CHAPTER XXIV. THE NEW CAPTAIN OF THE SYLPH.
Mr. Brookbine had been hard at work over the plan of the building in getting the amount of timber required for the frame. Captain Gildrock had assured him that no material change would be made in the drawing of Bolly. They might alter the arrangement of the store-rooms, and use a portion of the immense vestibule on the second floor for a library, or committee-room.
Bolly had suggested a gallery or balcony on the water side of the second story, which might be added, but none of these changes would affect the frame. When the captain had returned from Whitehall the master carpenter gave him the list of timber required for the frame.
The granite quarry in the rear of Beech Hill was owned by the shipmaster, and about all the building-stone used in Genverres was taken from it. The owner did not care to be bothered with it, and a quarryman managed it, paying so much a cubic foot for all the stone taken out of it.
Thirteen stone posts would be required for the water-foundations of the boat-house, and Captain Gildrock rode to the quarryman's house at once to order them. Early the next morning the principal went to Burlington, and ordered the lumber. Before breakfast, Bolly, assisted by the other students, staked out the building. The approximate positions of the foundation posts were indicated by mooring sticks with stones in the bay. But the lessons went on as usual, and the boating and swimming exercises were not interrupted.
The boys were full of enthusiasm, and were impatient for the actual work of the house to begin. The more they considered the plan which had been adopted the better they liked it. All the plans which had been offered for the prizes were returned to the makers of them; but quite a number of the competitors destroyed them as soon as they got hold of them, and no one but themselves and the committee ever knew what blunders they had made. Yet a few of them were not ashamed to exhibit their work.
Not a single one of them had selected the location chosen by Bolly Millweed. Some of them had bridged the lake, and put the boat-house over in the grove, but most of them had placed it near the old wharf. One admitted that he had made the structure two hundred feet long, with dressing-rooms ten feet square.
For a week the principal said nothing about the new building, except that he had ordered the lumber. The boys knew that the quarryman was at work with all his force on the foundations, and they were nearly ready. At the close of the school on Friday, about a week after the adoption of the plans, the principal took his place on the platform.
"To-morrow will be our usual day for a steamer trip, but I will change the programme a little," said he. "We shall go to Burlington and tow the wharf-caisson, or box, up to the quarry. I concluded to have this affair constructed by a bridge-builder at Burlington, for it was rather too heavy a job for boys to manage."
The boys manifested their satisfaction at the announcement by applause. It would be fun to tow the caisson up the lake, and get it through the creek, to the quarry. But why was it going to the quarry?
"We shall load the thirteen stone posts upon it, and bring them down all at once," replied the principal in answer to this question. "It is built of tun timber, and the sticks needed to raise it to the proper height as a wharf will be placed inside of it."
"Tun timber; what is that?" asked Ben Ludlow.
"It is a name given to timber a foot square or more."
"How about the slant for the bottom?" asked Bolly, with some anxiety on his face, for he was afraid his idea in its construction had not been carried out.
"I had it built in accordance with the sketch you gave me. If you look at the chart, boys," continued Captain Gildrock, pointing to it on the wall, "you will see that the water suddenly shoals six feet at the distance of forty feet from Chowder Point. In other words there is a step of that height in the rock, such a one as you may see just beyond the dormitory in the side of Beech Hill. Bolly has located the wharf outside of this step, where he found ten feet of water."
"But the bottom slants off six inches in twelve feet," added Bolly.
"And I had the bottom of the caisson built to fit this slant," continued the principal.
"That's all I wanted to know," said Bolly, satisfied that his intention had been carried out.
School was dismissed, but after dinner the usual work in the shop was done. The boys were making as many tool-boxes as there were students, for they would be needed while they were at work on the boat-house. An hour earlier than usual on her Saturday trips the Sylph started for Burlington, for it might take all day to get the caisson up to the quarry. But there was no change made in the organization of the ship's company, and everything went on as usual.
They found the caisson in the water just below the city, where it had been built, and the boys gave three cheers when they saw it. Bolly was an "idler;" that is, his watch was not on duty in the fire-room. He leaped from the gangway as the steamer came alongside of the structure, and inspected it with the greatest gravity and dignity. In answer to the question of the principal he declared that the caisson was all right in every respect.
After the boys had examined the caisson, all hands were called and assembled on the forward deck. The principal had a letter in his hand which had been handed to him since the arrival of the Sylph. He informed the students that he had intended to remain on board during the trip, but some bank business of the greatest importance required him to remain in the city till afternoon. He should return to Beech Hill on the train, and expected to be there by the time the steamer reached the river.
The principal was the captain of the steamer, and he had always been on board during the Saturday trips. He sometimes sent Dory Dornwood away in her, with Mr. Jepson in charge of the engine, a gardener doing duty as fireman, and Bates as deck hand; but she had never come out of the river with her regular ship's company on board in the absence of the captain. The students jumped to the conclusion that Dory would be made captain on the present occasion.
"The organization of the ship's company will remain just as it is," said Captain Gildrock. "You have learned to obey your officers even if you think you know more than they do; and this was a very valuable lesson to learn."
"It's Captain Dory Dornwood now, I suppose," suggested Life Windham, as all hands glanced at the first pilot.
"Not at all," replied the principal. "On sea steamers they don't have pilots, for the captain navigates the vessel. The pilots on river and lake steamers are a sort of independent officials. In our plan the first pilot is the fourth in rank, and if the captain should be lost overboard, he would not succeed to the command. The first officer is next to the captain, and he takes charge of the steamer in the absence of the captain."
"Thad Glovering!" exclaimed half a dozen students in the same breath.
"Glovering will be the captain in my absence, and you will respect and obey him accordingly," added the principal. "Captain Glovering, you will tow the caisson to the quarry, and I must leave at once."
"Three cheers for Captain Glovering!" called Ben Ludlow; and they were given.
Captain Gildrock went on shore, and disappeared at once. Some of the first-class students did not like it very well to have a second-class fellow put in as captain over them; but they were too well disciplined to find any fault.
"Of course Dory will have to show him how to do it," said Bob Swanton.
"The captain can ask the advice of anyone he likes, but he can do as he pleases," added Corny Minkfield, rather smartly.
But Thad did not ask anybody's advice just then. In spite of some gentle sarcasm uttered by the older boys, the new captain soon showed that he knew what he was about. The large hawser by which the caisson was to be towed lay on the top of the timbers with which it was loaded, the upper ones serving as a deck. It had been made fast to a huge pin in the centre of one end, indicating that the box was to be towed by a single line.
There were also big cleats at the four corners of the structure, placed there for the stays to the derrick. The new captain directed the second officer to take two hawsers and make one fast to each of the corner cleats. Will Orwell obeyed the order, and the other ends of the hawsers were sent on board the Sylph. They were carefully secured to cleats in the stern of the steamer.
"Go ahead, if you please, pilot," said Thad, when all was ready.
The propeller was put in motion, but it required a little time to start the heavy tow. When it did start, it butted against the corner of the wharf. The first-class students thought the time of the new captain's defeat had come.
"Stop her!" shouted Thad, as soon as he discovered the nature of the difficulty. "Cast off the port tow-line, Mr. Orwell!"
"Port line clear, sir," reported the second officer, now doing duty as first.
"Go ahead, Mr. Pilot!"
Dory at the wheel rang the bell, and the propeller began to turn again. As soon as he got steerage way, he headed the steamer away from the shore. The starboard line was now doing all the work, and exercised all its force on that side of the caisson. Of course it hauled the tow away from the wharf. But the captain stopped her as soon as the box was clear of the obstruction. The port line was made fast again, and care was taken to see that both tow-ropes were of the same length.
The first class were willing to admit that the getting under way had been well managed, and they were magnanimous enough to give the new captain the credit he deserved. The Sylph tugged away at her heavy burden, and the log showed, when the steamer was off Rock Dunder, that she was making about three knots. There was nothing more to be done with the tow, though the rate of speed was soon increased to four knots.
It was a monotonous trip, but everything was in the usual order on board. Dinner was served at the proper time, and at three o' clock the Sylph was approaching the mouth of the river. When she was within half a mile of it the second pilot, who was on duty, reported that the barges of the Chesterfields were coming out of the stream.
"I am sorry for that," said Dory Dornwood, as he went into the pilot-house to take a look at the approach of the boats.
"So am I," replied Oscar Chester. "I wish you were in command instead of Thad Glovering."
"Thad will do very well," answered Dory.
"Those fellows can't let us alone if they try. What's that? They have passengers in the stern sheets."
Dory took a spy glass from the brackets and glanced at the barges.
"They have eight of the Topovers with them."
"You will see most of that crowd on board the caisson before long," said Oscar. "They will cut the tow-lines or cast them off if they can."
At this moment Captain Glovering entered the pilot-house.