The Iron Boys on the Ore Boats; or, Roughing It on the Great Lakes Read online

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  The Iron Boys on theOre Boats

  OR

  Roughing It on the Great Lakes

  By

  JAMES R. MEARS

  Author of The Iron Boys in the Mines, The Iron Boys as Foremen,The Iron Boys in the Steel Mills, etc.

  Illustrated

  PHILADELPHIAHENRY ALTEMUS COMPANY

  COPYRIGHT, 1913, BYHOWARD E. ALTEMUS

  Illustration: Both Boys Were Hurled Forward

  CONTENTS

  CHAPTER PAGE

  I. TO THE INLAND SEAS 7

  II. THE IRON BOYS AS CARGO 20

  III. A SURPRISED SKIPPER 31

  IV. THE BOYS STAND THE TEST 42

  V. TROUBLE IN THE STOKE HOLE 54

  VI. THE FIRST STEP UPWARD 63

  VII. THE IRON BOYS ON DECK 70

  VIII. THE CRASH IN THE FOG 82

  IX. A TRAGEDY OF THE LAKES 93

  X. TOSSED UP BY THE WAVES 104

  XI. BY PLUCK ALONE 113

  XII. ON THE ROAD TO CONNEAUT 122

  XIII. IN THE GRIP OF A GIANT SHELL 129

  XIV. STEVE SAVES THE CAPTAIN 135

  XV. AT THE WHEEL 151

  XVI. THROUGH THE ROCKY CUT 163

  XVII. THE BLOW IN THE DARK 172

  XVIII. VISITORS ON THE "RICHMOND" 181

  XIX. IN THE GRIP OF THE WAVES 190

  XX. AN EXCITING RESCUE 202

  XXI. A NEW HAND AT THE WHEEL 210

  XXII. LEADING A LIVELY CHASE 219

  XXIII. THE WIRELESS MESSAGE 223

  XXIV. CONCLUSION 245

  The Iron Boys on the Ore Boats

  CHAPTER I

  TO THE INLAND SEAS

  "WHAT are we to do?"

  "The first duty of an inspector is to inspect, I should say," answeredSteve Rush, with a soft laugh, in answer to his companion's question.

  Bob Jarvis made a wry face.

  "You think you are very smart this morning, seeing that you have beencomplimented by the president of the mining company," grumbled Jarvis."I don't know whether I like this new job or not. We were making prettygood money in the mines and we were bosses at that. Are we going to doany bossing when we get on the lakes?"

  "I think not. We shall be ordinary seamen. Somebody else will do thebossing in this instance and we shall be the victims. Mr. Carrhart willtell us all about it in a minute. He is arranging for our work now. Itwill be a great change, and while we shall be working pretty hard weshall be adding to our store of knowledge, Bob. We are lucky to possessso fully the confidence of our superiors. Let's try to show that we areworthy of their confidence in our new places."

  "When do we start?"

  "I don't know. Mr. Carrhart is looking that matter up now."

  The lads were sitting in the private office of the president of themining company, whither they had been summoned from their work at themines. Mr. Carrhart, the president, stepped briskly into the office atthat juncture.

  "Well, lads, I have arranged for your transportation."

  "May I ask on what ship we are to sail, sir?" questioned Steve.

  "The 'Wanderer.' She is not one of our newest ships, but she is astaunch old vessel with about as many conveniences as are to be found onthe newer and more modern boats. I sometimes think we are gettingfurther away from what a ship should be--but then, I am not a sailor. Iam not supposed to know anything about ships," laughed the president.

  "When do we sail?"

  "Some time to-night. The 'Wanderer' is not yet in. She passed the Soonearly forty hours ago and should dock some time this afternoon. She iscoming up light this time, for a change."

  "How long does it take to load the ship with ore?" asked Steve, hisactive mind already in search of knowledge along the line of their newcalling.

  "Eight hours or so."

  "That is quick time," nodded Jarvis.

  "It strikes me as being a long time," remarked Rush.

  "That is the point exactly," agreed Mr. Carrhart. "If you boys can finda way to shorten the loading time you will have served your purposewell. That is exactly why we are sending you out on this inspectingtour--that is, it is one of the reasons. We want to know where we cansave money and time in the shipment of ores to the furnaces."

  "But, sir, we know nothing about this branch of the business," protestedSteve. "Are there not others better qualified than ourselves?"

  "They think they are," answered the president reflectively. "We havetried them out. Most of them are wedded to old methods. What we want isnew methods as well as new blood. Besides, you lads have expressedyourselves as being anxious to learn everything about the mining andsteel business. I am taking you at your word. You are thoroughly postedon the mining end. I do not believe you could be much more so were youto spend three years more underground. The shipment of the ore is thenext step. You have followed the ore down from the mines to the shippingpoint, here in Duluth. Now I am going to have you spend a few months onthe Great Lakes."

  "That will be a fine experience, sir."

  "I think so."

  "Is the purpose of our going to sea on the lakes known, or is it not tobe known to any one outside of ourselves?"

  "Certainly not. The mission might fail of its purposes were such to bethe case. To all intents and appearances, you two boys will be plain,everyday sailors. You will find many hardships in the life of a GreatLakes sailor, but then, if I know you, I do not believe you will mindthese very much," added Mr. Carrhart, with an indulgent smile.

  "We certainly shall not," answered Rush, with emphasis. "The harder thework the better it seems to agree with me."

  "But not with me," retorted Jarvis.

  The president laughed.

  "That doesn't agree with what the reports show. For industry andattention to duty you are a close second to your friend Rush. Ipresume, Rush, that we shall be losing you one of these days?"

  "What do you mean, sir?"

  "You will wish to go on to the mills, eh?"

  Steve thought briefly.

  "Yes, sir; that is our ambition."

  "I thought so. You may depend upon me to use my influence to furtheryour ambition, though I shall very much dislike to lose you."

  "You are very kind, sir."

  "What I hoped you would do was to remain with the mining end of ourbusiness, where one of these days you would rise to the grade of generalsuperintendent. Perhaps after you have had your experiences at the otherend of the line, you will decide to come back. If I am still presidentof the mining company you will be well taken care of, should youreturn."

  "Thank you, sir; perhaps we shall be back sooner than you think."

  "And now for the subject at issue. Here is a letter to the master of the'Wanderer,' Captain Simms, stating that you are to be taken on board hisship as seamen. He does not know that it is your first cruise, but Ihave an idea that he will learn the truth soon enough."

  There was a grim smile on the face of the president.

  "You will find Captain Simms a gruff old seadog. He is one of ouroldest and most trustworthy masters, and after you come to know him I a
msure you will like him very much. You have a fairly clear idea of whatis expected of you by the company. You boys are both keen andresourceful and I expect a great deal from you. I know that you will seeall there is to be seen, and no doubt will see some things that havebeen overlooked by older heads than yours."

  "Have you any further directions to give before we leave you, sir?"inquired Steve.

  "None whatever. I wish you success, which I am sure you will have. Youneed not go to the ore docks until this evening, unless you wish to, asyou probably will have some things to do in town."

  After bidding the president good-bye, the boys took their leave. Itseemed only a few weeks since Steve Rush had first entered the office ofthe president of the mining company looking for a job. The same officeboy with whom he had had trouble at the start of his career was on guardat the door, but Steve had grown away from him. Steve, who with hiscompanion, Bob Jarvis, will be recognized at once as one of the IronBoys, was tall for his age and muscular. His manner of life had donemuch for his physical well-being, and he was not the same boy who hadfought his way into the president's office, the account of which is setforth in "THE IRON BOYS IN THE MINES."

  It was there that Steve Rush and Bob Jarvis first became friends, afterthey had met and fought a battle in a lonely drift in the Cousin JackIron Mine; it was there that both lads proved their heroism by savingthe president and several other officials of the company, when theentire company was threatened with death from a burning bag of dynamite.

  It was in the Cousin Jack Mine that Steve and his newly found friend sawthe need of and invented a new tram railroad system, by which the miningcompany was saved many thousands of dollars a year.

  Again in "THE IRON BOYS AS FOREMEN," was told how the lads provedthemselves by saving the powder magazine from blowing up while the minewas burning and the flames were creeping toward the deadly explosives.It will be recalled that it was mainly through the heroic efforts of theIron Boys that the Red Rock Mine was saved from almost totaldestruction, and that through their further efforts many lives wereundoubtedly saved. From then on they continued to distinguishthemselves, playing a conspicuous part in the great strike, in the endexposing and unmasking a wicked and unscrupulous man who was leadingthe miners on to commit deeds of violence.

  They were the same boys who were now starting out on a new career forthe same company. In this instance the lads were to become sailors onthe inland seas, known as the Great Lakes. The lads were taking up thisnew calling for the twofold purpose of learning still another branch ofthe great corporation's business and they fondly hoped their work wouldprove of importance to their employers.

  The office of the president was located in Duluth, many miles from theIron Range where the boys had been working for the last two years.

  Their first act after leaving the offices was to make their way down tothe water front to the ship canal, leading from the harbor out to LakeSuperior. Steve pointed out the aeerial bridge to his companion. This wasa car carried through the air suspended from a giant truss over theriver, by which passengers were transferred across to Superior on theother side. Bob had never seen this wonder before and was deeplyinterested in it. To Steve Rush it was of particular interest, for hehad acquired no slight knowledge of engineering during his experience inthe mines up on the range.

  Boats were moving in and out, huge lake freighters, ore boats andpassenger ships, for the lake traffic was in full cry now. Afterstrolling about for a time, Steve took his companion home with him, andthe rest of the afternoon was spent with Steve's mother. Supperfinished, the lads decided that they would get down to the ore docks, asthe ship would likely be in by that time.

  Darkness had set in when they reached the docks. These docks, as thosewho have had the misfortune to have to make their way over them areaware, consist of tiers upon tiers of trestle. Over the tops, high inthe air, ore trains rumble in by day and by night, discharging theircargoes of red ore into huge hoppers, from which the ore is loaded intothe boats, or Great Lakes ore carriers, as they are called.

  Neither boy had ever been out on one of these trestles before, and thetask looked to be rather formidable.

  "How are we going to do it?" demanded Bob, surveying the great structureapprehensively.

  "I guess the only way will be to keep going until we get somewhere orfall off. I don't see the ship, but we shall see it when we get to thetop of the trestle."

  Both boys narrowly missed being run down by an ore train as it wasshunted out on the trestle. The lads were in a dangerous place, butthey did not feel at all disturbed about it. Men were flitting about inthe dim light of half a dozen electric globes distributed along the topof the trestle that loomed all of seventy-five feet above the water.

  "There's a ship down there," cried Steve.

  "Yes, and there's one on the other side," answered Bob. "Why, there areships at all of the docks along here. Are you sure we have hit the rightdock?"

  "I am not sure of anything, except that we are likely to break our necksif we don't look sharp," answered Rush, with a laugh. "We will ask thefirst man we meet where the 'Wanderer' is. There comes some one now."

  Rush hailed the man, a foreigner. The latter neither answered nor paidthe slightest attention to the question put to him.

  "Thank you," murmured Rush.

  "Mighty sociable lot of men up here," jeered Bob. "But then I supposethey have to keep their minds on their work or fall off the trestle. Iprefer to work underground. In the mines, there's no danger of fallingdown."

  Ore was being shot down through the chutes into boats on each side ofthe great trestle. There was the roar as of a great cataract as the reddirt went hurtling down into the hold of the ships many feet below.

  "Let's get down on one of the other levels, Steve. Then we'll drift overto the heading at the other end."

  "Anybody'd think you were down in a mine. These aren't levels; they aretiers. You remind me of one of our miners who came down here to Duluth.He went to a hotel, and in telling some of the boys about it, he said:'We got in a swell cage with looking glasses all around the inside. Thecage tender jerked us up to the sixteenth level. We went along this tillwe came to a crosscut; then they led us into a swell drift an' we struckthe heading and sat down.' What do you think of that?"

  "That sounds like a lumber-jack more than it does a miner. He must havehad a sky parlor. I wonder what hotel he got into."

  Suddenly a great shouting was set up far below where the boys werestanding, and further on toward the end of the trestle.

  "Now what's the matter?" wondered Steve. Two long blasts of asteamship's whistle sounded.

  "There goes a ship. They're pulling out. I'll bet that's the'Wanderer,'" shouted Bob.

  "If if is, she will pull out without us. No, it can't be the 'Wanderer,'for she did not come in until after sundown and it is not possible thatthe ship could be loaded by this time. We'll simply have to find ourway down through the trestle somewhere and locate our ship. If we knewwhich side the boat lay it would be easier for us. Can you see whichboat is leaving, Bob?"

  "I think it is a boat from one of the other piers. I don't see anythinggoing away near us."

  "Suppose we move out toward the end. Then we shall be able to see wherewe are and what we are doing."

  "And fall off?"

  "Certainly not. We will walk along by the side of the track. There is arailing here. No danger at all of falling."

  The boys had their suit cases in their hands. They carried littlebaggage, having been informed that there was no room on board for trunksor luggage. Besides, the lads needed few clothes outside of severalsuits of underwear.

  As they stepped along, walking side by side, Steve pointed up at abright star.

  "I wonder if we had better lay our course by that one----Grab me,Bob--I'm falling!" suddenly cried Steve Rush.

  Jarvis stretched out a quick hand, fastening upon Steve's collar. Butthe movement threw Jarvis off his balance. He, too, toppled forward.

  Rush h
ad stepped into an open chute through which the red ore wasroaring down into the hold of the ship seventy-five feet below them.Steve struggled valiantly to prevent himself from going in, and Bobtried his best to keep from going in after.

  "Let go, Bob; you'll go in, too!"

  The warning came too late. Steve shot out of sight, leaving a fragmentof his coat collar in the hand of his companion. Then Bob went in, headfirst.

  Neither lad uttered a cry. They were not of the crying kind, and evenhad they uttered a shout their voices would have been drowned in theroar of the ore thundering into the hold of the big ship awaiting itdown in the slip.