Aided by a sailor they had picked up, the girls worked until they no longer could see bobbing heads in the swirling waters.
“We’ve done all we can,” Sally gasped, as they helped the last of the passengers aboard the Queen. “The captain and most of his men will stay on the Florence as long as they are able.”
Though exhausted by their work, the girls did what they could for those aboard. Sally distributed all the blankets she could find, and Penny helped a sailor revive two women who were unconscious from having swallowed too much water.
Suddenly there came a loud report like the crack of a pistol.
The tow line to the Florence had parted! Once more the excursion boat, now a roaring furnace, was adrift in mid-stream.
In an instant it was apparent to Penny what would happen. The cross-current was strong, and in a minute or two would carry the burning vessel into the wharves and sheds. When the boat struck, flying sparks would ignite the dry wood for a considerable distance, and soon the entire waterfront would be ablaze.
Though outwardly calm, Captain Barker was beset as he appraised the situation. It would not be possible to get another tow line onto the Florence for already her decks had become untenable for the crew. The blazing vessel was drifting rapidly.
“We could ram her,” he muttered. “She might be nosed out into the channel again, and headed away from the freight docks.”
“Wouldn’t that be dangerous?” Sally asked anxiously. “We have at least fifty passengers aboard. In this high wind, the Queen would be almost certain to catch fire.”
“There’s nothing else to do,” Captain Barker decided grimly, signaling the engine room. “The Florence is drifting fast, and before the fire boats can get here, half the waterfront will be ablaze. Have the passengers wet down the decks and stand by with buckets!”