n moving about, he
inquired if they were all right, and the response sent up from these
lowest depths of the ship was, "All right at present, but we don't know
how long." They were told to keep quiet, and stay where they were; that
they could be of no service on deck, and all would be well in a few
minutes. The gallant fellows remained by their fiery furnaces with
resolute good-will. In the case of the firemen tending the other set of
boilers a very different scene was taking place. Ropes were thrown
down, and, one by one, wounded, bleeding, and staggering men were drawn
up, their black, begrimed faces forming a ghastly contrast with scalded
portions of their limbs and bodies. The men were taken aft to the
hospital, and to the cabins, where mattresses and blankets were laid for
them.

Two or three of these poor fellows walked up to the deck almost, if not
quite, unassisted. Their aspect told its own tale, and none who had
ever seen blown-up men before could fail to know at a glance that some
had only two or three hours to live. Where not grimed by the smoke or
ashes, the peculiar bright, soft whiteness of the face, hands, or
breast, told at once that the skin, though unbroken, had in fact been
boiled by the steam. One man walked along, and seemed quite unconscious
that the flesh of his thighs, (most probably by the ashes from the
furnace), was burnt in deep holes. To some one who came to his
assistance he said quietly, "I am all right. There are others worse
than me; go and look after them." This poor man was the first to die.
It was seen at once that but little hope existed for many, if not the
majority, of the sufferers, who were twelve in number. Most of them
seemed very restless, and almost, if not quite, delirious; but a few of
those whose injuries were likely to be more immediately fatal remained
quiet, half unconscious, or at most only asking to be covered up, as if
they felt the cold. For these latter all knew that nothing whatever
could be done, as, in fact, they were then dying.

The explosion had occurred in the double casing round the bottom of one
of the funnels. We have not space to describe this minutely, and by the
general reader the description, were it given, would scarce be
understood; but it is well to remark that the piece of machinery which
caused the deplorable accident had been previously condemned in strong
terms by competent judges, and there is no doubt that the hot-water
casin