Gallant Act Saved Vessel
A Louisburg, C. B. dispatch of June 7, 1923,
to the Halifax Chronicle, gives the following detailed story of the narrow escape from
destruction of sch. Mildred Robinson from burning and the plucky
act of the skipper.
The Gloucester fishing sch. Mildred
Robinson put into port last evening seeking medical aid for the master, Henry
Rearden, who was badly burned about the hands and body by an exploding lamp.
The Mildred Robinson was engaged on a halibut trip and
was out from port one week with powerful crude oil engines.
About 7 o'clock yesterday morning an oil lam
in the engine room exploded. Capt. Rearden caught it up in his arms
and ran with it through the engine room and cabin and up on deck and threw it overboard to
prevent the flames spreading to the woodwork of the vessel. Before reaching the rail
the mate said the captain was a veritable mass of flames; his shirt and clothing was
burned through and he suffered some painful burns on his body and hands. First aid
treatment was given and the vessel headed for Louisburg for medical treatment.
Dr. Morrison dressed the
wounds and said that while the burns were of a painful nature they were not very deep and
he expected a quick recovery. The master will not leave his vessel, but will remain
in port for two or three days receiving treatment and will sail with his ship to complete
the voyage. The captain did not think he had done any more than any of his sailors
would have done had they been near at hand at the time. He said his vessel had on
board 19 fishermen who owned their fishing outfits which were valued well up to $200 each,
and if the fire had spread to the oil tanks or the engine room woodwork, they would not
only have lost a fine vessel but the individual loss to each fisherman would be a heavy
one. Nothing could have saved their vessel if the oil tanks had caught fire, it
would have been a hurried scramble for the dories. He had seen a similar accident
happen some years ago in the port of Gloucester, but five fishermen were killed in the
explosion which followed the catching of fire of the oil tanks.
The matter of grabbing up the burning oil lamp
was, he said, but the impulse of a moment, and he did not feel the burning pain until he
struck the cool wind on deck. He said he was holding onto the lamp so hard that his
muscles were tensed and he did not think he could have dropped it if he wanted to until he
arrived at the rail and hurled it overboard.
The crew felt sorry for the captain and
realize what he had done for them and assured him that if he could, in safety to himself,
sail with his vessel, they would see that he would not have to do a hands turn during the
remainder of the voyage. The captain said the work of the skipper is not the easiest
job on board, but he had about as fine a bunch of fishermen as it was possible to get and
intended sailing on his vessel. By the time he arrived in Gloucester with a good
fare of halibut, his burns would be well healed and he would be little the worse for wear.
The owners and underwriters of the vessel also
have been saved a considerable sum of money by the captain's heroic action, and they
should see to it that this trip means a little more to Capt. Rearden than
his usual share of the net sales of his cargo of fish. |
