The spirit of democracy. [volume] (Woodsfield, Ohio) 1844-1994, 1855-04-11

held tho Wasp and her gallant crew, and
1,,,l - Ill ~.

r held tho Wasp and her gallant crew, an
I lived to tell the tale.
, On the 9th of October following, th
Swedish brig Adonis, from Rio, bound {,
Falmouth. was boarded by, the Wasp il
latitude l8 deg. 35 min. North, longitud,
80 deg elO min. West. and two passen
gers, Lieut.. Mcknight, and master $ m at
! Lyman, late OF the gallant Essex, wer
taken from her. The Swede then pursue,
his course, while the American cruise
! continued to the Southwark under cas-,
sail. At P. NJ, her topsails dipped il
the Southern Ocean; and when the sur
set she was seen no more.
OF the final end OF the Wasp, rumo
!, has been busy with her thousand tongues
At one time she was said to have beer
lost on the dosolate coast of Africa, Will,
her seamen battled with the Arabs OF tn.
: desert. then she was said 10 have sunk ir
4 gale eff the Spanish shore, after an ae
ton with an English frigate. At one time
she was supposed to have been lost 10 ihe
wild ocean, alone. At another, blown ut
by the accidental ignition Of her maya.
zines. History being silent on the subject,
the pen of imagination must trace hel
last moments.
1t was an awful night in the South At
iantic-the waves leaped in mighty mass.
es, like spectre knights in dusky armor
Loud rolled the thunder OF heaven, and
round the horizon the lightning. like the
tongue OF thousand adders forked in
air, or reared around the magazines oil
hn hot th l.
upon the bosom OF the storm. The wind
swept in one unbroken howl, and the din
of the dashing waters completed the ele.
mental war
| Not sail was to be seen. Itseemed
hat man had left the ocean in its majesty
to his God, while the clouds and dark.
ness, the whirl wind and the water. spout,
the lightning aud the deep mouthed thun-
der. gave terrific evidence of the presence
of the Creator! But, bark! A cannon
echoes family; see! pale sepulchral light
iaintly glares upon the deepl And now,
with the velocity of the wounded whale.
sloop- of-war with her sails in strips, her
spars twisted. splintered and broken, her
bulwarks partly carried away, her rndder
gone, comes down before the wind. She
falls off from her course; now she buries
her head in the foam, and now her stern
seems fast disappearing in the hollow OF
the deep. Sea after sea rolls over her
deck, and ths seamen dashed to her sides
seem waiting the hour Of near destruction
The commander at the wheel with his
brazen trumpet is silent. His eye flashes
like that Of the chained eagle, as he scans
the deep. A few hours more and the YES.
sci must founder al sea. Her banner still
floats in ribbons at her peak, faint light
CLEANS from her starboard binnacle, and,
the signal bell tolls sadly as she is thrown
from broadside 10 broadside upon the
sideling waves.
The storm abatesi The fierceness Of
the blast is gone! The sea rolls in gentle
pillows, and the heavens shower darkness
instead OF forked lightning. temporary
rudder is rugged. storm stay sail is set,
the wreck OF spars is cleared away. The
rolling guns are checked with hAmmocks,
from the netiings, and ports are closed.
'Ha! my brave fellows thundered the
commander, we are safe. Reilly. Tllin-
ghast and Barry, nobly have you stood
the test OF this war of nature. All hands
save ship,
All hands!' shouted the FIRST Lieut..
Tumble up. tumble up, cried the boat.
swain's mate below.
And now the weary crew are upon
deck. Those who are lashed cut their
settings as il by magic. Grasping axes
the officers spring to the tops, and work
with their undaunted men. The shattered
topmasts are replaced, new sails are bent.
and already the distressed bark begins to
wear the appearance Of ship OF war
But bark! from the north west rushing
sound is heard! A bright bow rears itself
from the edge OF the horiacn! And from
the centre Of the arch Of fire, q fash of
lightning followed by an Sinstantaneous
crash, blinds the eyes Of the anxious le ad.
er and his busy crew. In a moment more
the fierce Norther strikes the ship aback:
from the top OF giant billow il hurls her
down. A huge abyss yawns TO receive
her, and with her main mast blazinp with
the lightning's. fire, and her tattered stars
cleaning amidst the lurid glare down to
the ocean sepulchre, sinks the gallant
Wasp. with her immortal Blakely and his
matchless crew.
One wild wall now rings along the sol.
itary sea; it dies in echoes far away. The
wind howls sadly IN its fury; the waves
leap in majesty around; the thunder peal
answers the roar Of the billow, and the I
dead sleep in their coffin Of glory in
sweet fofgetfulness.
Curious Statistics. -