AN ELEVATOR BLAZE
From somewhere Captain Wiggs reached the deck on the jump. He tore past
the boys on the run, and fairly burst into the door of the pilot house,
where the first mate was in charge.
"We'd better get ready to jump!" cried Frank. "It looks as if we were
going to be cut in two."
"Grab life preservers!" shouted Ned. "Here are some back here!"
He turned to lead the way to where, under an awning, some of the cork
jackets were hung in racks. Before he could reach them a peculiar shiver
seemed to run over the _Modoc_.
"She's hit us!" yelled Bart. "Everybody jump!"
The boys made a rush for the rail, intending to trust to their swimming
abilities rather than to chance remaining on the steamer after the grain
barge had hit her.
But their plans were suddenly frustrated for, as they reached the rail,
something that towered away above their heads loomed up, and the grain
vessel came sliding along side of the _Modoc_, just as if the two craft
were about to tie up together for loading purposes.
The grain barge only bumped gently against the side of the steamer. The
shrill whistles ceased. The jangling bells were silent. By the narrowest
of margins a bad collision had been avoided.
Out of the pilot house came Captain Wiggs, running along the rail until
he came opposite the pilot house of the grain barge. Then, standing on a
signal flag locker the commander addressing the man in charge of the
vessel which had given them all such a scare, exclaimed:
"Say, what in the name of the Sacred Cow are you trying to do, anyhow?
Don't you know how to steer, you inconsiderate slab-sided specimen of an
isosceles triangle!"
"Sure I know how to steer," replied the man, who was as cool as the
captain was excited. "I was steering boats when you was a baby. But I'd
like to know how in the name of Billy Hochswatter's mud-turtle any one
can manage a boat when the steam steering gear breaks just as another
vessel gets in front of me."
"Oh, then that's different," replied Captain Wiggs, with an
understanding of the difficulties of the situation.
"Yes, I guess it is," retorted the other.
"Why didn't you use the hand gear?" asked the commander of the _Modoc_.
"That got jammed just as they were swinging my boat around, and all I
could do was to signal for a clear course."
"Well, I gave it to you, but I almost had to rip my engines off the bed
plates to do it," retorted Captain Wiggs. "I reversed at full speed, and
swung that wheel around until it looked like a spinning top. Only for
that we'd be on the bottom of the lake by now."
"That's right," agreed the other pilot. "You had your nerve with you.
Well, as long as there's no damage done I s'pose you can go ahead. I'll
have to lay-to for repairs."
"Um," was all Captain Wiggs replied, for he had not quite gotten over
his scare, used as he was to narrow escapes from danger. Slowly the
_Modoc_ was backed away from the side of the grain barge, and, when at
the proper distance, she was sent ahead again, the other craft coming to
anchor.
"I hope I don't meet him again this voyage," murmured Captain Wiggs, as
he walked up to where the four chums stood. "He's the most unlucky
fellow I know. Something is always happening to his boats."
"Who is he?" asked Ned.
"Captain Streitwetter. He's a German from Germanville. Did you hear him
mention Billy Hochswatter's mud-turtle?"
"Yes," said Bart. "What did he mean?"
"That is a story," replied Captain Wiggs gravely, "which can only be
told after the dinner dishes are washed. You'd better look after them,"
and with that he walked away.
"There he goes again!" exclaimed Frank. "You never know what he is going
to say. I believe he's stringing us."
"I almost know it," retorted Fenn. "It's only a way he has, but the
trouble is we don't know whether or not he wants us to do the things he
says. I wonder if we had better do anything about the dishes?"
"Of course not," said Frank. "The cook sees to that."
"But maybe the cook is sick," insisted Fenn. "Captain Wiggs might want
us to help."
"If I thought so I'd offer at once," put in Ned. "I used to do it at
home, once in a while, to help out."
"I'll go ask him," volunteered Fenn, and he started to find Captain
Wiggs, when he was halted by seeing the commander step from behind a
pile of boxes. The captain was laughing heartily.
"That's the time I had you guessing; didn't I?" he demanded. "Wash the
dishes. Ha! Ha! Ho! Ho! That's pretty good!"
The boys, looking a bit sheepish, soon joined in the merriment at their
expense, and the little pleasantry served to banish the nervous feeling
that remained after the narrow escape from the collision.
"Billy Hochswatter's mud-turtle!" repeated the captain. "That's what
Captain Streitwetter always says when he's excited. I don't believe
there ever was such a person as Billy Hochswatter."
"I either," added Fenn.
"I must go down to the engine room to see if we suffered any damage,"
the commander of the _Modoc_ went on. "You boys amuse yourselves as well
as you can until dinner time. You don't have to peel the potatoes," he
added with a wink.
"We'll have to get even with him, somehow," suggested Ned, when the
captain was out of hearing.
"How?" asked Bart.
"I haven't thought it out yet, but we must play some kind of a trick on
him. He'll think the Darewell chums are slow if we believe all he tells
us, and don't come back at him. Try and think up something."
"Good idea," commented Fenn. "We'll have the laugh on him, next time."
The day passed quickly, for there were many novel sights for the boys to
see. Captain Wiggs was kept so busy, for there were some repairs needed
to one of the engines, because of the sudden reversing, that the boys
did not see him again that day. He did not appear at dinner or supper,
and the steward said the commander was taking his meals in the engine
room.
The _Modoc_ was going along at less than her usual speed, but was making
fairly good time.
"Well, I s'pose we might as well turn in, boys," suggested Fenn, about
nine o'clock. "I believe that is the proper term aboard a ship."
"Yes, messmates," spoke Ned, assuming a theatrical attitude, "we will
now seek our downy hammocks, and court 'tired nature's sweet restorer,
balmy sleep,' to arise in the gladsome morning, and 'you must wake and
call me early; call me early, mother dear, for I'm to be Queen of the
May, mother; I'm to be Queen of the May!'"
"We'll call you 'loony,' instead of 'early,' if you get off any more of
that nonsense," murmured Frank.
"That's what," agreed Fenn. "You're not studying English Lit. and French
history now, Ned."
"Very well, most noble gentlemen," went on Ned. "I shall obey you, right
gladly, I ween!" and he made a dive for his stateroom before Bart, who
made a sudden grab could lay hands on him.
The others soon turned in, and, in spite of their new and strange
surroundings and beds, were soon sound asleep.
It must have been about midnight that Fenn was awakened by hearing a
great tramping on deck. It was followed by confused shouts, and then
came the jangling of the engine room bells. The _Modoc_ seemed to
increase her speed.
"I wonder if there's another collision coming?" he said as he sat up.
He heard Bart moving in the next room, and presently Frank's voice was
heard calling:
"Say, fellows, something's wrong."
The noise on deck increased, and it sounded as though several men were
running to and fro, dragging ropes about.
"I'm going up!" decided Fenn, jumping out of his berth and hastily
pulling on his clothes. From the open doors of his chums' rooms he could
see that they, too, were attiring themselves with little regard for how
they looked.
Up on deck they hurried. As they emerged from the companionway their
eyes were met with a bright glare.
"A fire!" exclaimed Ned. "The boat's afire!"
"Don't say that! Don't say that, young man, I beg of you!" besought a
man, attired in his trousers and night shirt, as he approached Ned, who
recognized him as Mr. Ackerman, the sick passenger.
"What is it?" inquired Fenn, who was right behind Ned.
"He said the ship was on fire," repeated Mr. Ackerman. "I can't stand
it. I have heart disease. Excitement is bad for me. Do, please, one of
you, go and find out how fast it is burning, and come back and tell me."
He sat down at the head of the companionway, as coolly as though he had
asked to be informed which way the wind was blowing. Evidently he knew
how to take care of himself, so as not to aggravate his malady.
"The ship isn't on fire!" exclaimed Bart, crowding past Ned and Fenn.
"But something evidently is burning," insisted Mr. Ackerman. "I can
smell smoke, and see the reflection of the blaze."
This was not strange, considering that the _Modoc_ was in the midst of a
cloud of vapor, and that bright tongues of fire could be seen close to
her bow.
"It's a big grain elevator on shore that's burning!" exclaimed Frank.
"See! There it is!"
As he spoke the smoke which enveloped the steamer was blown aside. The
boys could then note that, during the night the vessel had approached
close to shore. They were near a good-sized city, and, among the wharfs
was a big building, built to hold grain in readiness to load on the lake
steamers.
From the top of this flames were shooting high into the air, and the
_Modoc_ was approaching it at full speed.