A Boy of the Dominion: A Tale of Canadian Immigration

by F. S. Brereton

  CHAPTER IV

  Joe Gathers Credit

  "All passengers come aft," shouted the captain as Joe and his gang,together with the sailors, clambered out of the reek of heat and smokeand ascended from the hold. "All passengers must collect theirbelongings at once and come aft of the bridge. Be quick, please; wecan allow only ten minutes."

  Blackened and singed by the heat, with their clothing scorched andactually burned in some places, Joe and his helpers came up through thehatchway and almost fell upon the deck, for they were exhausted aftertheir long fight in a stifling atmosphere. Then the hatches werethrown on and wedged down.

  "We've got to leave things like that," said the officer to whom Joe hadfirst of all suggested that volunteers should be called for. "We shallturn on the steam sprayers and hope that they, together with the wantof air, will kill the fire. You've done well, young fellow. Thecaptain's been asking for your name. But just you hop along right awayand gather your traps, else you'll lose everything."

  In a little while it began to look as if our hero might lose even morethan his belongings, or rather that the loss of his kit would be oflittle moment to him; for the fire in the hold, which perhaps had beenlittle more than smouldering before, now blazed out with redoubledfury. Indeed, it was not long after the steerage passengers had gonescampering aft, dragging their children and their belongings with them,that the deck right for'ard became almost too hot to walk on, while thesides of the ship were red-hot.

  "The deck'll fall in soon if this goes on," said the same officer,accosting Joe as he came aft. "I've known a steamer afire keep movingtill she reached port, and then she was red-hot from end to end. Butwe've a steel bulkhead just on a level with the bridge, and I guessthat's keeping the blaze forward. So it'll be the fo'c'sle that'll beburned out, and that deck'll fall in before long. Then the blaze'llbecome worse. You fellows were grand; you did your best for us. Nowyou come along to the captain."

  They found that anxious officer striding up and down the bridge, as ifthere were nothing to disturb him. But there were perhaps a thousandeyes upon this chief officer of the vessel, and, knowing that, he setan example of wonderful sangfroid.

  "I thank you greatly," he said, as the officer brought Joe on to thebridge. "Mr. Henry has told me how you raised volunteers, and likelyvolunteers too, and Mr. Balance has reported how well all behaved. Ithank you, sir, in the name of the ship's owners and her crew andpassengers. It's a nasty business."

  "Thank you, sir," answered Joe, blushing at the receipt of such praise."I was wondering whether I could be of further service."

  "Eh? Why, yes; but how?" asked the captain.

  "I was thinking of your Marconi operator, sir."

  "Eh? Ah, poor chap! That's the most unfortunate thing that could havehappened. But--I don't quite follow," said the captain, lookingclosely at Joe.

  "Only I knew him well, sir, and often worked with him. I've frequentlysent a Marconi message. There's no great difficulty if you are fond ofmechanical things and have learned the code. I worked hard at it, as Ithought once of going into the Marconi service."

  "The deuce you did!" came the sharp answer, while the skipper of thishuge ship, with so much responsibility on his shoulders, turned a deepred colour beneath his tan and whistled shrilly. "You can--but youdon't mean to tell me that you could handle his apparatus, that youcould call up and talk with a ship if she happened to be within reachof us?"

  "Let me see the things and I'll soon tell you," said Joe quietly,feeling nevertheless somewhat nervous lest his recent lack ofexperience should have resulted in forgetfulness. For it must beremembered that although a code such as is used by Marconi and othertelegraphic operators becomes second nature, and is as easy to them asis writing to the average individual, yet such codes with want ofpractice soon become forgotten. Joe might have forgotten; want ofpractice might have stiffened his wrist. His "transmitting" powersmight be now so cramped and slow, that an operator "receiving" aboardsome other ship would not pick up his message; also, the converse mightwell be the case. His ear, unaccustomed now for some little while tothe familiar sounds so particular to a telegraph instrument, might failto pick out the meaning of dot and dash coming across the waves ofether so rapidly.

  "Let me have a look into the office and also a talk with Franc. He'lltell me what is the company's usual call. I'm not so cocksure of beingable to send and receive for you, sir; but I can try, and I think I'llsucceed."

  "That's fifty times better than being dead sure and failing miserably,"cried the captain. "I'd sooner by a lot have a fellow tell me he'dtry, than go off full of assurance and conceit. Of course you can seethe operator. But he's hurt badly; they tell me he was stunned. Takehim along, Mr. Henry."

  It was a fortunate thing for the passengers aboard the vessel that Joefound his friend able to speak and understand. Indeed, the unfortunateFranc was fuming and fretting on account of the injury that had come tohim; not because of the damage he had suffered, or of the pain, whichwas considerable, but because of his helplessness and the ship's direneed help. He raised his head as Joe entered, then called out gladly.

  "Why, I'd forgotten you entirely, Joe!" he almost shouted. "I mighthave remembered that you knew the code and had worked the'transmitter'. Get right along to the office and call up help. Wewant a ship to come over and take off the passengers, and then stand bywhile we run on into port. Here, I'll give you the company's call."

  A few minutes with his friend told Joe sufficient to send him along tothe Marconi office full of assurance, and within a quarter of an hourthe apparatus, silent since Franc came by his damage, was flicking andclicking again, causing a thousand and more anxious pairs of eyes to becast upward at the raking masts and at the web of wires suspendedbetween them.

  "There's an answer," he told Mr. Henry, when he had sent the callacross the water on a dozen and more occasions. "Wait till I can saywho it is. What am I to tell them about our position?"

  The officer at once wrote down the ship's approximate position on apiece of paper, while Joe tapped on the key and listened to thereceiver.

  "Tell 'em we've fire in number one hold, and are almost roasted," hesaid. "Ask 'em to come along and take off our passengers, unless shehappens to be steering the same course, when, if she'll run on besideus, there may not be need to transfer the passengers. Ah, she'scalling you."

  Rapidly did Joe get accustomed to the apparatus. No doubt he couldneither send nor receive a message at the same rate as his injuredfriend; but if the messages were slow and laboured, and not always toocorrect, they were accurate enough for his purpose. Indeed, it was notlong before he was able to send a long dispatch to the captain.

  "S.S. _Kansas City_ answered us," he wrote. "She's steeringwest-north-west, and on a line to intercept us. Doing fifteen knotsand a little better. She's a hundred miles away, and will look out forus. She sends that she's bound for Halifax."

  "That'll suit well," said Mr. Henry, coming back from the bridge andthe captain. "She ought to fall into company with us about midnight orearly in the morning, and, of course, if there's need, we can slow downor stop altogether, while she turns north and runs direct up to us.But we can see this thing through till morning. By then thefo'c'sle'll be little better than an ash heap. It'll be a case ofclearing the passengers and then fighting the flames, or the ship'll goto the bottom. See over here; it's worth looking at, if only toremember."

  He took Joe out of the office to the rail of the vessel and then drewhis attention to the steel plates for'ard. If they had been of a dullred heat before, they were now of a bright redness, while flames wereactually issuing from some of the lower portholes. As for the deck, itwas a smouldering mass of blackness, to which a thin cloud of smokeclung tenaciously.

  "You'd want thick boots on to walk across it," said Mr. Henry, "andthen you'd never know when it might fall in and take you into afurnace. I tell you, a fire aboard ship is almost as bad as one in theforests of Canada. Ever
heard tell of them?"

  "Never," replied Joe, shaking his head.

  "Then they're bad, real bad, and you've to move quick if you want tolive through one. Now aboard a ship you can batten things down, justas we've done; or you can rouse up some of the cargo, get a hold of thestuff that's alight, and heave it into the water. That's what we triedand failed to do. Now there's nothing more but to wait till we joincompany with the _Kansas City_. Reckon there's a crowd of people willbe glad to say goodbye to this vessel."

  A saunter between decks proved that rapidly to our hero. Not thatthere was any great alarm or any marked sign of uneasiness. Peoplecongregated in little bunches; men stood lounging and smoking together,talking in eager, low voices. Here and there a woman was weeping; butthere were few who showed less courage than the men, and, indeed, not afew displayed noble devotion.

  "How's things going?" asked Sam, accosting our hero and whispering hisquestion. "They tell me you've been up with the captain and have beenworking the Marconi office. You'll come in for something, me lad.Guess the skipper of this ship did a lucky thing when he booked you asa passenger. But what's happening?"

  Joe told him in a few words. "We've got into contact with anothership," he said.

  "Which means that you have," answered Sam, catching him up abruptly."Give things their right names, lad. But there, I've seen it with youafore. It's jest like Joe Bradley to leave himself out of thequestion. So you've got talking with another vessel?"

  "The _Kansas City_," Joe explained. "She's steering a course south ofus and almost parallel. She's coming north a little of her course, andshould reach us early in the morning. If need be, and we cut offsteam, she could come due north and get alongside before midnight even."

  "Then that's a bit of news that'll help people," said Sam, satisfactionin his voice. "I'll go and tell folks about here. Truth is, there's afew got the jumps bad, but we've give 'em a lesson. Jim and Claude andme, when we all came aft, saw that one or more of them foreigners waslikely to prove troublesome. We found some of 'em packing their kit inthe boats and pushing agin the women; but I fetched one of 'em a smackthat'll make him sit up fer a fortnight, while when a bunch of'em--low-down rascals, as I should name 'em--got out o' hand and wenthowling along towards the officers' quarters with the idea, it seems,of putting their dirty hands on the skipper and forcing him to quit theship and put 'em aboard the boats, why, me and some of the boys you gottogether went for the beggars. There was a proper turn-up between us,and there's a few nursing their heads at this moment; but it jestsettled matters. You see, the best of the foreigners came in andjoined with our party, and what with that and the hiding we gave thesefellows, why, things has quieted down wonderful. Only, of course,there's anxiety; a chap can't be altogether easy when he's sailing on ared-hot furnace, with miles of sea about him."

  There was, in fact, wonderful order and coolness displayed on the ship,and nowhere more than amongst the emigrant passengers. Indeed, allvied in endeavouring to keep up the courage of the women and to leavethe officers and crew of the vessel to carry out their work unimpeded.As for Joe, he spent the next few hours in the Marconi office, keepingin constant touch with the _Kansas City_, and every hour he was able toreport that she was nearer.

  "You'd better send along and ask her to make slick up here," said Mr.Henry, as darkness closed about them. "Some of the plates for'ard haveburned through, and the air rushing in is making the fire blaze upterribly. The skipper is going to shut off and lie to. It's the onlyway of saving the vessel."

  He handed Joe a written message, which the latter transmitted throughhis instrument, reporting in turn that the other ship had now changedher course and was coming direct toward them. Meanwhile the burningvessel was brought to a standstill, the throb of her engines ceasingsave for an occasional thrill, as one or other of the screws wasrotated so as to keep the stern always before the wind. The buglesrang out for tea almost at the accustomed hour, and, to the amazementof many, the emigrants found food and drink ready for them, but not inthe same quarters. They were now huddled together, without cabins andwithout bunks to lie in, except in the case of the women and children,who, thanks to the unselfishness of the first- and second-classpassengers, were accommodated in the cabins previously occupied bysingle gentlemen.

  It was near midnight when at length a loud booming in the distance, andthe turning of a brilliant light upon them, intimated to the peopleaboard the burning ship that the _Kansas City_ was within reach ofthem. A deep cheer broke from a thousand lips, while many people burstinto tears. Then Joe and his little band were again requisitioned.

  "The captain's compliments," said Mr. Henry, "and he wishes that youwill organize the men again, so that there may be no confusion whenembarking the women. Get double the number this time if you can, andplace them in batches near every boat. The stewards will help, andbetween you it ought to follow that there will be no confusion. Butthere's never any saying when you have to deal with foreigners."

  "Then Sam's my man this time," thought Joe, going in search of thatworthy. "If between us, as Mr. Henry says, we can't keep order, why,what's the use of us at all? Ah, there he is! Sam!" he called loudly.

  "Going to tranship us?" asked the latter.

  "Yes; women and children first. They've asked me to organize doublethe number of helpers. Let's call out the old lot. We can select theothers very quickly; a few Russians and Scandinavians amongst themwould help greatly. Ah! There's Jim, and Claude with him. Boys!" hecalled, waving to them.

  It may be imagined that the work of selection was not accomplished in aminute; for with the coming of the relief ship there was huge confusionamongst the emigrants, as also amongst the first- and second-classpassengers. The courage of many, bravely shown through a number oftrying hours, broke down suddenly. Men, and women too, who had set afine example to their fellows, were seen to lose their heads and theircoolness. Passengers dashed to and fro, bumping into any who crossedtheir path, while one or two became absolutely violent in their effortsto push nearer to the spot where the gangway would be lowered.However, Joe and his friends were soon collected together, and then,with Sam's help, a body of forty or more was rapidly selected.

  "You tell 'em off; you've the orders and hang of what's wanted," saidSam, lighting his pipe for perhaps the twentieth time.

  "Then break up into parties of five," said Joe. "Now get along to theboats, five to each. Don't let a soul enter unless you have thecaptain's orders. Sam, you and I will help the stewards; I see thatthey are already ranging the women and children into lines. Some ofthe poor things look half-distracted."

  The ordeal was indeed a severe one for many on board, and rendered nota few of the women completely helpless. However, what with the helpthat the stewards gave, aided by the stewardesses and Sam and Joe, thelong lines were soon quieted. Then, beneath the flare of huge electriclamps, the work of transferring women and children to the _Kansas City_was conducted, the latter ship lowering her boats for that purpose,while those aboard the burning vessel were reserved for a futureoccasion.

  "Men now," shouted the officer standing at the top of the gangway; andat the order the men aboard filed slowly downward and were taken off,till none but the crew, the stewards, and Joe and his gang remained.

  "Now," called Mr. Henry, seeing our hero and his party, "your turn."

  Joe walked directly up to him, with Sam at his side, while the captaindescended from the bridge at that moment and joined them.

  "We volunteer to stay," he said. "We've talked it over. It seems thatnow that the passengers are gone, particularly the women and children,you will tackle the fire again. You will want help for that. We'regame to stay. We'd like to stand by till this job is finished."

  "And, by George, so you shall!" cried the captain, bringing a hand downon our hero's shoulder and almost flooring him. "By James, sir, so youshall stand by us! A pluckier lot I never hope to run across, and I'venever seen men better handled. You, sir, Mr.
Joe Bradley, I understandis your name, and this other gentleman whom you call Sam, have behavedwith conspicuous gallantry. I can tell you, gentlemen, it means muchto the officers and crew of a vessel such as this is if, when a pinchcomes, when danger faces them, there are men at hand to quieten thefoolish, to reduce the would-be rioters to subjection, and to fight thedanger side by side with the crew. It means a very great deal. Oftenit means the difference between security and disaster. Stay,gentlemen--we are about to fight those flames again, and you can helpus wonderfully."

  By now the _Kansas City_ had sheered off a little, lying to some threeor four hundred yards from the blazing vessel, which presented a trulyawful appearance, for in the darkness her red-hot plates shoneconspicuously. Lurid flames belched from her lowest ports forward,while at one part, where the plates had burned through, there was awide ragged gap through which a veritable furnace was visible.

  "We've got to flood the fo'c'sle," said Mr. Henry, as he stood besideSam and our hero. "The carpenter, 'Chips', as we call him, ishammering up a staging at this moment, and when that's popped into aboat a man will be able to reach that opening where the plates havegone. We couldn't do it by lowering a seaman over the side, for thesimple reason that the deck away for'ard is far too hot to allow anyoneto walk on it. So we shall try from the sea. At the same time, weshall pull off the hatches and pour water in amongst the stores tillthey're flooded. You come along to the hatchway. It's not likely thatwe'll be able to go down. But later on, if we're fortunate, we mightbe able to do so, and so get closer to the fire."

  Working without confusion, and indeed in no apparent haste, the crewsoon pulled the hatches off the hatchway. Meanwhile a pinnace had beenlowered, and into her the carpenter had built a species of platformraised some ten feet above the thwarts. Peeping over the side, Joe sawthat there was a crew already aboard her, while men were paying out aship's hose over the rail, where there was no heat and therefore nodanger of the hose burning. In a little while two lusty fellows wereperched on the top of the staging, and, operating the nozzle of thehose together, were directing a stream of water in through the raggedgap which existed for'ard, and which we have already mentioned. Bythen, too, Joe and his friends had contrived to get three hoses goingthrough the hatchway, though their efforts seemed to be little rewarded.

  "We're not reaching the actual seat of the fire, and the place is sohuge that even a flood of water fails to swamp the flames," said Joe,as Mr. Henry came along to see how they were progressing. "There's onething helping us, and that is the absence of smoke. I suppose thestuff which sent out that pungent smoke has got burned, and there is nomore of it."

  "Shouldn't wonder," came the answer. "As to reaching the fire, youmust just keep at it. This hatchway is too hot yet to allow a man toclamber down the ladder."

  It was decidedly hot, for when Joe put his hand on the iron ridge whichsurrounded the open hatch he withdrew it with a sharp cry. Indeed, themetal was almost red-hot, while a fiery heat as from a furnaceascended, cooled a little perhaps by the sprays of water sousing infrom the hoses.

  "I believe a fellow could reach the fire if only he could get belowthere and bear the heat," said Joe, perhaps half an hour later. "Lookhere, Sam, I'm going to make an effort. I'll tie a noose in the ropefrom the derrick, sit in it, and then get lowered. The men can play ahose on me while I'm descending, and even when I'm down below. Let'ssee if I can bear it."

  A shout from Sam brought Mr. Henry, and an order from the latter soonsecured a long length of steel cable with strong electric lamps at theend of it. At his suggestion this was made fast to the wire rope, inwhich a wooden seat was fastened. Then Joe stepped into the noose,gripped the rope and the hose, and called on the engineman to lowerslowly.

  "You don't need to trouble about the electric lights," called out Mr.Henry. "They're well insulated and perfectly watertight. The onlything that will damage the cable is the heat. Raise your arm if it'stoo great for you. We'll haul you up in a jiffy."

  Out swung the rope, and Joe with it. For a while he was dangled wellabove the open hatchway, with a sheer fall of forty feet beneath him,and a glowing furnace somewhere in the hold for'ard. Whisps of smokecurled up about him, while the heat was almost stifling, but not sosevere as it had been when he and his helpers had attacked the flamesat closer quarters.

  JOE ATTACKS THE FIRE AT CLOSE QUARTERS]

  "Lower away," he shouted, and then nodded to Sam to turn his hose onhim. "Keep the water going, and start my hose," he called to those atthe edge of the hatchway. "Now, slowly does it."

  Very gently the engineman slacked out the rope running over the top ofthe derrick, causing Joe to slowly disappear within the open mouth ofthe hatchway. Meanwhile those in charge of the hoses paid the one outwhich Joe carried, and Sam, as if he were bent on doing his youngfriend an injury, sent a stream of water squirting against our herotill the latter was drenched, and till the force of the impact of thestream caused him to sway and twist at the end of the sling.

  "Steady!" he shouted. "Less water; you'll drown me!" and, obedient tothe order, Sam shouted to the men and saw that the stream was reduced.He sent a cascade downward now, for Joe had descended still lower,causing the water to fall on his shoulders and then go tumbling andhissing to the floor beneath. And, thanks to this deluge, and to thewater spouting from the hose he carried, Joe was able to prepare theway before him. He could hear the fluid actually hissing, and see itrising in thick clouds of steam as it fell on iron and woodwork. Itbubbled as it tumbled in a heavy cascade on huge masses oftightly-packed machinery directly beneath him, and then it began tosettle into quiet pools.

  "Steady!" he shouted again. "Hold on till things get a little cooler."

  But ten minutes later he called to them to lower away, and in a littlewhile had stepped from the sling and was actually advancing into thehold. A sailor joined him, and then Sam, both filled with enthusiasm.There were five hoses going within the hour, while another was all thewhile directing a powerful stream through the gap forward. Smoke gaveway in time to steam, while the clouds of the latter, which had risenfrom every heated surface, and particularly from the vessel's plates,became far less in quantity. When three hours had passed, theatmosphere in the hold was almost pleasant, and certainly not too hotfor safe working, while the fire appeared to have been conqueredentirely. Then the ship's head was turned towards the west, and onceagain her turbines sent the decks throbbing. They came to Sam and Joein the bunks which they occupied and told them of it; for the intenseheat which they had faced, the stifling smoke, and the strenuous fightthey had made had had their natural effect. Both had been hoisted fromthe hold in an insensible condition.

  "Eh?" asked Sam. "She's right? Fire under? Then call me late in themorning. I've never yet travelled first class aboard a ship, and thisbunk's just lovely. Hallo! That Joe? Eh? He's unconscious? Well, Iam sorry; guess there's many a one will say he helped a heap to savethis vessel."

  They slept profoundly side by side, and the sun was high in the heavensbefore either opened his eyes. When Joe looked round, it was with agroan of recognition and remembrance. His hands were blistered allover and in bandages. His face was smeared with some greasypreparation, while there no longer trace of eyelashes, eyebrows, orhair. He was bald--a terrible object--with lips and tongue hugelyswollen.

  "My word," exclaimed Sam, staring at him, "what a sight!"

  Joe giggled. After all, however tired, however sore with a struggle,he could look on the queer side of things. "My eye!" he gurgled, forspeech was almost impossible. "Just you take a look at yourself; it'llmake you feel downright faint, I do assure you." Then he went off intoa laugh, which ended in a cry of pain and tribulation, for cracked andswollen lips make laughing painful. As for Sam, he rose in his bunk,leaned outwards, and stared into the mirror. It was with a groan ofresignation that he threw himself backward, for, like Joe, he waswonderfully disfigured.

  "The wife wouldn't know me," he said. "W
hat a sight! No wonder yougiggled."

  But time does wonders for sore hearts and sore heads. Five days later,when the ship put into Quebec, both were moderately presentable, thoughJoe still had his hands in bandages. But think of the reward! Athousand and more disembarked passengers from the steamship _KansasCity_ awaited their arrival and cheered them to the very echo as theylanded. It was Joe's welcome to Canada, the land wherein he trusted tomake his fortune.