Kenosha tribune & telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1856-1859, 1857-10-29

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gagged in preparations to wear the ship round OF
the tack, to think of the poor lad whose life, a
well as those of all on board, was now in peril
IN consequence of his carelessness IT, give hin
even thought. The captain, who like promp
and efficient seaman had at once adopted the on
1 iy means to save the ship, had just given the on
ders TO hard up the helm, and stand by to squar,
in the after wards, when the ship again made
heavy plunge, and away went the remaining
back-stay, followed almost instantly by the fore
| mast, which broke off a few feet above the deck
| Fully alive to the danger, and fearful that the
wrecked spars might stave a hole in the ship
| the captain, axe in hand, rushed forward anc
| set all hands to clear the wreck. ai-'
q" Long and theoretically they worked in thai
dark and tempestuous night, and when the cap.
tain was told that his son went over with the
mast, his only reply was that is but one life my
| men, here are hundreds = God only knows how
| his heart must have been wrung, for he was 3
kind md loving father But the blows from the
axe ,e welded still fell fast as ever on the wei
| and massive cordage that confined the spars t.
the straining hull. Till the wreck began to drift
slowly astern, and the last rope had been sever.
| ed. BY this time the ship had drifted SO near
The coast that its high, bold, frowning outlines
could be plainly seen whenever a Rash OF light
| ming lit up the horizon. 9.i' a-sa 81
.'As the floating mass drifted under the coun-
ter of the ship, some OF the smaller ropes became
entangled in the heel of the rudder, and as the
ship settled down aft, she struck heavily on the
wreck of the fore mast, which caused her to
| spring leak. The pumps were manned, and
though the men pumped with untiring zeal and
energy, and were assisted by the passengers
the water continued to gain on them"
Here the Captain stopped moment, and APP
peared to be listening attentively, then turning
to me he said t-L a-0isN a 90 a+
/" Did you notice that shor. sea that struck us
under the bow, with dead 'thuggish' sound?''
and then added, ~ don't like tit must have
come from the westward But / will cut my
yarn short, sir, as think you had better go be-
low, out of this weather, and turn in
Well,' he resumed, "the water continued
to gain on them; the rigging and spars that were
still held fast by the heel Of the rudder, caused
the ship to pay off before the gale, and at the
same instant,s she was borne aloft by heavy sea,
and then, with an awful crash was dashed mead
long between the rocks on the iron-bound coast
of Ireland. OF some four hundred and fifty
souls, including officers and crew only nine sur
vived the horrors Of that fearful night
g But the captain L exclaimed, "what be-
came of him ~
What became of him he repeated with
sudden energy, as he dashed his hand across
his eyes. 'He died as every man should die I'M
der such circumstances. His lifeless body was
washed high and dry on the rocks, with his arms
had attempted to save.
'And his poor boyf' | asked. - Both father
and son-the victims of r careless Officer
stop" he sad laying his heavy hand ON my
arm, had the boy been lost, the Resolution
would have had some other master, and should
not have been here 10 give you the details OF the
causes which led to that awful shipwreck. PEA
Gracious heaven :" exclaimed, "surely
you are not that" vs
But, before l could finish the sentence, his
voice rang over the ship, as he shou ted in tones
like thunder: ..- SID e..t.. 2 $500
Let GO ali the braces, fore and aft-cal all
hands-taui in the staDoard headbraces ~
These orders were hardly executed ere the
storm burst ON US with all che fury of a hurri-
cane; bat, thanks to the nautical skill of our Wig
liant commander, we We're prepared for It, and
he now proved himself equal to ANY emergency
The ships head had swung around just enough
To let the full blast of the gale strike little
aDaft the beam but as it was, our ship was
thrown almost over on her broadside, and il was
almost impossible to or hear amid the blind
ing spray and roaring elements that, in an in
slant oyerw he lined us. One shake sent our
mlzzen topsaiis clear from the yards, but the fore
topsall stood the strain long enough 10 get the
ship before The wind, when she righted, and in
less than FIVE minutes from the time the hurri.
care struck US, we were scudding before the
wind and sea, and l received the joyous assu-
rance lIoL me Naptaln Lnat we were all sale'
The following day the storm abated, and We
were enabled to rescue three hundred and sixty
three passengers from the ship Rhode Island
This ship had been caught aback while under
sail, aud after getting stern-board on, that had
deluged her deck with water, and washed every
soul overb GARD that was OH deck her masts went
by the board, ard she was lett hopeless wreck,
floating on the water at the mercy of the winds
and waves In an hour after we rescued the
last man on board the wreck, she sank far down
III the tathomless ocean,
1t the details of these well known disasters,
which | have trurhtuliy stated, shall have the
effect of making one careless ship or steamer
captain adopt the maxim of my old friend, Cap
tain -, whose modesty will not allow me
to use his name, though l have my own, and
make bin more vigiant IN locking after details,
usually entrusted To his subordinates, the object
of the writer viii be in part attained.
J. s. FOSTER, n. Y.