Evening star., 1940-07-20
Dangerous Voyage
PotMcid Morgan =ssD s|l1E Dsa Isl

| ~VsSsSe
America bound cruise ship Georsis is
csueht in q violent tropical storm most
9ooms ns bas snss H nsa sna ss
her snS atfs &c e hs
sssn shnss Hsfs s. &c mssns The sns seo
expected II would rousins the jealousy
Who T on ssa board with with "A. saS 'GssS sasxcF, M
| New York socialite and her mother.
A. the soSnds asdht .od Of hs ST ns s rs
Phyllis. who has tainted. AIsae goes on
deck and pushes his way toward boat.
CHAPTER VIII.
The fire that started in the hold
OF the Georgia got beyond control
in a very short time. It seemed evi-
dent that it began, at least indirect
ly, as result of the shifting of the
cargo, and then because of the
violence of the sudden tropical
storm, the efficiency of the pumps
and automatic fire extinguishing
equipment was gravely impaired.
| There would be questions and in
dictments fired at the captain Of
the ship for the rest of his life, of
course, for not having sounded the
alarm as soon as the fire in the
hold was discovered. But his reason
ing at the time probably was that
the severity of the storm was a
hazard far greater for his passengers
to risk on open decks than the
hazard of the crews being unable
to control the fire. Accordingly, he
had let the passengers know nothing
Of the fire until it was clear it could
not be put out; then he sounded the
alarm, ordered every man of the
crew out of the blazing hold and to
work lowering the boats and help
ing the passengers into them. What
their fate would be, tossing about
in such mountainous seas in open
boats, he could well imagine, but
there was no alternative. He had
kept them aboard and kept them
calm as long as he could; now
they were at the mercy Of a power
far beyond his.
Standing on his bridge directing
the removal Of his passengers, the
captain was witness to a hundred
dramas. His men were perfectly
trained in the work they had to
perform; many of them had been
through similar experiences before.
They found their places, worked
with splendid cooperation; so far
as the men went there was not a
single hitch, single blunder. The
dramatic element was supplied in
almost every instance by the storm
itself.
Boats Can't Be Used.
The boats to starboard could not
be lowered because of the violence
OF the waves that smashed, one after
the other. against that side. And the
ship, despite the fact that the en-
gines were working, could not be
guided and nosed into the waves
because the fire in the hold had in
capacitated the steering gear. The
chief engineer had gone to repair
the trouble when it first was re-
vealed, but he found that a giant
1-beam. wrested from its position
by the jolt Of the shifting cargo and
practically welded by the heat from
the fire into the spot where it had
fallen. made repairs under emer-
gency conditions impossible.
So, with clouds of smoke issuing
from every hatch and stairwell and
to the accompanying sound of burn
ing, cracking timbers, the passen-
gers Of the Georgia swarmed to the
port side and waited their turn to
get into Ifeboats.
The boats on the fore and aft
decks were unavailable because the
waves lashed those unprotected
places mercilessly. Only the boats
to port of the cabins could be used.
And while four decks had boats,
only two Of them--the uppermost
ones-had them lining their entire
lengths.
The first one was launched sue
cessfully, and cries of mingled fear
and exultation rose from the pas
sengers who watched from the
Georgia's rail, waiting their turn to
try the same thing, as they saw the
cork-like craft rise dizzily to the
crest of the wave, stand perilously
atop 1t for a fleeting moment, then
dive over and out Of sight into the
trough beyond.
Takes Phyllis to Boat.
Algae, who was among the first
to reach the boats, stood now with
Phyllis still in his arms and tried
hard not to look back to where the
man and his wife had gone over
board. He saw one of the sailors
standing near the place with a life
line hanging from his hands into
the water, but he knew that neither
OF them could have survived the
shock of their fall-from the deck
to the water was probably over so
teet-even If they had not been
dashed against the side of the ship.
Phyllis stirred and weakly lifted
her head. Her eyes wandered
dazedly around the pressing throng
of passengers that now gathered
behind them, talking in low tones,
the women occasionally emitting an
indispensable sob.
You'll be all right, Phyllis" Algae
said tenderly. "Just lie quiet until
time to get in the boat"
"Yes, Algae. The boat-oh, the
boat You mean we're leaving the
ship?"
Shes on fire. We have to leave
Algae buried his face In her hair
and held her tighter in his arms
Remember what I said a while
ago?" he whispered. Its a good
thing we can swim"
---------------&---
Thommen. Second 1t. Louis A., from
New York to TuSla