“Hello, Collins; glad to see you back,” greeted Lieutenant-Commander Graham, as Collins came aboard the Puritan a week later. “How is your wife?”

“She’s all right, sir; she’s recovering. The doctors say all danger is passed and there’s nothing now to fear.”

“Good! I’m glad to hear it,” returned Mr. Graham heartily.

Collins saw he was marked in the “liberty book” as having returned “on time, C and S,” and then went forward, a very grateful man.

“You bet I was on time C and S,” he remarked to Hester, a few moments later. “If I hadn’t been on time clean and sober I’d have deserved thirty days double irons on bread and water in the brig. Now, Hester, how am I to make it up to young Mr. Osborn for all he has done for me? Just think what that fine young midshipman saved me from and of how good the captain and executive officer were to me. How am I to prove I appreciate it all, Hester?”

“Don’t worry about that, Collins. As far as the officers are concerned you need only to do your work well and obey the regulations. Now I think you can do something for Mr. Osborn. The midshipmen, you know, have lessons every day about boilers and engines. They have practical work to do in tracing up steam and water pipes, in pumping a boiler, in firing, and cleaning fires, and they get marked on the way they do these several things. Each midshipman is ambitious to stand as high as he can and it is a great honor to stand first. Mr. Osborn doesn’t know much, of course, but he is quick and ambitious, and quite handy with a shovel for a beginner. Now, Collins, I think you could do a great deal for him. You could show him the mechanism of pumps and valves and lots of other things. He’s down in the fire room now bothering how to pump up a boiler. Suppose you start right in. He’s interested in you and will be glad to see you.”

“Indeed I’ll be happy to help him if I only can,” cried Collins enthusiastically. “I’ll shift into dungarees and look him up right away.”

“Humph,” said an old-time boatswain’s mate who stood near. “If I’m ever in double irons and want a week’s leave I’ll jump the irons, knock down and kidnap the officer on watch, steal a boat and skip; two hours later I’ll come back, say I’m sorry; the captain will fall on my neck and weep and then send me off on a pleasure trip.”

“You old growler!” said Hester smiling. “Let me see, didn’t I see you try to force Collins into borrowing twenty-five dollars from you when he went? And here you are pretending to grumble at his good fortune.”

“There’s too much mollycoddling these days,” insisted the kind-hearted old faultfinder. “When I first went to sea in the old Lackawanna in eighteen hundred and——” but Hester, laughing at the old man, ran away to the fire room where he found Collins and Ralph Osborn and several other midshipmen. Ralph and Collins had greeted each other warmly. It seemed curious to the midshipmen standing about but that a few days before this fine-looking enlisted man had really committed the act of a desperate criminal and had treated with great violence the midshipman to whom he expressed such heartfelt gratitude.

“What is your lesson in engineering to-day, Mr. Osborn?” inquired Collins.

“It’s the worst we’ve had yet; we are required to get into the double bottom and draw a longitudinal intercostal staple-shaped angle iron.”

“Whew!” exclaimed Collins. “Those words are too big for me. I can show you an angle iron that is staple shaped, but longitudinal and intercostal! That’s too much for me. Can you help us out, Hester?”

“That’s easy; longitudinal simply means fore and aft. And intercostal simply means between the thwartship frames. Come down here, I’ll show you one; it won’t take you five minutes to sketch it.”

The angle iron didn’t prove to be nearly so formidable in appearance as its formidable name had threatened it would be. Collins opened a door leading down into the double bottom of the ship, under the fire room floor, and the midshipmen crowded after him into it. Lights were brought in with them, and crouching in cramped positions, with note-books in hand, the midshipmen sketched that innocent, unoffending piece officially and pompously designated as an intercostal staple-shaped angle iron. After leaving the double bottom Collins said: “What else have you in to-day’s lesson, Mr. Osborn?”

“Oh, we’ve got to sketch the inside mechanism of a direct acting quadruplex pump. Gee whillikins, what a lot of fierce names there are down here!”

“I can help you in that; I’ve got a quadruplex in my cleaning station. Come into the engine room with me; here’s a direct acting quadruplex pump; it’s really quite simple. I’ll get a wrench and come up the bolts and take off the water bonnet; you’ll understand it perfectly in a minute.” Then approaching an oldish-appearing man in officer’s uniform who was in the engine room, he said: “Mr. Simpkins, I’d like permission to take the bonnet off the water end of the auxiliary pump. The midshipmen wish to understand how the pump works; it is their lesson to-day and——”

“No, you can’t take off the bonnet of that pump,” whined the officer addressed. “The midshipmen have been bothering me all day long about that pump; I ain’t a-going to let it be done. If I did everything the midshipmen wanted me to do these engines would be torn apart all day long. I just ain’t a-going to do it.”

“That old whiner is the warrant machinist on duty,” whispered Bollup to Ralph. “I’ve been to him a dozen times to-day and all I ever got out of him is a whine. Say, Os, I’m going to look at a pipe I’ve been tracing underneath the engine room floor plates; I’ll be up to look at the pump later,” and Bollup opened up a trap-door and slid down into the engine room bilge, which was about four feet below the engine room floor on which they were standing.

“But, Mr. Simpkins,” Collins was saying, “these midshipmen are required to learn how the pump works and if you prevent them from having a pump taken apart you may be hauled up about it. I’ll promise to have the bonnet back before supper.”

“All right,” whined Mr. Simpkins; “but you get it back or I’ll put you on the report.”

“I’ll do it, sir. But, Mr. Simpkins, may I have a little alcohol? I’ve got some painting to do and I’d like a little more alcohol in the paint, and besides I’d like to use some on these bolt heads to cut the rust, and——”

“No, you mayn’t. I know what you’d do with it; you’d drink it——”

“I never drink, sir, and you know I need it, sir. You told me to get this job done to-night.”

“Well, I’ll get you some myself, but I’ll not trust you with it. I’ll keep it in my possession; they’ll never steal alcohol from me; I’m too smart for them.” And as was his wont, Mr. Simpkins, first refusing and then invariably yielding, went whining to the engineers’ storeroom and brought back with him a one gallon can of alcohol, and placed it on the floor plates between his feet, snarling and talking volubly. In the meantime Collins was rapidly unscrewing the nuts that held the bonnet of the pump.

“They’ll never steal any alcohol from me,” cried Mr. Simpkins. “I know all of their tricks; I was an enlisted man; I’d never trust an enlisted man with alcohol, no sir. I know what they’d do with it——” And as he was rambling on in tearful tones Ralph’s attention was struck by seeing the trap-door just behind Mr. Simpkins slowly open, and Bollup’s cheerful, grinning face next appeared. The latter listened a moment to Simpkins’ sad talk, and then, deftly reaching out a hand, quickly took the can of alcohol, and immediately disappearing with it, quickly and quietly lowered the trap-door over him. At the same instant Mr. Simpkins looked down between his feet and saw the can was missing. He instantly gave a shout. “Where’s my alcohol?” he cried. He was petrified with astonishment. Back of him was a bulkhead; there was no one there, and no one could have passed him. Mr. Simpkins did not observe the neat-fitting trap-door and was utterly confounded. Ralph was so convulsed with laughter that he could not speak. Mr. Simpkins’ attention was drawn to this and he cried: “What are you laughing at, you midshipman? I’ll tell the chief engineer about your laughing——”

While he was thus talking, Bollup, watching his chance, opened the trap-door and peering out saw Mr. Simpkins’ back was toward him, his feet wide apart. Bollup quickly replaced the alcohol can between Mr. Simpkins’ feet. This was too much for Ralph. He gave a burst of laughter and ran into the fire room.

Mr. Simpkins started to walk away, blustering at the top of his voice, and in stepping off one of his feet collided with the can. He looked down, grabbed the can, and ran out of the engine room with it. Just what he thought he never expressed, but it was noticed that whenever thereafter he served out any alcohol the can was always tightly hugged between his two arms.

The joke was too good to keep. The midshipmen all knew about it that night. Collins, who had seen it, told Hester. Hester told a warrant machinist, Cockrell; Cockrell told Lieutenant Stroud, the chief engineer, and the latter told the wardroom officers and the captain. Everybody was much amused but no one attempted to learn who the midshipman was who had so successfully mystified Mr. Simpkins.

The Puritan remained several weeks in Long Island Sound, using Gardiner’s Bay as headquarters. Trips were made to Newport and New London; the midshipmen were kept busy with their lessons and duties, and all made appreciable progress in ship knowledge. But in engineering Ralph Osborn distanced all of his classmates. With the devoted Collins always anxious to serve him, and besides being much interested, there was every reason why Ralph should learn. Before the end of the summer he knew how to get a boiler ready for steam and he opened the proper valves and started the pumps with perfect confidence. He spent some of his spare time in the engine and fire rooms with Collins, and that Ralph was to stand first in his class in engineering was a foregone conclusion.

Ralph also did well with his deck studies. Occasionally he had a chance to steer the ship when under way; he could row and sail a boat like a veteran and frequently took the chains and heaved the lead for soundings.

In the middle of August the Puritan made a run to Newport where the midshipmen were taken ashore to the smokeless powder factory. Here the methods of manufacture of the explosive were explained to the young men. On the return trip Ralph was detailed to fire room duty, and he had made such progress that Chief Water Tender Hester actually permitted him to fire two furnaces. Ralph was delighted. He opened his furnace doors and threw in many shovelfuls of coal, manfully facing the blast of intense heat from the white hot fire that seemed to shrivel the flesh of his face. It must be admitted that Hester took an occasional look at Ralph’s two fires and did some of the firing himself. After an hour of this work, while firing, Ralph crouched low and looked into one of his furnaces.

“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.”

“The fireman that reported it happened to be this midshipman, sir; his name is Osborn.”

“By Jove, Mr. Osborn, your report has saved us from a boiler explosion. I’ll tell the captain. Those furnaces are twenty-five years old and are badly laminated; a blister formed and acted as a non-heat conductor, so the iron got red hot and the furnace caved in from the boiler pressure. We’ll cut out the blister to-morrow and rivet on a hard patch.”

This was very interesting to Ralph. His report was really an accident and was made principally through curiosity. Mr. Stroud soon left and Ralph went over to the safety-valve wheel that Hester had operated. This was on the side of the fire room between the back ends of two of the boilers. While looking at this he was startled by a terrific cry of: “Furnace crown in boiler E coming down!” Then followed penetrating shouts from Hester. “Haul fires, disconnect, open the safety-valve!”

Ralph turned to go into the open part of the fire room and then heard a fearful yell of: “Run, everybody! Drop everything! Get out of the fire room, everybody!”

Ralph started to run, but tripped and fell headlong, striking the floor plates with great force. While he was struggling to get up he was conscious that the fire room was suddenly filled with hot steam.

One of the furnace crowns of boiler E had come down so rapidly that there was no time to save the boiler. Hester closed the great iron door between the engine and fire room, and then cracked it open. No steam came into the engine room.

“It’s not a bad break,” said Hester. “Hello, where is Mr. Osborn? He was in there. Did any of you see Mr. Osborn come out?”

“I saw him go behind the boiler to the safety-valve wheel,” said Turner.

Collins, with white face, stood beside Hester. He immediately said to a man beside him: “Quick, give me your shirt.” The man tore it off and Collins plunged it in a bucket of water. “Now tie it around my head,” he cried. “Now throw some water over me.” Instantly a bucket was thrown over him. The whole incident took but a matter of a few seconds. Hester looked at Collins keenly. “This is mine, Hester; I’m going after Mr. Osborn. Open the door.”

“All right, Collins. Get down on your knees and crawl. He’s between boiler E and F. You’ll get him.”

Collins, with his head protected, trousers tied around his ankles, and hands wrapped with wet cloths, disappeared through the doorway into that scalding hell of steam. Inch by inch he groped his way along but still moved rapidly toward the place Ralph had last been seen, and in a few seconds met the bewildered scalded midshipman who had by this time got to his feet. Ralph was aware that an accident had happened but was blinded and scalded. He hesitated helplessly, and then felt a strong arm grab him; Collins now rose to his feet, and dragging Ralph after him, ran forward to where there was a ladder leading to an open door out of the fire room into the fire men’s wash room. Collins pushed Ralph up the ladder and immediately followed him, and then both were rushed to the sick quarters.

In the meantime Hester had had himself wrapped head and foot in wet bags and cloths and went into the fire room, first to the safety-valve of boiler E which he opened, and then to the top of the boiler where he shut the valve, disconnecting that boiler from the other seven boilers. Then in rushed the chief engineer, without any protection; he was greeted by a blast of steam from the boiler which struck him on the head and knocked him down. Fortunately he was near the door and was hauled out by his feet.

Ralph had run to the sick quarters without assistance. His face, hands and part of his body smarted painfully but he had no idea that he had been badly injured. Intense suffering came in the next few days; his cruise of course came to an abrupt end, and he was transferred to the Newport Naval Hospital where he remained till the end of September, losing all of his September leave.

Collins and Hester both received medals of honor with highly commendatory letters from the Secretary of the Navy. Neither were more than slightly burned.

Severe as was the accident, Ralph was fortunate in several respects. First, the hole in the furnace crown through which the steam had escaped was very small. Then Ralph was at some distance and was not struck directly; and also the fire room was large and spacious. So Ralph had much reason to be thankful he had escaped with his life. He and the chief engineer were the only two who were seriously injured.[6]