Ashtabula weekly telegraph. [volume] (Ashtabula, Ohio) 1853-1873, 1859-10-29
TURDAY MORNING, OCTOBER 80, 1859.

10 this place | made my way, and looked
dewn. ] heard the spashing Of water, and
thought | could detect sound like the in.
coming Of tiny jet or stream AT first /
could uoth NJ, but as become used to
the dim light, could distinguish the faint
outlines of the boy at some distance below
me. He seemed to be sitting on the broken
floor, with his feet stretched out against the
cask. | called out to him and thought he
looked up.
Jack are You there Z"
And he answered in faint weary tone
Yes, help me For Heavens sake, help
me Bring men and lantern-the ship
has sprnng leak y
hestated, and he added in q more eager
tone
Make haste-I will try and hold it till
you come back"
| waited to hear no more, but hurried on
deck as soon as possible, and returned with
q lantern and three men. / lcaped down
beside the boy, and could scarcely believe
the evidence of my own senses. Three of
the timbers were completely worm-eaten to
the very heart, aud one of the outer planks
had been broken and would burst in any
moment the boy might leave it, whose feet
were braeed against the cast before him.
Half-adozen little jets OF water were stream
ing in about him, aud he was wet to the
skin. saw that the plank must burst the
moment the strain was removed from it. so
| made my men brace themselves against
it before lifted him MP. Other men were
called down, with plunks, and spikes and
adzps, and with much care and trouble we
finally succeeded in stopping the leak, and
averting the danger. The plank which had
been stove in was six feet long by eight
inches wide, and would have let in a stream
of water of that capacity. 1t would have
been beyond our reach long ere we could
have discovered it, and would have sunk US
in very short time ! knew it must be
where the iceberg struck US.
Jack Withers was taken to the cabin,
and there he managed to tell his story.
Shortly after | put him in the hold, he ]
crawed forward and when he became used
to the dim glimmer that came throug the
dead lights, looked about for snug place
to lie, for his limbs were sore. He went to
sleep, and when be heard a faint sound like
water streaming through the hole he went
to the open place in the cargo and looked
down. and he was sure he saw small Jet
OF water springing up from the ships bot
! tom. He leaped down, and in few min
utes found that he tmbcrs had given
away, and that the stream was increasing
! in size. He placed his hand on the plank,
and found it broken, and discovered that
! the pressure Of the water without was pres
! sing it inward. He bad sense enough to
see that if it gained an inch more it must
all go and the ship be lost, perhaps all
hands perish. And he saw too that if he
could keep the broken plank in It's place he
might stop the incoming food So he sat
himself upon il, and braced his feet against
the cask, and then called for help. Bet he
was so far away, so low down, with such
dense cargo about him, that his voice
scarcely reached other ears than his own.
Some Of the men heard him but thought he
was talking to himself
And there he sat, with his feet braced
for four and twenty hours, with the water
squirting in tiny drops all over him, drench-
ing him to the skin He thought several
times of going to the hatchway aud calling
for hep;-hut he knew that the broken
plank would be forced in if he left it, for
he could feel it heave beneath him. His
strength was failing him-his limbs were
racked with pain--but he could not give
up ask him if he should not have Civ
en- up if | had not come as | did. He an-
swered that he could not while he
had life in him He said he thought not
of himself-he was ready to debut he
would save the rest if he conld--and he
saved US, surely saved us all, from a watery
grave.
The boy lay sick almost unto death; but
| nursed him with my own hauds-nursed
him nearly all through bis delrium; and
W hen his reason returned, and he could sit
up and talk, bowed myself before him,
aud humbly asked his pardon for all the
wrong | had done him. With his arms
around my neck he told me if | would be
good to him, he would never give me cause
for offence; and added rs he sat up again
Il am not coward--I couldn't be dog"
From that hour ] never struck a blow
on board my ship. make men feel they
are men-that | so regard them, aud that
| wish to make them as comfortable and
happy as possible aud | have not failed
to gain their respect and confidence. |
give no undue license, but make my crew
feel that they have a friend and a superior
in the same person. For nine years sailed
in three different ships, with the same crew.
A man couldn't be hired to leave me save
for an officers berth.
And Jack Withers remained with me
thirteen years He was my cabin boy
one of the foremost hands my second
mate and the last time he sailed with
,ro I,a rnf,sad tho Connmand Of a npW
barque because he would not be separated
from me But he is a captain now, aud
one of the best this country affords. -
Such, is my experience in government aud
discipline on ship'board
GoING TO SEA ON RAFr-On Tuesday