Argosy All-Story Weekly, February 23, 1924 — page 22: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

ats tts af 180 -the bridge floor with his shovel and heave it over the side. ‘“ Hey, you fellows, get inside and start cleaning up!” “ How about water to scrub with?” de- manded Clay. * By golly, that is necessary! Bring the buckets and let’s see if the tanks have any in them?” The hand pump on the lower deck showed plenty of water, but with a very bad odor. “The smell will leave after the air hits it. At any rate, it is all we have,” Watson said cheerily, returning to his task of clean- ing up the bridge. By the time Pedro returned with food and drinking water the workers were al- most famished. He brought three men with him. Two were given buckets of white paint and started on the interior woodwork and steel walls of the superstructure. They were inexperienced, of course, and their work was rough, but it helped appearances greatly. The other man was started carrying trash and old bedding from the quarters below, dumping it overboard to be burned when the sun had dried it thoroughly. Watson and Clay were helping everywhere, while Pedro and Juan Monte were now using paint on the bridge deck, on the outside. Dusk brought cessation of labor. The help promised to return next morning and bring other men to work. They left, walk- ing around the shore toward town; Watson, Clay, Pedro, and Juan returning by boat. After a shower bath and a hearty supper, the two Americans turned in early, dead tired. Padre Francisco had held them for an hour listening to the latest news by over- land courier from the war in Europe. Back on the job next morning, the owners of the Loreli found eight new applicants for work awaiting them in addition to the three of the day before. Four were told off to start painting the rusty smokestack, masts and booms; two were put at work clearing out the forecastle, washing it and washing off the deck; two more were to follow them with gray paint for the forecastle interior and the deck and rail walls. Rubbish was cleared from the officers’ quarters, dining saloon and galley, and two more men were put on the interior, using ARGOSY-ALLSTORY WEEKLY. ‘white paint. Pedro and the other men were left up on the bridge deck to continue the painting and cleaning up there. Watson and Clay lighted four lanterns and sallied down into the boiler and engine rooms on an inspection tour. The strong sea breeze with ventilators properly adjust- ed and hatches open had swept most of the foul air out, but still it was not overly pleas- ant down there. ‘““A whole lot depends on what I find down here, Ted, old hoss!” advised Watson as the two reached the engine room. ““ Here’s hoping you find all you hope for, and more!”’ Silently, and with the air of one who knows exactly what he is about, the keen blue eyes of Breck Watson examined en- gines, steam pipes, water gauges, connec- tions; tested this and that lever. Then he passed into the fire room. There was abun- dant coal in the bunkers, a reserve supply bunkered in a pen amidship and the water tanks were well filled. “See all this bilge water?” Watson de- manded jubilantly. ‘Feel it mostly; it’s nearly to my shoe tops.” “It’s a good sign. It has come in mainly through rains, down the stack, down venti- lators and some got in during the storm. The hull’s all right; that’s the main point!” “How do you know?” “The bilge is proof of that; otherwise it would have seeped out.” ‘That is good news, sure enough; how’s the machinery?” ‘Dandy engine and boilers, but mighty dirty and rusty, of course. Need an awful lot of work on them, but blamed if I can see anything radically wrong. ‘“ First thing, we have to get some more hands and start the hand pumps going and get this bilge out of here so I can work on the machinery. We'll send that boatman back to town for more men.” “ All right; let’s get out of here.” led the way. “Then I’m going to raise a bit of steam, just to test out the connections—”’ ‘““You’re liable to blow us up; suppose some of those boiler tubes are rusted out?” demurred Clay. Clay COMMC IOOL< (E@