“Why, what’s that?” said Ralph suddenly, noticing a little lump about the size of his fist projecting downward from the top of the furnace. As he looked he imagined he saw it grow larger. Then he called out: “Hester, take a look at this furnace, will you? What’s that lump in there? I’m sure it wasn’t there when I first came——”
Hester came over and took a look and then gave a terrible shout: “Haul fires from boiler C! Here, Jenkins and Smith, haul fires, quick! Turner, jump on top of the boilers and shut boiler C’s steam stop-valve!”
Hester snapped out his orders at the top of his voice and then ran over to an iron wheel which worked a drum around which was an iron chain, and rapidly turned it. In the meantime the firemen present obeyed Hester’s orders; they rushed to the boiler Ralph had been firing and instantly, with tremendous rapidity, hauled all of the burning coal from the furnaces to the fire room floor. The burning coal, at an intense white heat, was hauled recklessly into the fire room.
“Boiler C is shut off,” shouted Turner from the top of the boiler.
“All right, we’ve got her; the safety-valve is open and the fires are hauled,” cried Hester.
Ralph stood to one side wondering what it was all about, and then the chief engineer, Mr. Stroud, rushed in. “What’s the matter, Hester?” he cried. “What are you blowing off steam for?”
“Take a look at this furnace, chief,” replied Hester.
“By George, the furnace crown came down on you, didn’t it? We would have had an explosion here in a few minutes if you hadn’t been so prompt. Is the boiler disconnected?”
“Yes, sir; everything is all right now.”
“What fireman noticed it, Hester? I’ll recommend him for promotion.”