Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1846-04-16
rom the L.al.. National NI.g..In. for March
THE BURNING SHIP.
ny rnr AUTHOR OF "eRuzlso In rms LAST wAr

My friend Harry is the happest of men. He has
the sweetest aud most romantic cottage in the vcin.
ty of Philadelphia. II is bu. nine miles from the
city aud near fine old turnpike, so that a span Of
blood horses will take you there in forty minutes
His wife is perfect angel-beautiful, sweet tenn
pered and loves Harry devotedly. And then
group Of such lovely children.
did you ever hear how Isabel and became
acquainted said he to me one evening" looking
on his wife. | shook my head in the negative
"Well, then, draw your chair closer 10 the FIRE and
will tell you" With these words he began.
at was a night in the tropics. We had been in
pursuit Of heavy merchant-man, but fog coming
up she was shut in from our sight, and for more
than an hour remained invisible Suddenly, how
ever. the moon broke FORTH and we saw the chase
hauled, on the very point Of escaping us. We in
stantly made all sail but the wind was so uncertain
that the stranger kept his advantage, the air being
comparatively still with ms while he had respec-
table breeze. At length it fell a dead calm, the
chase being by this time seyera miles off
She could now be seen, lying in liquid flood Of
moonlight, rising and falling lazily upon the swell
her white sails scarcely moving from the mast, and
flashing in the distance, like sea-gups snowy
wing. All at once Capt. Drew, who had been
scrutinizing her through his glass, exclaimed.
"'There's something the matter on board there
the men have almost all leit her decks-and even
it be Mr. Jones!"
81 can't make out, sir-the crew perhaps has
mutned, they running wildly hther and
thther-no, my God, the ship is on frei" he ejacu-
lated as a cloud of thick, black smoke suddenly
pulled up her forehatchway, followed by long
vivid stream Of fire, that shot up so brightly into
the midnight sky We saw at once that the flames
must have been raging some time in the hold, and
that they had attained intensity which would
If Ia
sight. The eager element shot along the rigging,
ran swiftly up the ioremast and wrapping the
hamper in sheet of fire, streamed almos; perpen-
dicularly upward fathom two above the truck
There was breeze: but the fluctuations OF the
atmosphere swept The dense smoke to one side
forming as it were, gloomy curtain against which
the lurd flames shone in terrible relief Every
object on board could now be distinctly seen, and
we noticed that all at once the crew rushed aft. A
signal of distress the next instant was shown on
the quarter. All this had passed in a moment.
"Lower away the boats-pipe their crews there,
boatswain quick, sir, or the poor wretches will be
lost" Numbered the captain.
The men hurried to their stations, fired with
sympathy equal to his own.
"Mr Denforth." he said shall give you COM
mand of the leading boat, spare no effort to reach
them in time-but," he continued in whisper
"mnd the magazinel"
v. W
leaping into the stern sheets | continued push
off there, forward-and now give way with will,
boys-pull."
AT these words the men bent TO their with
the thews OF giants, curling the waters in foam
beneath our bows, and sending the boats along as
ifthey had been pleasure skifis.
But swift as our progress, that ofthe destroy
ing element was still more so. The fire had spread
with such frightful rapidly as to wrap the whole
| r. oh; IN nd thraatan tn
sumo her before we could arrive. Since it had
found vent it ragged with redoubled fury, until now
the shrouds the foremost, the bowspit, the yards,
every thing was sheeed with fire, which, whirling
round and round, assembled spray TO the mast
head shooting its forky tongues out every hand,
and streaming like meteor away up into the calm,
blue sky. Meanwhile The flames had broken out
from the after hatch, and catching at once TO the
ratlins leaped from rope TO rope, ran wildly up the
rigging, spread almost instantly to the huge lower
sails, Kissing, flashing and roaring as they went,
until at length the whole ship seemed mass Of
lurd fire. and nothing was left untouched but the
narrow quarter deck on which the now desparing
crew had gathered in crowds some eagerly endea-
yoring to lower the only boat that had escaped the
flames some franticaly crying out for mercy, some
cursng and disappearing awiully in their agony,
and some stretching out their hands lmplorlngly
for help.
|
miserably burned to death before your eyesl"-I
shouted, rising in the boat and waving my hat 10
the sufferers, forgetting in the excitement Of the
moment the immnency of our own danger in case
of an explosion. The poor wretches on the quarter
deck of the burning ship answered back with a
hyseric shout Our gallant tars started, like met
tied hounds at the cry, and with a few vigorous
i strokes we dashed up to the quarter.
"Keep her of there" | shouted, see that we
should be swamped by the eagerness Of the sufferers
to escape "keep her of-jnmp overheard, and well
pick you up" as we fell of from her quarter again
and in less than three minutes the deck was bare
and our boats full of the rescued crew.
"Mr Danlorth," at this moment shouted Jack,
from the other boat ahead "theres lady and hel
father, they say here-still on board-ior heavens
sake let us try TO save them"
For one moment as | remembered my orderI
and the extremity of our danger paused bu
when reflected that by departing, we should aban
don two human beings TO horrid death, hestate'
no longer Hastily learning from the mate OF Tho
vessel that they were their only passengers, ant
having taken refuge in the hold during the lal'
chase had since been iorgoten-and not feeling
warranted in ordering any on dangerous ser
vice. gave the boat in charge to Irvine, who ha'
luckily Struggled himsely on board sternly bid on
or two Of my crew who attempted TO follow to keel
their stations mounted her side by rope that hum
over the quarter, rapidly trayersed the deck in tn
midst of a tremendous heat, and darted down tn
companion way, leaving the flames roaring not iv'
feet from its entrance.
The cabin was large one, and fitted up witt
taste The decorations were even luxurious, AM
such as had at that time rarely seen IN merchant
men. The state rooms were OF mahogony, lnla
: with ebony and finished off with the greatest ele