Southport telegraph. [volume] (Southport, W.T. [i.e. Kenosha, Wis.]) 1840-1850, 1849-11-09
A MAN OVERHEARD.
BIZ IKE MARVEL

II was one Of those thunder -and-lightninp
| gales at night, when for a moment all would be
as light as day, and moment after, so dark that
you could not see an oars length from the ves-
sci. The captain was forward, and all the
hands, except the cook and myself were aloft.
The ship was pitching madly, and the waves
were topping up sometimes as high as the yard
arm, and then dipping away with curl under
our keel, that made every timber in the vessel
| CULVER The thunder was roaring like ten thou
sand cannons, and every now and them as said
half the sky would split in a stream of fire. that
| giared over the tops OF the waves, and gstened
on the wet deck, and the spars-lighting up eve
~ thing so plain, that could see the mems fa-
ces at the man-top, and catch gmpses of the
| REFERS on the yard-arm, clinging like death
then all would be horrible darkness
You could hear the spray splitting against the
canvass, and the great waves breaking on the
weather bow and the howl of the wind through
tn rigging, and now and then when gasket
gave way, and the sail bellied the leeward, YOU
could hear the canvass splitting like the crack OF
musket. You could hear, TOO, the captain for
ward, screaming out orders, and the mate in the
cross-trees screaming them over, till the light
ming came, and the thunder-both together-and
deadened their voices, as if they'd been pair
OF little chlrplng sparrows.
1t was in one of the flashes that | saw hand
on the yard-arm lose his foot-hold, as the ship
gave a plunge, but his arms were clenched
around the spar. Before could see any more
the backness came over, anil the thunder came
with crash that half deafened me- | thought
| heard something like tiny howl, as it died off;
and sure enough, the next fash of lightning
which came in moment, what should see on
the top OF one OF the waves alongside, but Tom
Meek 5, the lightning glared on his face so that
| could see the look in the poor fellows eve
AS good luck would have it, he had caught
hold of one of the studding-sail sheets, and he
fell and as we pitched, could see it slipping off
the coil upon the deck.
| shouted like mad man Ore7bo1rd! ~
and had just time to catch the rope, when we
could see nothing again. | was boy, then, and
couldn't hold by the rope; the sea was too high
and the man ton heavy for me.
/ shouted, and shouted, and shouted and felt
the sweat starting all over my forehead as the
rope slipped out through my hands Poor Tom
had been our mess-mate for year, and we all
loved him.
Presently the captain felt his way aft, and took
hold with me, just the coil was nearly spent,
and we pulled upon him; and the cook came, and
we three hauled together upon him.
Poor fellow! it must have been desperate
work for him; for the ship was drifting at pro-
dgious rate, and we pulling together at the same
tima; but he chung ike man.
By-and-by, at a fash, we saw him on crest
three oars length away from the vessel
- Hold on, my num- shouted the captain.
"For Gods sake, be quick, said the man, and
he went down in trough of the sea. And we
pulled the harder; and the captain kept all the
while calling to him to keep up courage and hold
strong, But in the hush, we could hear Tom
! say can't hold out much longer-Im most
gone!'
We called out the more TO him TO hold on;
and presently got him where we could most lay
hold of him, and were only waiting for good
lit of the sea, to bring hun up, when the poor
fellow groaned OUTFITS no use--I can'i-good
bye!'; and wave tossed the end OF the rope clean
up the bulwarks.
At the next flash we saw him going down un-
der the water.
| shall never forget how he looked-for we
saw him plain-when he said GOOD bye"
and let go his hold.