Southern sentinel. [volume] (Plaquemine, Parish of Iberville [La.]) 1848-1858, 1854-09-23

.thannels; but many an anxious eye was turned to
yards the remaining bolts, for upon them depend
I'd the uasts; and upon the masts depended tht
safety st the ship-for with one foot Of canvas
less she could not live fifteen minutes.
And now, while all was apprehension, another
bolt dIew-and then anOther-unAl at Last oul
whole stay was placed upon q single bolt less than
! mans wrist in circumference. Still the iron
lung to the solid wood, and bore US alongside the
breakers, though in a most frightful proximity to
hem. This thrilling incident has rever, | be-
tieve, been noticed in public, but it is a literal fact
which l make not the slightest attempt to EN-
bel,ish.
As we galloped on-for ! can compare our yes
sells leapjpg to nothing else-the rocks seemed
very near US. Dark as Sss the night, the white
foam scowled around their black heads, while the
spray fell over US, and the thunder of the dashing
surge sounded like the awful knell that the ocean
was singing for the victims it was eager to en-
gulph.
At length the light bore upon our quarter, and
the bold Atlantic rolled its white caps before US.
During this time all was silent, each officer and
man was At his post, and the bearing and counter
nance of the captain seemed to give encourage
ment to every person on board. With but a bare
possibility Of saving the ship and those on board,
he relied on his nautical skill and courage, and by
carrying the mainsail, which in any other situa-
ton would have been considered a suicidal act,
Stho rs,oafboro1 Tho loo eboro on1 eapo1 fha rop
stitution!'
The mainsail was now hauled up by light hearts
and strong hands, the jib and spankeE taken in,
and from the light of Scilly the gallant vessel, un-
der close reefed topsails and main trysails, took
her departure, and danced merrily over the deep
towards the United States.
"Pipe down." said the Captain tot the First Lieu
tenant, 'and splice the main bracs'-give the men
a glass Of grog.
"Pipe down!'' echoed the First Lieutenant to
the boatswain.
"pipe down." whistled the boatswain to the
crew, and pipe down. it was.
"How near the rocks did we go?" said ! to one
of the masters mates the next morning.
He made no reply, but taking down a chart
showed me a pencil line between the outside
shoal and the Light House Island, which must
have been a small strait for a fisherman to run his
smack through in good weather by daylight.
For what is the noble and dear old frigate re-
served!
went upon deck; the sea was calm, . gentle |
breeze was swelling our canvas from our maipsail |
to royal, the isles Of Scilly had sunk in the eastern
waters, and the clouds Of the dying storm were
rolling off in broken masses to the northward and
westward, like the flying columns of Q beaten az
my.
have been in many a gale Of wind, and have
passed through scenes of great danger, but never
before nor SINCE, have ! experienced an hour 70
terrible as that when the Constitution was laboE-
ing, with the lives Of FIVE hundred men hanging
on q single small iron bolt, to weather SciIiy, on
the night Of the 18th of May, 1895.
During the gale, and just after We had passed
Scilly, Mrs, Livingston inquired of the Captain
if We were in any great danger, to which he re,
piled, "You are as safe as you would be in the aisle
of a church,
1t is singular that the frigate Boston, Captain
McNeal, about the close of the revolution, escap-
I'd . similar danger while employed in carrying
put to France, Chancellor Livingston, a relative
Of Edwards, and also Minister to the Court of ST.
Cloud, He likewise had his wife on beard, and
while the vessel was weathering a lee shore, Mrs.
Livingston asked the Captain-a rough but gal
ant old fre-sater-if they were not in great dam
ger; 10 which he replisd-" You had better, mad
am, get down npon your knees, and pray God to
forgive your numerous sins, for if we do not car
~ this point, We shall all be down in five min