Mountain Democrat. [volume] (Placerville, El Dorado Co., Cal.) 1854-1860, 1859-12-24
The Burning Ship.
By rnE AuruOn o. cauIsLso ~ rHE LAss wAn.'

|
%
My friend Harry IL the hapiest Of men,
He has the sweetest and most romantic cot
tage in the vicinity of Philadelphia. 1t i.
but nine miles from the city, and near fine
old turnpike, so that a span Of blood horses
will ll-take you therei In forty minutes. : Hi
wife is pretty angel-beautifuI, sweet tenn
pered, and loves Harry devotedly. And then
group Of such lovely children
Did you 0ver-heaF- how Isabel and be.
came ncquainted?" said he to me one evening
looking on his wife. shook my head in the
negative. "Wel, then, draw your chair
closer to the fire, and will tell you"
With these words he began:-
1t was night in the tropics. We had
been in pursuit Of heavy merchantman, but
a fog coming up she was shut in from our
sight, and for more than an hour remained in
visible. Suddenly, however, tho moon broke
forth, and we saw the chase close hauled, and
on the very point Of escaping US. We instant
ly naric all suil, but the wind was SO unccr-
tain that the stranger kept his advantage, the
air being comparatively still with US, while she
had respectable breeze. At length it fell a
dead calm, the chase being by this time sew
eral miles off.
She could be now seen lying In liquid
flood of moonlight, rising and falling lazily
upon her swells, her white sails scarcely NOV.
ing from tho rnusts; and fushing in the dis.
tance like a sca,gulS snowy wing. All at
once, Captain Drew, who had been scTItiniz.
ing her through his glass, exclaimed
There is something the matter en- board
there-the lnen have almost all left her decks,
and even those aloft repairing are coming
down-what can It mean, Mr.. Jones"
I" can't make out, sir-the crew, perhaps,
has mutinied; they are running wildly hither
and thithcr-no, my God, the ships on fire !"
calculated he, as q cloud Of thick black smoke
suddenly pufed up her fore hatchway, follow
ed by long, vivid stream Of fire, that shot
up brighter into the midnight sky.
We saw at once that the flames must have
been raging some time in the hold, and that
they had attained an intensity which would
defy every effort to eubdue them. II was u
fearful sight. The eager element shot along
the rigging, ran swiftly up the forcmast, and
wrapping the hamper in . sheet Of fire, and
strcamed almost perpendicularly upwards Of q
fathom or two above the truck. There was
no breeze; but the undulations Of the atmOs-
phero swept the dense smoke to one side,
forming as it were, a gloomy curtain against
which the lurid flames Shonc in terrible relief.
Every object on board could now be distinctly
seen, and We noticed thatall ut once the whole
crew rushed aft Asignal Of distress the next
instant was shown on that quarter. An this
had passed in moment t8.
Lower away the boats-pipe their crews
there, boatswainl quick, sir, or the poor
wretches viii be lost!" thundered the captain
The men hurried to their stations, tired
with sympathy equal to hH own. -oab = 4
Mr.. Danforth, he said, al shall give you
the command of tho ,leading boat y Spare no
effort to reach them 10 time but he cc1tin-
ued, in whisper, .ImiDd tie paeasinetv
SAY, ny, sir" I answered, touching my
hat, and leaping into the stern sheets con-
tinued-" Push off there I0rward--and now
give way with will, boys-pull 4" n
At these words the men Bent to their oars
with the thews Of giants, curling the waters
in foam beneath our bows, and sending the
boats along as Il they had been pleasure boats.
=. But swift as was our progress, that Of the
destroying element was still more 50. The
fire had spread with SUCH frarfll rapidity as 10
wrap the whole fore part Of the ship in flames,
and threaten to consume her before VIC could
arrive. >''ts T'tf afsss:.;si
Since it had found vent, It had ragged &ith
redoubled fury, until now the shrouds, the
iOremast, the bowsprit, the yards, everything
was sheeted with fire, which, whiriiDg round
and round, uscended spirnlly to the mast head.
shooting it's GOTky tongue out on evetyahand,
and streaming like n meteor axAX:np In the
calm blue sky. ,t,g7f,,...
Meanwhile the flames had broken out from
the aftcr-hatcb, and catching at ohcS to the rat
lins, leRpcd from rope to rope, ran wildly up
the rigging, spreading almost Instantly torthe
huge lower Sails, bissing, flashing apd roaring
as they went, until at length the whole. chip
seemed mass of luTid IRE, and nothing was
left untouched but the narrow quaEler.deck,
on which the now dcspairing crew had gath.
ervd in crowds, some eagerly chdeAV6ring' to
lower the only boat that had escaped the
flames, some frantically crying out for mercy,
some cursing and disappearing awfully in their
agony, and some stretching out their hands
!hplnring for help.
"Give way, my mon. give way-will you
sec the miserable wFctchcs burned before your
eyess" shouted, rising in the boat and wa
wing my hat to the sufferers, forgetting in the
excitement Of the moment tho imlninencc Of
our own danger In case Of an explosion. The
poor wretches on tho quarterback Of the burn
ing ship answered back with hysteric shout.
Our gallant tars started like metlled hounds at
the cry, and with few vigorous strokes we
dashed up to the quarter.
"Kecp her Oft therc," | shouted, seeing that
We shunld be swamped by the eagSrnesso Of the
sufferers to escape. Keep her off Jump
overheard, and we'll pick you upi" l contin-
ued, as VIC fell off from her quarter again, and
in less than three minuteStlle deck was bare,
and our boats full Of the rescued crew. t
"Mr. Danfo:th," at this moment shouted
Jack from tho other beat ahead, "there's q
lady and her father, they say here, still on
board-IOr Heavens sake let us try to save
them |" -+t~
For one moment, as remembered nv or
dcrh and the extremity Of our danger, l paused
-but whom reflected that, by departing, We
should abandon two human beings 70 q hOrrid
death, hesitated no longer Hastily learning
their only passengers, and having tassHtetuge
In the hold during tho late chase. hfd since
been forgotten-and not feeling warranted in
ordering any one on so dangerous q Journey,
gave the boat in charge Of lrvinej who had
luckily s.nnggled himself on board, sternly bill
one or two Of my crew who attempted to fol-
low, to keep their stations, mounted her side
by rope, that hung over her quarter, rapidly
traversed the deck 10 the midst Of treIhendols
heat, and dArtOd down the companion:way,
leaving the flames not fve TcEt from the en-.
trance. 3''r frtG y-f .'sr7 strr
The cabin was large one, and fitted tp'
with taste, The. decorations were evsn l6xsri-.
GUS, and such as / hEd at thatt time rifelY seen,
In merchantmen. The stAtcsfo6I1a were .of
mahogany, inlald with ebony, and ndishtd dG
with great elegance. Oartains appaFsntlysof