“Oh, where?—where?”
For a moment there was a scene of confusion, easier to imagine than to describe—
“Then shrieked the timid, and stood still the brave.”
The Captain was at his post immediately; and it was soon discovered that the head of the main-mast was on fire.
The ship was at the time under steam, and all the sails were furled, it being a dead calm. The funnel was too close to the main-mast; and, as the vessel steamed ahead, there not being a breath of air, of course the smoke and heat from the funnel struck the main-mast and set it on fire.
The energetic exertions and cool example of the commander were not lost upon his subordinates, who ably seconded him. The chief officer greatly distinguished himself; as, indeed, did all the officers. The spars and burning rigging falling on some hay placed on the main hatchway, caused a blaze and considerable smoke, which made us imagine at one time that the ship was on fire in the main hold; but fortunately this was not the case.
The steam being up, we soon had a good supply of water from the engine-room, by means of a small auxiliary engine, called a “donkey engine,” I suppose from the fact of its making a braying noise like that much-abused animal.
Water was got aloft, and poured over the sails, many of the men, as well as the chief officer, working on the hot-iron crosstrees at the mast-head, in the thick stifling smoke from the funnel, at the risk of their lives.