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About Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922 | View Entire Issue (Dec. 12, 1895)
12 THE OMAfIA DAILY BEE : THURSDAY , DECEMBER 12 , 1805 , s THE SHIP THAT FOUND HERSELF 1 g nv nriiVAim icii'MMi. " 1 M 3 ES3SES3SiHO2SS [ 3 S ( CcjiJ-Hglit. 1555 , Ijy lludjranl Klpllnc. ) It was htr first voyage , and though she was only a little cargo steamer ot 2.COO tons , she was the ve-y best kind of cargo steamer , the outcome of forty years of experiments and Improvements In framework nml ma chinery , anil htr designers and owners thought Just ns much of her as though she had been the Lucanla. Any one can make a floating hotel that will pay htr expenses if ho only puts enough money Into the na tion and charges for private baths , suites of rooms , and sucn like ; but In thcso days cf competition and low freights every square Inch of a carco boat must be built for cheap ness , great carrying power and a. certain steady speed. This beat was perhaps 210 feet long and 32 fact wide , with arrange- menu that enabled her to carry cattb on her main and sheep on hr upper deck If she wanted to ! and there was accommoda tion for stearago passengers , too ; but her great glory was the amount of cargo that she could store nway In her liolus. licr own ers they were n very well known Scotch family came round with her from the north , where she had been InunchEd and christened , to Liverpool , where she was to take cargo for New York ; and the owner's daughter , Mlns Frnzer , went to and fro on the clean decks admiring the new paint and the shiny brass work anil the patent fittings and par ticularly the strong , straight bow over which she hail cracked a bottle'of very good champagne pagne- when she christened the steamer the Dlmbula. It was a beautiful September aft ernoon and the boat in all her newness ( she was painted lead color with a red funnel ) looked very fine Indeed. Her house flag was flying and her \vlilsllo fiom time to time acknowledged the salute of friendly boats , who saw that she was new to the sea and wished to make her welcome. "And now , " said Miss Frazer , delightedly , to the captain , "she's a real ship , Isn't she ? Ono minute you weigh twice as much as you ought to and the next you don't. " "It Isn't my fault , " said the capstan. "There's n green brute from outside that comes and lilts mo on the head , " "Tell that to the shipwrights. You've been In position up there for months and you've never wiggled like this before. If you aren't careful you'll strain us. " "Talking of strain , " said a low , rasping , unpleasant voice , "arc any of you felfons you deck beams , wo mean aware that those exceedingly ugly knees of yours hap pen to be riveted Into our structure ours ? " "Who might you be ? " the deck beams Inquired. "Oh , nobody In particular , " was the an swer. "We'rs only the part and starboard upper deck stringers ; and , If you persist In heaving and hiking like this , wo shall be reluctantly compelled to tnke steps. " Now , the stringers of a snip arc long girders , fo to speak , of Iron that run length ways from stern to bow. They keep the Iron frames ( what are called ribs In a wooden ship ) In place , and also help to hold the ends of the deck beams which go from side to side of the ship. Stringers always consider themselves most Important because they are so long. In the Dlmbula there were four stringers on each side one far down by the bottom of ths hold , called the bllgo stringer ; one a little higher up , called the side stringer ; one on the floor of the lower deck , and the upper-deck stringers that hayo been heard from already. "You will take steps , will you ? " This was a long , echoing rumble. It came from the frames ; scores and scores of them , each one about eighteen Inches distant from the next , and each , riveted to the stringers In four places. "Wo think you will have a certain amount of trouble In that , " and thousands and thousands of the little rivets that held everything together whispered : "You will ! You will ! Stop quivering and be quiet. Hold on , brethren ! Hold on ! Great punches ! What's that ? " Itlvets have no teeth , so they can't chatter THE DIMBULA TAKING CARGO. ft seems only the other day father gave the order for her , and now and now I've chrls- 1 tened her. Isn't she a beauty ? " The girl was proud of the firm and talked as though she were tlie controlling partner. "Oh. she's not so bad , " the skipper replied , cautiously , "nut I'm sayln' that It takes more than the chrlstenln' to mak' a ship. In the nature o' things , Mies Frazer , It you follow me , she's no more than Irons and rivets anil plates put Into the form of a ship. She has to find hersslf yet. " "But I thought father raid she was excep tionally well found. " "So she is , " said the skipper with a laugh. "But It's this way wl' ships , Miss Frazer. She's all here , but the parts of her have not learned to work together yet. They've bad no chance. " "Yes , indeed , nut there's more than en gines to a ship. Every Inch of her , ye'll understand , has to be livened up and made to work wl' Its neighbor swcetenln1 her , we call It , technically. " "And how will you do It ? " the girl asked. "We can no more than drive and steer her and oil her ; but If we have rough weather this crossln' It's likely she'll learn the rest by heart ! For a ship , ye'll obsalrvo , Miss Frazor , Is In no snnso a reegld body , closed at both ends. She's u highly complex struc- tura o' various an' confllctln' strains , wl' tissues that must give an' take accordln' to her personal modulus of eelastlclty. Mr. Buchanan ( the chief engineer In his blue coat with gilt buttons was coming toward them ) . I'm tnyln' to Miss Frazer , here , that our llt- ' tlft Dlmbula has to be sweetened yet. on' nothln' but a gale will do It. How's all wl' your engines ? " "Well enough true by plumb an * rule , of court's ; but there's no spontanee-lty to 'em yet. " He turned to the girl. "Take my word. Miss Fraer , an' mehbo ye'll comprehend latnr. Even after a pretty girl's chrastened a fihlp It docs not follow that there's such n thing as a ship under the men that work her. " "f was sayln' the very same , Mr. Bu chanan , " the skipper interrupted , "That's nuire metaphysical than I can fol low. " gild MIsH Fra/er , laughing. "Why so ? Yft'ra good Scotch , an' I knew your mothei's father ; he was o' Dumfries. Yo'vo a vested right In metaphosslcs , Miss Frazer. Just as yo have In the Dlmbula , " the engineer nnswerfd. "Eh , well , wo must go down to the deep waters and earn Miss Frazer her dosvldends. Will you not pome to my cabin for tea ? " the fcklppsr said. "We'll be In dock the night , nnd when you'ro goln' bark to Glatgie yo can think of us loadln' her down an' ilrlvln' her forth all for your rake. " In the next few days they stowed nearly 4,000 tons dead weight Into the Dlmbula , and took her out from Liverpool , As soon as she met th ? lift of the open water she natu rally began to talk. If you lay your ear to the side of the cabin the next time you arc In a steamer you will hear huudreds of little voices In every direction , thrilling and biu- 7lng and whUp'rlng nnd popping and gurgling and robbing and squeaking exactly llko a tnle- pliow ? cxchango In n thunder storm. Wooden fillips shriek and growl and riiunt and use bad language , but Iron ves ls throb- and quiver through all their hundreds of ribs and thousands ot rivets , The Dlmbula was very strongly built and every piece of her had a letter or a number or both to describe It. am ) every piece Ind been lummeroj or forged or rolled or punchsd by man and had lived In the roar and ratlin of the shipyard for month ! . Therefore , every piece had Its own Eoparote voice In exict proportion to the amount oT trouble * pcnt upon It , Cast Iron , as rule. says very little ; but mild stool plates and wrought Iron and ribs and beams that have been bent and welded and riveted u gooJ deal talk continuously. Their ronver- futlon , of rourfo , Is not half as wise as human talk , liccniifo they ar * all , though tiiey do not know It , bound down one to the other in black darkness , where they cannot loll what U happening near them or what Is goIng - Ing to happen no.\t , A very short while after she had pat-red the Irish coast a sullen gray-headed old \va\p of the Atlantic climbed leisurely over litr dtralght hews nnd sat down on the steam capstan , used for hauling up the anchor , 'with n heavy swaiOi , Now , the capsun ami the engine that drove It had IIPNI m\vly 'painted red and green , besides which , no body pares for being ducked. "Don't' you do that again , " the capstan eputtereil ( trough the teeth of his cogi. "HI ! Where's the fellow gone ? " The wave hail slouched overside with r plop and a chuckle , but "Plenty moro where ho came frotn , " Mild a brother wave and went through nnd over the capstan , win was bolted firmly to an Iron plate on the Iron deck beams below. "Can't you kern still up lhei < ? " ald with fright , but 'they did their best as a ter- rfbla fluttering Jar swept along the ship from the stern to the bowr , and she shook like a rat In a terrier's mouth. An unusually severe pitch , for the sea was rising , had lifted the big throbbing screw nearly to the surface , and It was spinning round in a kind , of home-made soda water half sea and half air going much faster than was right , because , there was no deep water for It to work in. As It sank again the en gines and they were- triple expansion , three cylinders In a row snorted through all their three pistons : "Was that a Joke , you fellow outside ? It's an uncommonly poor one. How are wo to do our work If you fly off the handle that way ? " "I didn't fly off the handle , " said the ' screw , twirling' huskily at the end of ths scrsw chan. "If , I had , you'd have been scrap Iron by this' tfine. The sen dropped away from under 'fpe , and I had nothing to catch on to. That's all. " "Thai's all , d'y,9U call | l ? " said the thrust block , whose busjness It Is to take the push of the Fcrew ; for If a screw had nothing to hold It back It nould crawl right Into the engine room. ( U is the holding back of the screwing action that gives the drive to n ship. ) "I know I dp my work deep down and out of sight , but I warn you I expect Jus- tlce. All I ask Is Justice. Why can't you pt.Eh bteadlly and evenly Instead of whizzing like a whirligig and making me hot under all my collars. " Th ? thrust block and six collars were each faced with brass , and he did not want to get them heated. All the bearing that supported the fifty feet of screw shaft as it ran to the- stern whispered : "Justice give us Justice. " " "I can only give you what I get. " the screw answered. "Look out ! It's coming u .uoc itmi a rpar as uio Dlmbula plunged ; and whack whack whack whack went the engines furiously , for they had nothing lo check them. "I'm tha noblest outcome of human Ingenu- ly Mr. Buchanan pays so , " squealed .the ilgh-prwjs cylinder. " "This is simply ridicu lous. The piUon went up bavagely and Choksd , for half the Bteam bhlnd It was mixed with dirty water. "Help ! Oiler ! FIU ter ! Stoker ! Help ! I'm choking. " It gasped Nevsr In the hlslory of maritime Invention has such a calamity overtaken one so young sl'il iS"r ° "S' Aml U ' B ° ' Wll ° 's to Urlvo th < > "Hush ! oh , hush ! " whispered the steam , who , of course , had btcn to sea many times before. Us used to spend his leisure ashore In a cloud , or a gutter , or a flower pot or a thunder worm , or anywhere else where water was needed. "That's only a little priming , as they call It. It'll happen nil night , on and off. I don't say It's nlcp , but It's the best we can do under the circumstances. " "What difference can circumstances make ? I ni here to do my work on clfun , dry htmm Blow clicumtlancoBl" tha cylinder roared "The clicumflancun will uttfiid to the blow- Ing. I've Hoiked on the North Atlantic run a geed many times. It's going to be rouch before moinlng. " "It Isn't dUtmMngly calm now , " sild the extra ktrong fniincfi , that wsie called web frames. In the engine room. "There's an upward thriitt tlmt wo don't ' umlemtand and thoro's a twist that In very bad for our brackets and diamond plates , and I litre's a sort of iinr'lnvwtwaril ' pull that follows the- twist which eorloiuly annoys us. Wo men tion this boeau-w we happened to cost a good deal of money , nml we feel sure thit the owners would not approve of our being treated In this frhnlnus waj , " "I'm afraid the matter Is out of the own ers' hands for the present , " said the steam slipping Into the roiulcnser. "You'ro left to your device * till I hov ather betters. " "I wouldn't mind the weather , " said a flat bass volra deep below. "It's the confountlmj carso Hint's breaking my heart. I'm the garboard HtraKe ami I'm twice as thick as most of the others , and I ought to know something. " The gaboard utrako Is tlip very bottom , most plate In the bottom of a rhlp , and the Dlmbula' * gnrboaril * trak& ( she was a flat- bottomed boat ) , was nearly three-quarters of an Ir.c ! ) ni Mil ftefl , "The tea pushes md up In a way I should n vr luvo expected , " tlie strake went on , "and the cargo pushes ma donu , and between the two I don't know what I'm supposed to tin. " "When In doubt , lioM on' " rumbled tlie tteam-nnklne head In the belters. "Yei. but there's only dai'c and cola and hurry down here , and how So I know whether ' ! > other plates are doing their duty ? Tlio e bulwark plates up abnvo rcn't moro than llvc-slxteciitUs of an Inch thick ; scandalous , I Ml ! it " "I agws wl li you ' ' raid * huge web frame by the main caryo hatch. He was deeper ami " - - TI. and cumd hair way across the ship's side In the shape of half an arch to support the deck where deck beams would have been In the way of cargo coming up and down. "I work entirely un supported and I observe * that I am the sole strength of this vcsI , so far as hiy vision extends' . The nmponslblllty , I assure you , Is enormous. I believe the money value of the cargo Is over 160.000. Think of that ! " "And every pound of It dependent on my pcrsdnal exertions. " Hero spoke a sea valve that communicated directly with the water otttsldo and was seated not very far from the garboard strako. "I rejolco to think that I am a 1'rlncs Hyde valve with best Para rub ber facings , Flvo patents cover me I men- tlon this without pride. Five separate and several patents each ono finer than the other. At present I am screwed fast. Should I open you would Immediately be swamped , This Is Incontrovertible ! " Patent things always use the longest words they can. It Is a trick they pick up from their Inventors. "That's news , " said a big centrifugal bilge pump. "I had nn Idea that you were cm- ployed to clean dscks and things with. At least I've used you for that more than once. I forget the precise number In thousands of gallons which I am guaranteed to pump In an hour , but I assure you , my complaining friends , that there Is not the least danger. I nlona am capable of pumping out any water that may by any chance find Its way here. By my biggest delivery , we pitched then ! " The sea was getting up workmanlike style. It was a dead westerly gale , blown from under a ragged opening of cold green sky , narrowed on all sides by fat gray -clouds ; and the wind bit like pincers as It fretted thb spray Into lacework on the heads of the waves. "I tell you what It Is , " the foremast tele phoned down Its wlro stays , "I'm up here and I can take a dispassionate view of things. There's an organized conspiracy against us. I'm sure of It , because every single ono ot these waves Is heading directly for our bowp. The whole sea Is concerned In It , and EO'S the wind. It's awful ! " "What's awful ? " said n wave , drowning the capstan for the hundredth time. "This organized conspiracy on your part , " the capstan gurgled , taking his cue from the mast. "Organized bubbles and spindrift ! There has been a depression In the Gulf ot Mexico. Excuse me , " and he leaped over the side , but his friends took up the tale , one after another. "Which has advanced " That wave threw spray over the funnel. "As far as Cape Ilatteras " He drenched the bridge. "And Is now going out to sea to sea to sea ! " He went out In three surges , making a clean sweep of a boat which turned buttom up and sank In the darkening troughs out- slile. slile."That's "That's all there Is to It. " ' scathed the broken water , roaring through the scuppers. "There's no animus In our proceedings. We'ro a meteorological corollary. " - . "Is It going to get any worse ? " said the bow anchor , chained down to the deck , where ho could only breathe once In five minutes. "Not knowing , can't say. Wind may blow a bit by midnight. Thanks , awfully. Good- by. " The wave that spoke so politely had trav eled some distance aft and got Itself oil mixed up on the deck amidships , which was a well deck sunk between high bulwarks. One of the bulwark plates which was hung on hinges to open outward haj swung out and parsed the bulk of the water back to the sea again with a whop. "Evidently that's what I'm mads for , " said the plate , shutting up again with a sput ter of pride. "Oh , no you don't , my friend ! " The top of a wave was trying to get In from outside , but the plate did net open In that direction , and the jdefiated water spurted back. ? "Not bail for five-sixteenths jg an Inch , " said the bulwark plate. "My work , I see , Is laid down for ths night , " and It began opening and -hutting , as it was designed to do , with ths motion of the ship exactly. "We' are not v hat you might call Idls , " groaned all the frames together as the Dlm bula climbed a bis wave , lay on her side at the top , and shot Into the next hollow , twisting like a rifle ball aa she descended. Then u huge swell pushed up exactly under her middle , and her bows and stern hung free , with nothing to support them , and then ons Joking wave caught her up at the bow and another * at the ttern , while the rest of the water fell away from under' ' her , Just to see how she would like It , " and sha was held up at the two ends , and the weight of V'o ' cargo and the machinery fell on the groaning Iron keels and hilge stringers. "Ease off ! Eas. off , there ! " roared the garboard strake. "I want an eighth of an Inch play. D'you hear me , you young riv ets ! " "Ease off ! " grunted the deck .beams as the Dlmbula rolled " ' fearfully. "You've cramped our knees Into the strlng3ra so we can't move. Ease off , you flat-headed little nuisances. " Then two converging seas hit the bows , one on each side , and fell away1 In torrents of streaming thunder. "Ease off ! " shouted the forward collision bulkhead. "I want to crumple , up , but I'm stiffened In every direction. Ease off , you dirty little forgo filings. Let me breathe ! " All the hundreds of plates that are riveted onto the frames and make the outside skin of every steamer echoed the call , for each plato wanted to shift and creep a little , nnd each plate , according to Us position , com plained against the little rivets. "Wo can't help It ! We can't help It ! " they murmured. "We're put here to hold you , and w&'re going to do It.4 You never pull us twice In the same direction. If you'd say what you were going to do next we'd try to meet your views. " "As far as I could feel , " said the upper deck planking , and that was four Inches thick , "every single Iron near me was pushIng - Ing or pulling In opposite directions. Now , what's the sense of that ? My friends , lot us all pull together. " "Pull any way you please. , " roared the funnel , "so lone as you don't try your ex periments on me. I need fourteen wire ropes , nil pulllnc in opposite directions , to hold mo steady , Isn't that EO ? " "Wo believe you , my boy ! " whistled the funnel stays , through their clenched teeth ns they twanged In the wind from the top of the funnel to the deck , "Noiifense ! Wo must all pull together , " tha decks repeated , "Pull lengthways. " "Very good. " said the stringers. "Thon Ktop pushing sideways when you get wet. Bo content to run gracefully fore and aft , curving In at the ends the same us we do. " "No , no curves at the end. A very slight Wdrkmanlllid curvu from side to side , with a good grip at each knee and little pieces welded on , " said the deck beams. "Fiddle ! " cald the Iron plllara ot the deep , dirk hold. "Who ever heard of curves ? Stand up straight ; be a perfectly round col umn , and carry tons of good eolld weight , Like that ) There ! " A bg ! tea smashed on to the deck above , and the pillars stiffened themttlvea to the load , "Straight up and down li not bad , " said tlio frames who run that way In the tide * of thb ship , "but you must also expand your- fcdvts sldevteyg. Expansion Is the law of Ufa , children. Open out ! Open out I" 'Going backl" gald the deck beainp Here's the Sort othin The fine makes of the recognized leaders o | America in the manufacture of Staple , Stari dard , High Grade Clothing. Hainmerslaugh 4 Co , [ KofiWan & Fisher , B , Kuppentieimer & Go , S , Lowensfein , Hart , Sonata 4 Marx. Kaltn , Sclioenbrun & Co. , Hirscii , Elson & Go , And many others. Bought from these manufacturers for this win * ter's trade , but we have to quit. Everything that is left goes for the next two weeks at one half to one third values. $0.00 to $ n.50 Men's Suits for $ 4.501$12.50 Ulsters for - - - - $13.50 to $18.00 Men's Suits for $ 8.00 $6.00 Overcoats for $2.50 $20 and $22.00 Men's Suits for $13-50 Overcoats for - $6.50 ot in all Omaha's history were such phe nomenal values ever offered on good , reliable well known makes of suits and overcoats. Quitting Business. 13th and Faniain. agely , as the upward heave of the sea made the frames try to open. "Come back to your bearings , you slack-Jawed Irons ! " "Rigidity ! Rigidity ! Rigidity ! " thumped the engln&s. "Absolute- , unvarying rigidity rigidity ! " "You seei''lMvhlnedath&ffrlvcU In chorus. 'No ' two of you will ever pull alike , and and you blame It all on us. We only know how to go through a plate and blto down on both sides so that It ican't and inusn't and shan't move. " "I've got one-slsteenth of an Inch play anyhow , " said the gnrboard stroke triumph antly ; and EO ho had , > iand all the bottom of the- ship felt a good deal easier for It. "Then wo're no good , " sobbed the bottom rivals. "We were ordered we were ordered never to give and we've given , and the saa will come In and we'll all go to the bottom to gether. First we'ri blamed for evarything unpleasant , and now we haven't the consola tion of having donoiour work. " "Don't say I told you , " whispered the steam consolingly , "but between you and me and the cloud I last.came from It was bound to happen soonsr or liter. You had to give n fre-ctlon and you've given without knowing It. Now hold on , same as before. " "What's the isse ! " a few hundred rivets chattered In chorus. "We've given , we've given , and ths sooner we confess that we can't keep the ship together and go off our little heads the easier It will be. No rivet forged cculd stand this strain. " "No one rivet was ever meant to. Share It among you , " driving up the steam an swered. "The others can have my share. I'm going to pull out , " said a rivet In one of the forward plates. "If you go , others will follow , " hissed the steam. "There's nothing so contagious In a boat as rivets going. Why. I knew u littlu chap llko you lie was an eighth of THE DIMnULA PITCHED AND CHOPPED AND SWUNG AND SLEWED. an Inch falter , though on a steamer to bo sure she was only twelve tons , now I como to think of It In exactly the same place as you arc. Ho pulled out In a bit of a bobble of a sea not half as bad as this , and he started all his friend * on the same butt- strap , and the plats opened like a furnace door , and , by my pip&sure gauges , I had to climb Into the nearest fog bank while the boat went down ! " "Now that's peculiarly disgraceful , " said the rivet , "Fatter uhan me , was ho. and In a steamer not halt our tonnage ? Ileedy llttlo peg ! I blush ifor the family , sir. " He settled himself more firmly than ever In hla place , and the steam chuckled. "You 6e % " he went on quite gravely , "a rivet , and especially a rivet In your position , ID really the one Indispensable put of the ship. " The steam dkl not say that ho l.ad whispered the very same thing : o every single piece of Iron aboard , ' There In no genie In telling too much. And all that while- the llttlo PImtnila pitched and chopped find swung nnd slewed and lay down as tiiciigh i ! i was going to die , and got up as though ih ° ; ud been Hung , and threw her nose round and rounJ In circles - " * " ? n times a * t'no dipped , for the _ , . . 'R . worst , it was luky black. In spite of the tearing white froih on il'n ' waves , and t top everything the rain r-egan to fall in sheets to that you co'ild not rce your hand before your face. This did no make much difference to the iron work be low , but It troubled the foremast a good deal "Now It's"1 nil' finished , " he said , dismally "The conspiracy Is too strong for us. There Is nothing left but to " "Hurraar ! Rrrrraoah ! Drrrrrrp ! " roared the steam through the foghorn till ths decks quivered. "Don't be frlghteneJ below. It' , only me Jurt throwing out a few words In case any one happens to be rolling about to night. " "You don't mean tp say thora-'s any one except us on the sea In such weather ? " sail the funnel , In a husky voice. "Scores of "em , " said the steam , clearing Its throat , "Rrrrrroau ! Hrraaaaa ! I'rrrrp It's a trifle-wjndy up here ; and , great boilers , how It rains ! " "We're drowning , " paid the scuppers. They had been doing nothing else all night , bul this steady thresh of rain above them seemed to b ? the end of the world. "That's all right. We'll be easier In an hour or two. First the wind nnd then the rain ; soon you may make sal ) again Grrraaaaah ! Drrrrraaa ! Drrrp ! I have a notion that the sea Is going down already If It does you'll learn something about roll- Ing. We've only pitched till now. By the way , aren't you chaps In the hold a little easier than you were ? " There was Just as much groan'ng ' and straining as ever , but It was not EO lend or squeaky In tone ; and when the ship quivered she did not jar stiffly like a poker hit on the floor , but gave a supple little waggle iikea perfectly balanced golf club. "We have made a most amazing discov ery , " said the stringers , one after another. "A discovery that entirely changes the situ ation. Wo have found , for the first time In III" II lolUjy IH oiiU'uuiiuuihi ijttt i mt ; junuiu pull of the- deck beams and the outward thrust of'thfe frames leeks us , as It were , more closely In our places and enables UD to endure a strain which Is entirely with out parallel In the records of marine archi tecture. " The sleam turned a laugh quickly Into a roar through the foghorn , "What massive Intellects you great strlngrs have , " ho said softly when he had finished. "We , also , " began the deck beams , "are discoverers and geniuses , Wo are of opinion that the support of th ? hold pillars materially helps us. We find that we look upon them when we are subjected to a heavy and singu lar weight of sn above. " Here" the Dlmbula shot down a hollow , lying almost on her side , and righting at the- bottom -with a wrench and a Fpasm , "In these caees are you aware of this , steam ? The piatlng at the bows , and par ticularly at the stern , we would also men tion the floors beneath us , help u < t to resist any tendency to spring. " The frames wrio speaking In the solemn and awed volje that psople use when they have Just como across something entirely new for the first fine , "I'm puffy little fluttercr " only a poor , , said the xteam , "but I hava to stand a good deal of procsure In my business. It's all tremendously Interesting. Tell us some more , you felloes are so strong. " "You'll Be , " said the bow plates proudly. "Ready behind there ! Here's the father and mother of waves coming. Sit tight , rivets all ! " The great sluicing comber thundered by , but through all the Ecuflle and confusion the bteam could hear the low , quick cries of the | ronwok : as the various ( trains took them , cries llko thes ? : "Easy , now , easy ! Now pui'h for all your strength ! Hold out ! Give a fraction ! Held up ! Pull In ! Shove cross- waye ! Mind th strain at the ends ! Grip now ! Bite tight ! Let the water get away from under , and there she goes. " The wave raced off Into tlio darkness shrieking , "Not bad that , If It's your first run ! " and the drenched and ducked ehip throbbed to the beat of the engines inaldo tier. All three cylinders were wet and white with the salt spray that had come down through the engine room hatch ; there was white salt on the canvas-bound steam pipes and even the bright work deep bslow was speckled ard sailed , but the cylinders had learned how to make the most of Bteam that was half water and were pounding along cheerfully. "How's the noblest outcome of human In genuity hitting It ? " said the steam as he whirled through the engine room. "Nothing for nothing In the world of woe , " the cylinders answered aa If they had ben working for centuries , "and precious little for ninety-five pounds head. We've niadu two knots this la ft hour and a quarter , Itathor humiliating for twelve hundred how power , Itn't It ? " "Well , It's better than drifting astern , at any rate. You teem rather less how shall I put It stiff In the back than you were. " "If you'd been hammered a we've been this night you would not be stiff either. Theoretically , ot couree , rigidity , la the thing. Purr practically there has to be n llttls give and talte. Wo found that out by working on our sides for five minutes at a stretch. How's the weather ? " "Sea's going down fast , " said the steam. "Good business , " said the high pressure cylinder. "Whaolt her up along , boys. They've given us five pounds more Bteam , " and he began humming the first bars cf "Said the Young Obadlah to the Old Oba- dlah , " which , as you must know , Is a pet tune among engines not made for high speed. Racing liners with two screws sing "Tho Turkish Patrol" nnd the overture to the "Bronzo Horse and Mine. Angot" till something goes wrong , and then they give Gounod's "Funeral March of a ' Marionette with Variations. " "You'll learn n song of your own one of thcso days , " Bald the steam as he flew up the foghorn to give ono last bellow. After that the sky cleared and tmV sea went down and the Dlmbula began tp1 roll from side to side till every Inch of Iron in her was sick and giddy. But luckily they did not all feel 111 at the same time , 'otherwise she would have opened out like a wet paper box. The steam fluttered and sung arid whistled warn ings as he went about his1 business , for It Is In this short , quick roll and tumble that fol lows a heavy sea that most of the accidents happen ; because then everything thinks that the worst Is over and goes oft guard. So ho explained nnd orated and chattered till morning , and by that time the beams and frames and floors and stringers had learned how to lock down and lock up on each other and endurn this new kind of strain. They had ample time , for they were thir teen days at sea , and It was foul weather till within a hundred miles of New York. The Dlmbula picked up her pilot and came in covered with salt and red rust. Her fun- nsl was dirty white from top to bottom ; two boats had been carried away ; three copp = r ventilators iooneu line derby hats after a fight with the police ; the bridge had a dimple in the middle of it ; the house that covered the steam steering gear was split as with hatchets ; there was a bill tor minor repairs in the engine room almost as long as the Intermediate screw shaft ; the for ward cargo hatch fell Into bucket staves when they raised the Iron crossbars and the steam capstan had been badly wrenched on Its bed. Altogether as the skipper said It was "o' pretty general average. " "But sho's coupled , " lie said to Mr. Bu chanan , "For all her dead weight olio rode llko a yacht. Yo mind that last blow off the Banks ? I was proud of her. " "It's vara good. " said the chief engineer , Iroklng along the dishevelled decks. "Now , a landsman , Judgln' miporficlally , would eny we were a wreck , but wo know otherwise by experience , " NalurallV everything In the Dlmbula fairly stiffened with prldo nnd the foremast ind the forward collision bulkhead , who nro pushing crcitures , begged the steam lo warn the port of New York of their ar rival. "Tell those big , fut boats all about i ? , " they Bald , "They acem to take us qullo as a mutter of course. " It was a glorious , clear , dead calm morn- ng , anil In slnglo file , with less than half a ullo betwein each , their bands playing , and holr tugboats shouting and waving handker chiefs beneath , were the Majestic , the Paris , ho Touralnc , the Servla , the Kaiser Wlllielm I. , and the Werkcndam , all statellly going out to sea. It wan a narrow part of the channel , and as the Dlmbula shifted her iclm to give the great boats clfur way the Eteam ( who knows far too much lo mind naklng nn exhibition of himself now and hen ) shouted ; "Oyez ! oyez ! oyez ! Princes , dukes , and jarons of the high seas ! Know ye by these ) iosents we nro the Dlmbula , thirteen days line hours out from Liverpool , having not-fed .ho Atlantic with 4,000 tons of cargo for tlio first tlmo In our career. Eer ! eer ! Wo have not foundered ! Wo are here ! Eer ! or ! We are not disabled , But wo liave had a tlmo wholly unparalleled In the annals of shlp- ulld'ng. Our docks were swept. We rltchoJ , vc rolloJ ! Wu thought w were going to die II ! hi ! But we didn't ! We wish to glvo no Ice that we have come to New Yorlc all the vny across tue > Atlantic through the worst readier In the world ; ana we ere the Dim- bula. We ore nrr ! Hal ha ! Harrj" The beautiful line of boats uwept by JB steadily aa the procession of the feuoiif. The D'nib-ila heard tlie tajes'lo roy , "HrrarJ" ind the Paris Grunted "How11 ! and tbe Tou- alno nalil "Out ! " with a little coquettish flicker of ateum , and the Ssrvla | d "Haw' ! " and the Kaiser anil tlie Werkotidam mM Hoch ! " Dutch fashion , and that was all. "I did my beM , " sold the steam Bravely , "but I don't think they were much ImpresteJ with us , somehow , Do you ? " "It's simply disgusting , " paid ths bowplatua. "They might have B'en ' what we've | j on through. There lin't ' a ship en tlio sn ? hat ha suffered a > wo havlsthere < now ? " "W H. i wouldn't ijO so far as tbat , " said the steam , "beeauso I've worked on some of those boats and put them through weather qulto as bad as wo'vc had In six days ; and come of them are a llttlo over 10,000 tons , I believe , and I've seen the Majestic , for ln stance , ducked from her bowa to her funnel , and I've helped the Arizona , I think she was , to back off an Iceberg she met with ono dark night , and I had to run out of ( ho Paris' en- glno room because there was thirty foot of water In It. Of course I don't deny " The steam shut up suddenly as a tug boat , loaded with a political club and a brass band that luil been to see a eenntor off to Europe , crossed the bows going to Hoboken. There was a long nnd Impressive sllencj that reached without a break from the cutwater to th propeller blades of the Dimbula. Then one big , deep voice said slowly and thickly , ns though the owner had Just waked ! up : "It's my conviction that I have made a fool of mysjlf. " The steam knew what had happened at once , for when a ship finds herself all the * talking of the separata pieces ceased ami melts Into one deep vole ? , which Is the soul of the ship. "Who are you ? " he said with a laugh. "I am the Dlmbula , of course. I've never been anything else excelTl that and n fool. " The tugboat , which was doing Its very best to 1)3 run down , got away Just In time , and Its band was playing flashily and brasslly a popular air something like this : In the days of old Humpe lire you on ? In the days of old IlamescH are you on ? Jn the days of old rjamescs That story had paresln J Are you on are you on ore you on ? "Weil , I'm glad you've found yourself , " said the steam. To tell the truth , I was a llttlo tired of talking to all those ribs ot stringers. Hero's our wharf , If you'll go astern a trlflo we'll swing In and tlo up. " IIAILUOAD ACCIDKXTH. Stiitlnttctt Compiled liy ( InIiitc Coniiiii-riM * Com in I MM Ion. The report of Mr. Henry C. Adams , stalls * , tlclan of the Interstate Commerce commis sion , shows that 1,823 railway employes wcro xllled last year and 23,422 were Injured. Thla Is a remarkable decrease from the previous year , when the number of cmplovcs killed waa 2,727 and the Injured 31.72D. The rium- jer of employes killed during 1691 was smaller than for any year olnco tlio records lave bnen kept , and the number ot Injured ! was smaller than any year Blnco 1890. Thla narked decrease In casualties , faya the Chicago cage R''cord , Is In a certain measure due to the reduction In the number of employes , ) ut to n still greater extent jt may bo nt- rlbuted to an Improvement In the character of tlio equipment used by tha railroads , The old fashioned cars are rapidly passing out of us ? , and nro being replaced by better ) grades equipped with airbrakes and auto matic couplers. Another reason suggested 1s that In discharging 93,091 of their em ployes during thci year the railway manage ment selected the most awkward , shiftless and unskilled. The latter suggestion finds support In the fact thattlio ratio of the casualties In the twutliern states , whcro ( ho grade of labor Is Inferior , has always been higher than In the northern and eastern states. The number of pasf-cngers killed during the year wan 321 , which Is an Increase of twrnly- llvn. The nurnbsr of paskengerx Injured was 3,034 , which Is a decrease from the prcvlouo year ot 1 5 , As compared with previous years , however , and when cnnsldeicd In connection with the character of pautengcp , tralllc It cannot bo said that the Increase in tha number of killed Indicates greater lia bility to accident. The patuenger mileage showed an Increase of 4.24 per cent , whlla the Increase In the number of killed waa 8,36 jic-r cent. The statistics show that the greater number of paaii'iigera wcra killed and Injured In collisions and the- greater number , of employes by falling from tulns , whlcbj was due to carelesEnvcs , The nummary nhowa that one out of every ] ' 128 cmploye.s was killed and one out of every ) thlrty-llireo employes wai Injured , whlchj Indicates the hazard to life and limb of rail way tervlco , and demonstrates the t rut Iff that It lit rnoio dangerous than n war , The proportion of casualties among passen * gers wan , of course , very much lees ; only ) one paErcnccr In 1CCS,7Dl was killed and ona In 178,210 was Injured , The largest number of killed and Injured was In Ohio , Mlcblganl nnd Indiana ; the eecond larg'gt In Now ) York , Pennsylvania and New Jersey , ami third largest In Illinois. Iowa , Wls-onsln ami Minnesota , Only six psrsons wtro killed nnd only twenty-eight Injured In Nebraska , Wyoming , Montana and the two Dakotas , Only five persons were killed In Texas andl only eight west of the llocky mountain * during tlio year *