CHAPTER X
Jimmy Visits a Lightship off the Coast
For some time after his flight to Northend Jimmy found life rather tame.No really big stories happened in the eastern part of the country. SoJimmy was occupied from day to day with minor tasks that provided littleexcitement. Yet all the while he was learning more about his job. Fromday to day he talked with fellow pilots at the Long Island airport, anddrew from them as much as he could in the way of helpful suggestionsabout flying. For some of them had had extremely trying experiences.Whenever he was with newspaper men Jimmy asked as many questions as hecould about reporting and news coverage. He bore in mind what themanaging editor had said to him: "If you continue to improve, you'llmake a great reporter some day." It was Jimmy's ambition to be one ofthe very best. So he welcomed every experience that added to hisknowledge.
Even when his work seemed tamest he was acquiring facts and knowledgewith surprising rapidity; and all that he learned enlarged hisbackground and was just so much preparation for the day when he shouldtruly become a great reporter. One of his assignments was to fly out toan incoming steamer in a seaplane and bring ashore some important newsphotographs from Europe. It was on this flight that Jimmy had his firstsight of a lightship anchored at sea. He was instructed to meet theincoming ship near the Ambrose lightship, off the entrance to theAmbrose Channel that leads from the deep water of the sea up to the NewYork harbor.
Jimmy knew the approximate hour of the steamship's arrival at thatpoint. He flew out to sea a little early, to be certain that he was ontime. He was to get the pictures when the ship slowed down to pick upthe pilot who was to guide her up the channel to her dock. Arrangementshad been made by wireless with the photographer, who was aboard theliner. He was to get the pictures down to Jimmy in the seaplane.
When the latter reached the lightship, the ocean liner was not yet insight. Jimmy decided that he would not fly out to sea to meet her. Hewas a little distrustful of all this vast stretch of water about him. Hehad been ordered to meet the ship when she picked up her pilot. Thepilot boat was cruising not far away. Jimmy decided that he would comedown on the water, which was very calm, and take a look at thelightship. So he flew close to the vessel, then came down in a longglide, and was soon bobbing safely on the gentle swells of the Atlantic.
The lightship was only a few hundred feet distant. Jimmy turned the noseof his plane toward the vessel and taxied to a point close to leeward ofit. He had never seen such a curious craft. It was a clumsy, bunty sortof ship, apparently not more than a hundred feet long, with bulging,bulky bow, like that of a Dutch canal-boat. The sides of the vessel werevery high for a ship of her length. The ship was a straw color; andpainted on her hull in huge letters was the word _Ambrose_. She had twomasts, and at the top of each mast was apparently a guide light,protected by a circular black iron grating, to flash out warning signalsin the dark.
Jimmy taxied as close to the ship as he dared. The crew of ten or adozen men was lined up along the leeward rail, watching him. Apparentlythe men thought he wished to board the ship, for one of them had a lightline in his hand. Seeing that, Jimmy decided he would go aboard. Hescanned the sea and saw no sign of an approaching liner. Then he forcedhis plane a very little closer to the lightship and waited. At once theman with the coil of rope drew back his arm and flung the line straighttoward Jimmy. It sped through the air, uncoiling as it flew, and droppedlightly on the fuselage of the plane. Jimmy stepped out on a wing andsecured the line. In another moment he had been drawn close up to theship. A port opened. A sailor skilfully drew one wing up to the side ofthe ship, holding it so it would not bump the vessel. Jimmy walked outon the wing and climbed aboard the vessel. At once his plane was allowedto drift a few fathoms to leeward, where it was safe.
The sailors, eager for news from shore, flocked around Jimmy. They pliedhim with questions. When he had answered all they asked, he put a fewquestions himself. He wanted to know about all the interesting things hesaw. The huge anchor chain and the anchor itself interested Jimmy. Thechain was the thickest chain Jimmy had ever seen. The links were made ofiron two inches thick, and each link was strengthened by a cast-ironstud. Jimmy whistled when the captain told him that a single fathom ofthe chain weighed close to 200 pounds, and that the entire chain,measuring only 120 fathoms, weighed about twelve tons. Of course, thechain had to be moved by an engine.
The anchors, too, attracted Jimmy. One of them was at the bottom of thesea, of course, but the other was stopped fast at the bow of the vessel,ready to be let down at a moment's notice. It was a mushroom anchor, andgot its name from its shape; for it looked for all the world like a hugemetal toadstool. The circular edge of the anchor was sharp, so it wouldbite into the bottom of the sea easily.
But the thing that interested Jimmie most was the light. This, thecaptain said, was an occulting white light, that was visible for twelveout of every fifteen seconds. The light at the forward masthead isalways used, excepting when that light is out of commission. Then theafter light shines.
"If there was a string of lights like this one, each with a distinctiveflash," said Jimmy, "a fellow could find his way by night at sea aseasily as he can follow his route on land when he follows the Air Mailbeacons."
"There is a string of lights all along the coast," said the captain,"and each has its distinctive flash. Most of them are on land, but a feware floating lights, like this, which mark danger points far out fromshore."
Jimmy discovered that the great twelve-inch steam fog-whistle blows forthree seconds in each fifteen, when the fog is bad at this lightstation, and the fog bell rings once every thirty seconds. Once everytwelve seconds the submarine bell strikes two groups of two strokeseach. And the radio fog-signal of the _Ambrose_ lightship is acontinuous string of dashes, exactly like the signal of the radiobeacons along the lighted airway. Thus, whether a passing ship's captainsees the light or merely hears the fog-horn, or detects the radiosignal, he knows what lightship he is passing.
Jimmy was so much interested in learning about the lightship that hecould have spent hours aboard of her, but the captain warned him thatthe liner was visible on the horizon. Jimmy knew it was time for him tobe stirring. His plane was drawn up to the ship and he got carefullyaboard of her. Soon he was in the air. He came down close to thepilot-boat, which was ready to put a pilot aboard the approachingsteamer. The men on this boat said they would get his photographs forhim when they put the pilot aboard the liner.
The big steamer came plowing along, her speed gradually lessening, untilshe was practically at a standstill. Meantime a rowboat had taken thepilot from the pilot-boat to the side of the liner. The pilot climbed upthe ladder at the side of the ship and spoke to the photographer whostood at the rail, ready with his photographs. These were carefullywrapped for protection. He handed them to a sailor who slipped down theladder with them and put them in the hands of one of the men in therowboat. The little craft headed about and pulled for the pilot-boat.The liner began to move slowly and presently was steaming away at arapid rate.
Jimmy was all ready to board his plane when the men got back with hispictures. He stowed them in his coat, climbed carefully aboard his ship,and floated away to a safe distance. Then he rose from the water, headedhis plane straight for his landing-place on the southern shore of LongIsland, and went streaking back with his pictures. He gave them to awaiting messenger and hustled to get back to his own field.
As he drew near the hangar he noticed great activity. Mechanics werebustling about, ships were on the line, ready to take off, and pilotswere getting into their flying togs. Jimmy knew something was in theair. He was just about to ask some one what was up when a mechanic wholooked after his ship spied him and shouted: "Call up your office. Youare wanted. There's a big story that broke up in Pennsylvania. I've gotyour ship ready to go at a moment's notice. She's been warming up forhalf an hour."