the vitals of the storm. Wind
and wave gushed out Of the vortex with
impotent fury.
ometer showed a slight upward movement
At 1890 a. m. the change became pro-
| nounced simultaneously the wind swung
| round a point to the westward.
Then Captain Ross smiled wearily. His
face frightened. He opened his oilskin
| coat glanced at the compass and nodded
approval.
That's right" he shouted to the quarter
master at the steam-wheel. Keep her
steady there, south Is west"
South 15 west II is. sir" yelled the
sailor impassivey watching the moving
disk for the wind alteration necessitated
little less help from the rudder to keep
the ships head true to her course.
Captain Ross ate some sandwiches and
| washed them down with cold tea. He was
more hungry than he imagined, having spent
| II hours without food. The tea was in
sipd He called through speaking-tube
for a further supply Of sandwiches and
some coffee.
Then he turned to consult chart He
was Joined by the chief officer. Both men
examined the chart in silence.
Captain Ross finally took a pencil. He
stabbed its point on the paper in the neigh
borhood of II degrees north and 112 de-
grees east.
I'VE are about there. think"
| The chief agreed. "That was the locality
I had in my mind" He bent closer over
the sheet.
Nothing in the way tonight, sir" he
added.
Nothing whatever. It is a bit of good
luck to meet such weather here. We can
keep as far south as we like until day
break, and by that time How did 1t
| look when you came in7"
"A trihe better, / think"
II have sent for some refreshments. Let
us have another look before we tackle
them"
The two officers passed out into the hurrl-
cane. Instantly the wind endeavored TO
tear the charthouse from the deck. They
| looked aloft and ahead. The officer on duty
saw them and nodded silent comprehension
1t was useless to attempt to speak. The
weather was perceptibly clearer.
Then all three peered ahead again. They
stood, pressing against the wind, seeking to
penetrate the murkiness in front. Sud.
denly they were galvanized into strenuous
activity.
wild howl came from the lookout for.
ward. The eyes OF the three men glared
at huge dismasted Chinese junk, wallow
ing helplessly in the trough of the sea
dead under the bows.
| The captain sprang to the charthouse anC
| gignalel In fierce DAntOnne that the whee
should be put hard over
The officer in charge of the bridge press
ed the telegraph lever to stop" and "ful
speed astern," while with his dsengaget
hand he pulled hard at the siren cord, ant
a raucous warning sent stewards hyinl
through the ship to close collision bulkhea(
doors. The Chief darted to the port rail
for the Sirdar's instant response 10 the helm
seemed to clear her nose from the junl
| as IL by magic ..-
1t all happened so quickly that Will,
the hoarse signal was still vibrating through
the ship the junk swept past her quarter
The chief officer Joined now by the com
mander. looked down into the wretcheC
craft They could see her crew lashed II
a bunch around the capstan on her elevated
poop. She was laden with timber. AL
though water-logged, she could not sink Il
she held together
steamship and then hurled her back will
Irresistible force. The Sirdar was JUS
completing her turning movement, and sh'
heeled over, yielding to the mighty power
of the gale. For an appreclable instant hei
engines stopped. The mass of water thai
swayed the junk like cork lifted the
great ship high by the stern. The propeller
began to revolve in air-for the third Off
Ger had corrected his signal to read "ful
| speed ahead" again-and the cumbrous Chi
nese vessel struck the Sirdar terrible blow
in the counter smashing off the screw close
to the thrust-block and wrenching the
rudder from its bearings
There was an awful race by the engines
before the engineers could shut off steam
The junk vanished into the wilderness OF
| noise and tumbllng seas beyond. and the
fine steamship of few seconds ago, re-
plete with magnificent energy, struggled
like n wounded leviathan In the grasp OF
vengeful foe.
She swung round. as II In wrath to pur-
sue the puny assailant which had dealt her
this mortal stroke. No longer breasting the
storm with stubborn persistency, she now
drifted aimlessly before wind and wave
She was merely a larger plaything, tossed
about by titanic gambols. The junk was
burst asunder by the collision. Her planks
and cargo Uttered the waves were tossed
in derision on the decks of the Sirdar OF
what avail was strong timber or bolted
iron against the spleen of the unclaimed
and formless monster who loudly pro-
claimed his triumph? The great steamship
drlfted on through chaos. The typhoon had
broken the lance.
But brave men, skilfulIy directed
wrought hard TO avert further disaster
After the first moment OF stupor, gallant
British sailors rislked life and limb TO bring
the vessel under control.
BY their calm courage they shamed the
paralyzed lascars into activity. A sail wal
rigged on the foremast, and a sea-anchoI
| hastily constructed as soon as II was dis
covered that the helm was useless. Rockets
haFed up into the sky at regular intervals
in the faint hope that should they attrae
the attention OF another vessel she woulS
follow the disabled Srdar and render hell
when the weather moderated.
When the captain ascertained that N
water was being shipped. the damage beinl
wholly external. the collision doors wer
opened and the passengers admitted to tn
saloon, brilliant palace superbly indiffer
ent TO the wreck and ruin without
Captain Ross himself came down ans
addressed a few comforting words to tn
quiet men and pallid women gathered there
He told them exactly what had happened
Sir John Tozer, self-possessed and eriti
cal. asked question.
'aFhe junk is destroyed. assumer' h
? said.
: 1T is"
: would it not have been better to hay