The Engine Room

                           The Engine Room

Here is the poem on Engine Room.....unknown author edited by me......


The sparkling triple expansion,
With its noise and whistling steam
The thumpity thump of the crankshaft,
And the connecting rods all agleam.
The clickity clack of the valve gear,
And the swish of the feed water rams,
The aroma of engine lubricants,
The sound of the oilman's salaams.

The whir from the boiler air fan,
The condenser's different smell,
The leaking steam from loose packing,
The gurgle from the bilge box well.

The sudden blast from the boiler room,
As the junior blows the glass,
The aroma of sweat and brasso,
As the fireman cleans the brass.

The startling ring of the telegraph,
And the action that it brings,
The harmony of disciplined colleagues,
Like music at it swings.

Sunlight streaming through skylights,
Dazzling on polished steel,
Moving around the engine room,
As the quartermaster moves the wheel.

The slowing down of the engines,
And the final telegraph sound,
The quietness of finished with engines,
The joy of homeward bound.