Year: 1874

About ten years ago was employed


as night watchman In sugar refinery


IN Greenock, town where there are


probably more sugar refineries than


any other in Britain. That in which


was engaged was the largest in the


place, and on account of its size there


was another watchman beside myself.


His name was Blackwood; he was a


widower; and his only son, of about u,


used often to come and sleep in the


little room where We kept watch. There


was large Newfoundland dog that


was let loose at night, and used to walk


all over the refinery, and was worth


half dozen watchmen. Our principal


duties, of course, we're to guard against


thieves and fire. We went there at


eight o'clock at night, and staid till six


in the morning, at which hour the men


came to their work. The little room


where we sat was made especially for


the watchman. There was a fireplace


In it, though there was never any need


of a fire, for the sugar house was al


ways SO hot that any additional heat


was unnecessary. Except two hard


benches, and shelf in the wall for a


lamp, the room had no furniture. There


was no inducement for watchers to


go to sleep there. Blackwood's boy,


when he came for the light, used to lie


on some sacks and his fathers great


coat, in a corner. Blackwood and 1


took in some cheap periodicals, and we


used to read out these, or a newspaper


in turn, till two or three o'clock, and


then we dozed until it was time for us


to go. All our sleep had to be taken


during the day. There were cheap


trips on the Clyde in those days, as


there are still, on Saturdays. Black


wood had promised to take his son a


sail, and asked me one day if would


accompany them. did SO; and went


to Loch Lomond, and spent a very
pleasant day, and returned Just in time
to 60 to the sugar house. 1t was in
tensely hot weather at the time, and


having done without our usual sleep,


We felt very tired. The heat of the
sugar house was not calculated to re-
fresh us, and we could hardly keep our
eyes open. We tried reading, as usual,


but it was useless. Before 10 o'clock


Blackwood had fallen sound asleep. l
determined to keep awake. and intend
ed, after a couple of hours or so, to
rouse my companion, and take sleep
myself, for 1 felt that it would be i'm
possible to keep watch all night. /
must, however, have fallen asleep un-
consciously, and have remained so for
several hours. dresmt that was in
the cabin of the steamer in which had
been that day, and that it was full of
smoke, and that l was being suffocated,
and could not get out. l awoke as if l
were struggling for life, and found the
room filed with q sitting vapor, and
felt an intense heat, and heard with
out the cracking of flames. The sugar
house was on fire.


Blackwood was still asleep, and 1
knocked him up, and opened the door
of the room. A cargo of raw sugar and
molasses had Just been taken in, and
this was piled up on each side of the
vaulted passage that led from the main
door of the refinery. This mass was on
fire, and was sending out dense vol
umes of smoke; on the other side of us
were wooden stairs, which led to vari-
GUS parts of the building, and these
we're also in flames. The refinery had
evidently been on fire for long time,
and we could hear the shouts of the
people without. We were surrounded
by the flames, and the heat was SO
great that it was certain We could not
survive long. Blackwood and I looked
at each other in dismay. His boy ap-
peared to be calmer than either of us,
and suddenly cried out, Father, the
beer cellar I"


The men who worked in the refinery,
on account of the great heat to which
they were subjected, had daily allow
auce of beer, which was kept in a stone
cellar about twelve or fourteen feet un-
der ground. 1t was to this place the
boy referred. The top of the stairs
which led to it was surrounded by fire,
but we at once rushed to it, and de-
scended the steps. In passing the
flames at the top of the stairs, nv face
had scorched and my hair singed. The
door of the cellar was locked, but with
the strength of desperation, we dashed
ourselves against it, and burst it open.
How cool it felt, after the fearful heat
of the furnace we had Just left But
how long would it remain SO, was the
question that Rlackwood and / consid- |
cred in few hurried words. We had
hardly closed the door when We heard
the frightful crash of the falling roof of
the refinery, and pieces of burnt wood
came kissing and cracking down the !