A THRILLING RESCUE.

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 1650, 6 January 1914, Page 3

A THRILLING RESCUE.

BY BimiSll IIREADNOUGHI.

J ; ; WW\ P ' : %\^H^i\i^§^'£m'ola'fiSi pss\knss\^jii ! isiii\si-i\ i ii' sfof Hfe sou 11k :lh(StfHran.ieK;^c-ots'dyk(!y : W>olasKowra' life, , ' aiid,;%f lersa:;y;iiip'andi perilous strugi'lo of:-; tho crtMV;;:{vi ; as!"aba , Hdoii-ed;''aj)nareiitly i .-.in i .(i , '. on . a:.smnllsr/:scaloj' ; qf& the ; y olturiio' catastrophc'lvwas:averted, hy'-'tlre! timely, ni rival, oil -.th'u'" scenp of ..the licw Dreadnought battleship i'lroii ■• Duke,:. which, sighting'tho , iirc.at'a distanco of teii miles,'■.stemmed;.,.at:v full speed -.to'-.tho rescue,-i. and succeeded,' despite a heavy sea, in taking off-tho.captain, his.wife, , tyro passengers,, and , , the .whole, of .tbo erew, jnimbcring 26dn a 11 . ,,, ■ ''■■$ .■■ The .. Scotsdyke .1 left; ■ Grangemouth nearly two months ago with a cargo of coal ■ for.-; Venice;- , '.-. , Subsequently sho called at Susa ■ and , . ■ Gourine,. North Africa, and, other Mediterranean ports, and'loaded';with zinc, oro and esparto grass. Of the grass, , which is used in the manufacture of paper, a heavy cargo was stacked high on tho docks fere and aft, the bridge deck happily, as events, proved, being left clear, . After coaling' at Gibraltar.she steamed for the English Channel, , ' bound .for, Sunderland. and the liartlepools.'.-vf' , ■;.*■. :-. /. .. ■-. -.-..■■■' ■' ■■■ ■■/ v MVFlrel''■: ' :l ' ■]. ' .. All'went-well until ,11.30 onTnesday night,- when the nisite, ;:• Mr. William Erskinc, ■> of Graugemouth, froni his placo on the bridge, saw smoke issuing rrom the cargo on the fore deck. ■-. The watch. , , turned out : in response to his alarm, but tho appearance of flames showed that already the.fire had obtained a dangerous hold/ . For some time tho efforts of the crow met with Jittle sucDtjss/as although the seat, of the firo was confined .to the bow cargo, the area of the flames there steadily widened. The , bridge had .to be abandoned and the hand-wheel on:.the : poop shipped, and by this- means the difficult, task- of keeping thn ship's stern on to the wind was successfully : performed. ■: Through the bridge* -■ ticcotniug involved, the engine-room telegraph could no longer licensed, and the captain called , his orders to the engine-room staff. Tlio lives of all on board-were' undoubtedly saved by the restriction of the fire to the fore deck. , -The absence of a highly inflammable grass cargo from the bridge deck prevented tho spread of tho Humes, for the crew wero early cheeKed in their gallant struggle by the burning of the , hosepipes. ' ■ ... As.if was the position of'those on hoard rapidly became desperate. Two boats which had.not been burned -wero got out and towed astern, thfl launching of one of t'liein being almost attended by a tragedy. . Before the boat, reached the water on the weather sido the gear slipped on tho after davit, and she hung stern downwards ■above, tho surface of the water. -. One'of the crew who was id the boat managed Ivy. good fortune to clutch a. seat, and by this no was suspended until .the boat was lnwCTed to-an even keel in the water. Throe minutes., previously the. captain's wife had bren placed in tho" boat, bvit it was decided to ' take ■ her "out again fnr tho launching, and to , this, decision sire probably owes -her. life." '■; ■...-. .:,:,:. Iron Duke to the Rescue. ;, The flames from' the- likziiig deck shot «{>. to a great height,:the. glaru illuminating tho surface of.Uiio sea over a wide area.-.On tho.lslo'of Wight: fhore and St. Catherinels Point, jD'minose, . and Ventuor, the. startling : spec taclu'.was clearly visible in tho clear night air, and messages , were dispatched bv the coastguard for help. The Admiralty responded by sending-'tho cruiser Drncan from Portsmouth in search of tho .burninc vessel, but oven this timely measure of Bssistnncp might havo been ineffective, so narrow was th« margin between life and death, when help arrived-from an unexpected quarter. . .... TJio Iron Duka hod just left ■. Portemouth to make her steam, trials,preparatory to her being handed over to the Government by the contractors. Sighting tho firo at a .distance of ton miles, the went at full speed to the burning vessel, at the sanie time '.turning h-er welcome searchlights towards the Scots-' dyke. Sho , arrived in time to make a complete rescue.. On coming within convenient range she sent a boat to take off [ho occupants of tlio Scotsdyke, and into it were lowered by a rope ladder first the captain's , wife,..who had a vopo about her shoulders as ..a. special precaution, then the youngest member- of ■ tho crew, a boy of 11, and then tho'crow's -pet doz. '■ '' ■ ■■:■■■. ■;.-;■..,/ . ■ ..- .

The remainder of :tJio.erew followed, including the engine-room staff, who had stopped below performing their, duties with the knowledge that on them depended practically tho lives of all on board, Tho captain, Mr. John Grigor, was the last to leave tho ship: Tho 26 noople were treated.. with . true naval hospitality and courtesy by the officers and crew of the Iron Duke. The warship put back to Portsmouth, and at Spithead transferred.,tho .slnpwrockod crew to a. tender and 'i«<nt them ashore, where they wero placed in the.caro of the Royal Sailors' Home. Portsmouth'. The belongings of all of them wero left, en the abandoned shin, and drilling hnrl to be provided in order that/they might leave for Glasgow. -;. ; ■•■■':{,.'' ';.■';.'■.!?-.;y: