Kenosha tribune & telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1856-1859, 1856-10-09

done preparatory to his making speech,
his shipmates waited in silence for him
to begin
"That AR ice island" said he at last,
''wasn't launched yesterday, nor yet last
year, nor the year before, perhaps and
by the look of him, he's been for pref
ty long cruise in warm latitudes-last
summer, may be, and then come back
home for the winter.
If you look away yonder, there, just
this side of that high point like a church
steeple, only lower down, there's place
looks darker than the rest. Now it's
just there, expect, that a great piece
has broken off and drifted away; and /
calculate it was lower and more shelving
otf-not so steep and rocky like as now.
"Twas there that poor chap was cast
ashore from ship or boat. He was try
ing to make his way up to the heights
and take a survey round, and hoist a
signal, when he went to sleep and new
er woke again; only where he is now,
you see, must have been covered with
snow then, or he couldn't have kept his
footing"
Having said thus much, he replaced
the quid in his mouth, and spoke no
more.
There was no earthly use of waiting
longer, and yet the captain seemed 10th
to give the order to fill and away.
eff the poor fellow had spark of life
in him, he would have moved before
this, for it's six or seven hours since we
first saw him. But if he did move, it
would only be to slide down over the
precipice, for no living thing could keep
footing on such place as that. And
if there are any more of them we should
have seen them before this time, although
we could never get them off if we did. :"
Then pausing suddenly in his walk on
the quarterback, he gave an order to
getthe gun ready forward, and presently
came the answer:
"All ready with the gun SIR"
sFirer'
In few seconds the echo Of the loud
report resounded from the icy wall for
another instant all was still, and then
came anoise like rafting of loud thun-
der, proceeding from the centre of the
berg.
The danger of our proximity to this
vast object now became more apparent,
and all sail was made to geta good offing.
But we had barely proceeded quarter
of mile, when the same noise was heard
again, only louder, more prolonged, and
accompanied by a rending, crushing
sound, the intensity and nature of which
is perfectly indescribable. The vast is
land was parting in the middle, down
the course of the deep valley before men
toned; and slowly and majestically the
eastern half rolled over into the sea, up
heaving what had been its base, i'll which
] were imbedded huge masses of rock, GOV,
cred with long sea-weed. The other
part still remained erect, but was sway
ing to and fro, as if it also must capsize
This CONFUSION caused less foam and
turmoil than might have been supposed
but raised wave of such tremendous
magnitude, that when it reached our shin
she seemed about to be overwhelmed by
rolling mountain of water higher than
our mast heads. The good ship rose
upon its crest, and, before again sinking
into the hollow, we saw the man upon
the iceberg-still in the same posture
glide swiftly down the slippery incline.
shoot over the edge Of the precipiece,
and plunge into the raging surf.
a sensation Of inexpressible reliefwas
experienced by all; it had seemed SO
dreadful to sail away and leave him there
unburied and alone; now at any rate we
had seen the last of him.