THE VALUE OF COOLNESS.

Clutha Leader, Volume XX, Issue 1036, 8 June 1894, Page 3

THE VALUE OF COOLNESS.

A good story is told of a sea-captain who died not long ago, and who was formerly in command of a ship in which passengers were carried from London to Lisbon. On one occasion the ship caught fire, and the passengers and crew were compelled to, take hurriedly to the boats. The captain remained perfectly cool throughout all the confusion and fright of the debarkation, and, at last, everyone except himself was got safely into the boats. By the time he was ready to follow,, the passengers were almost wild with fear and excitement. Instead of hurrying down the ladder, the captain called out to the sailors to hold on a minute, and taking a cigar from his pocket, cooly lighted it with a bit of burning rope which had fallen from the rigging at his feet. Then he descended with great deliberation, and gave the order to push off. • How could you stop to light a cigar at such a moment 1 ?' he was asked afterwards, when some of the passengers were talking over their escape. ' Because, 7 he answered, ' I saw that if I did not do something to divert the minds of those in the boat, there was likely to be a panic, and overcrowded as it was, there was danger of the boat being upset. The act took but a moment, but it attracted the attention of everybody. You all forgot yourselves because you were thinking about my curious behaviour, and we got off saff>ly.'