The Bedford gazette. [volume] (Bedford, Pa.) 1805-current, 1857-10-30
Misrrllaurons.
ALEXANDER GRANT;
The Man who Couldn't be Drowned.

man beings. Grant was fireman, and was
picked up, as every one knows, after nine days
exposure on the ocean.
His history is singular. He is Bluenose;
twenty six years ago, he was born in the Gut
Of Canso, in the British province of Nova Scotia.
He was predestined TO BE- sailor.-As child
he was nordinately fond Of the sea- He vas
the bes; swimmer orhis acquaintance and abso-
lutely lived in the cold, bracing water of the
gulf; no boy or man could remain so long in
deep water as he
When be was thirteen he went TO sea, in a
blind Nova Scotian dshicg schooner, with cold
nights, hard work, poor pay, bad fare, and ev-
cry discomfort in prospect. He seems to have
rather liked it than otherwise. He was at ali
rveniS, faithful to the sea, and three years af-
terward h. was deck hand on oird the brig
antlne Atlas, from Windsor. Nova Scotia,
Bound for Fall River with cargo Of coal
To the SAID arjganine II befel that, at one
hundred miles from Boston or thrreaboutS, a
storm Of frIgttfu magnitude Interrupted her
voyage, and, after miaor casualties, disnast-d
and crippled heF. In the crash Of falling masls
the mate, ike the ship, was cnpprd. and in
that sea, the immediate prospect was death
Young Grant avowS that he was "mich surprl-
sed" by the wonderful nearness OF Davy Jones
He bore up nevertheless, X IN the nick Of time,
the good ship Amazon, Of Holland, sailed up
and took him and his meSsmates on board.
They We're hardly eusconced in safety behind
the bulwarks ofthe Amazon, when the 5riganlue
gave heavy lurch, aud reeled downward to
the bottom.
On the strength of this narrow escape from
drowning, Alexander Grant went to sea
again. Kept going TO sea, in all kinds of YES
sells, 40 all sorts of weathers until hp rose 10 be
fireman on board the Arctic. Stuffed
her fires, and smoked bis pipe 10 her coal rooms,
year after year; betimes begniing the heavy
watch hours with the tale Of his wonderful
shipwreck on board the brigantne Atlas.
He was coming off bis watch, one cold,
misty day, and the Arctic was trarine throegh-
icy water and fog at tie rate of thirteen miles
an hour, when bump -bump-the Arctic " as
low fremen, and saw on the stafboard bow,
sinking steamer, with ''the bows knocked out
Of her" Over went the boat and down went
few brave men-their only thought to save
The crew of the vessel they believed they had
murdered and then, in the gauzy fog, the
shattered stranger slowly dissolved from view,
and an agony ofsuspense as TO her fate thrilled
every heart on board the Arctic.
Minute after minute, quarter after quarter,
hall hour after halt hour, elapsed, and no news
of the luckless vesse! and tlien nrus came
that The Arctic too was the worse for The shock,
and was making water rapidly Nautical ma
nceuvres there were-whict all Of Us rern-m-
bsr-dtsigned 10 tighten the ship ior'ard, and
throw the. weight of her on the hale part-the
stern Grant worked manfulv with the ofi-
err. Bat as the dav wore on, and two and
three. O'Clock came IN that fhsadlv. cruel foo.
the doomed Steamer sank laU,er and lower in
the waves and everybody knew that death
was approacbinr. The agony eliminated as
t,or o'clock drew near and Grant. with the
exDpriencs of one sEripwr4ck in ms mind. urr-
partd Tor the worst. With one OF his mess
mates h.. sized the fore hatch and threw. It over
hoard few moments before the Arctic sank.
Hanpily. if s,tnck the wate, IN advance Of the
shin. and tbus avoided the -Ubirlpoo of the f.
nal ea,as onhe Grant and hrs comuapion
found themselves. f.y minutes after four. a.
lone on the ocean. in bitterly cold waier aud a
heavy sea. They could see fragments Of the
wreck floating al a distance. aud they fancied
human beings were clincing 10 thprn but the
waves ran so high that they were soon alone
with the waters around and heaven above them.
Thev were Obliged to stand in the fore batch
with the wafer IN To their waists. and the sea
constantly breaking over them: they held on
by a ropt which they had fastened for the pur-
pose. That night they managed 10 MAINTAIN
their hold without difficulty. Shortly after
morning Broke thev saw a sail {. to their mex
pressibl5 delight sh,i was bearing DOWN upon