The Kenosha telegraph and tribune. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1859-1860, 1859-12-08
THE BURNING SHIP.

r. THE BURNING SHIP, a4
My friend Harry is the happiest of men. III
has the sweetest and most romantic cottae,
in the vicinity of p siladelphia. 1t is but nn
miles from the city, and near fine old turnpike
so that span of blood horses will take vol
there in forty mintes His wife is a prett,
laugel-beautifu, sweet-tempred, and loves liar
| ry devotedy. And a.group of his lovely chill
dren e'asy lFEyse = 3 sftt 3a1t-4r'
Did you ever hear how Isabel and becanl,
acquainted = said he to me one evening, loo
ing on his wife, shook my head in the mega
Ive.-'Well then draw your chair close to tht
hre, and will tel! YOU
With these words he began:
1t was a night in the tropics. We had beer
IN pursuit of heavy merchantmen, but fog
Icoming up she was shut III from our sight, anC
tor more than an hour remained invisible
i Suddenly, however. the moon broke forth, arc
We saw the chase close hauled, and on the very
point o.. escaping u.s. We ins antly made all sail
| Tut the wind was so uncertain that the stranger
&ept his advantage, the air being comparatively
still with us, while he had respectable breeze
At length it fell dead calm, the chase being by
This time several miles off
| She could now be seen lying in liquid food
OF moonlight, raising and falling lazily upon hel
swels, her white sails scarcely moving from the
masts, and flashing in the distance like sea.
CULTS snowy wing. All at once Captain Drew
who had been scrutinIzing her through his glass
exclaimed -
There is something the matter on board there
the men have almost all left her decks and ev.
IN those aloft repairing are coming down
what can it mean, Mr.. Jones .
! Il can't make out, sir--the crew, perhaps, has
nutinled they are running wildly hilher and
thither-no, my God. the ship is on fire . eac-
aiated he, as cloud of of thick smoke suddenly
pulled up her fore hatchway, followed by a long
vid stream OF fire that shot up brig liter into the
midnight sky.
! We saw at once that the flames must have
been ra gng some time in the Lold and that they
had attained an lnensity which would defy eyey
efforts to subdue them. 1t was fearful sight
| the eager element shot along the rigging ran
swift Up the foremast and wrapped the ham.
per IN o "hest Of Ei--, stFeaned almost pe r.
| pendiculariy upward Of a fathom or two above
the trunk There was breeze but the undu-
iations OF the atmosphere swept the dense smoke
10 one side, form ng a. il it were, gIoomey curt
tain against which the lurd flames shone in ter
ribls relief. Every object OH board could now
be distinctly seen, and we noticed that all at
once the whole crew rushed aft A signal of
distress the next instant was shown on the
quarter. All this had passed i'll moment
has passed in moment. th
Lower away the boats-pipe their crews
there, boatswain thundsred the captain.
The men hurried to their stations, fired with
sympathy equal to his own.
MIR. Dantorth" he said, 81 shall give yov
the command of the leading boat spare no eff
fort TO reach them in time--buG," he continued
in whisper, mind the magazine ~
"Ay, aY sir, | answered, touching my hat, and
lcaping into the stern sheets. l continued
push off there forward-and now give way
with will, boys-pult!n
at these words the men bent TO their oars with
the thews Of giants, curling the waters
i'll foam beneath our bows and sending the boats
along rs if they had been pleasure boats.
But swift as was our progress, that of the de-
stroylng element was still more The fire
had spread with such fearful rapidly as TO wrap
the whole fore part of the ship in flames, and
threaten to consume her before could arrive
Since it had found vent, it had ragged with re-
doubled fury, until now the shrouds, the fore
mast, the bowsprit, the yards, everything was
sheeted with fire, which whiriing round and
round, assembled spirally to Tie mast head, shoot
ing its torky lounge out on every land, and
streaming like meteor away up III the calm,
blue sky. Meanwhile the flames had broken
out frsm the after hatch, and at once TO the rat-
Tins, leaped from rope 10 rope, ran wildly up
the rigging, spread almost instantly to the huge
lower sails, Kissing, flashing and roaring
they vent, until at length the whole ship seem
cd a mass Of Inrid fire, land nothing was lait un-
SC0CuSU pub bIS udfToW HuSLGE Ou nLtCH
the now des pairing had gathered in crowds, sone
eagerly endeayering to lower the ouiy boat that
had escaped the flames, Some trantlca!iy crying
out tor mercy, some cuIsi!ig and disappearing
awtully in their agony, and some stretching out
their hands imploriug for help. .l. .
Give way, my men, give way--will you see
those miserable wrelches burned before your
eyes l' shouted, rising in the boat and waving
my hat to the sufferers, forgetting III the excite
cf tha n mr.
danger i'll case of an explosion. the poor
wIetches on the quarter deck Of The burning ship
answered back with hysteric shout. Cur CAT
liant tars started like nettled hounds at the cry,
and with few vigorous strokes We dashed up
| to the quarter. lr ~
| Keep her off, there / shouted, seeing that
we should be swamped by the easerness Oft
| sufferers to escape keep her of-jamp ever
board. and well pick you up continued, las We
fell off from her quarter again; and in less than
/ three minutes the deck was bare. and our boats
full of the rescued crew.
] .'Mr. Danforth," at this moment shouted Jack
fvonl the other boat ahead there's lady and
her father, they say, here--stll on board-for
Heavens sake let US try 10 save them"
For one moment. as | remembered my orders
and the extremity Of eur danger, paused ; bur
when reflected that, by departing, We should
abandon TWO human beings to a horrd death /
hestated no longer. Hastily learning from the
mate Of the vessel that they were the only pas
sengers, and having taken refuge i'll the hold
IduIiDg the late chase, had since been forgotten
and not feeling warrented in ordering any enc
on so dangerous journey, gave tie boat in
charge to Irvine, who had luckily smuggled him
ssif Oh board, sterniy bid one or Two OF my crew
who attempted to foilew, to keep their stations
mounted her side by rope that hung over her
quarter, rapidly traversed her deck in the midst
of tremendous heat, aud daried down the com.
! panion way, leaving the flames roaring not five
feet from its entrance.
The cabin was large one, and fitted up with
taste The decorations were luxurious, and
such o. / had at shat time rarely seen in mer
cbaatlllsa The state rooms were Of mahogany
! nlad With ebony, and 6aished of with the great
es1 siexanes. Guflaina, apparently OF dsinask
hu, around, end the show Of silver and Gu
sass BY the companion way, was even brilliant
) TIE cabin vas, however, as stiil rs dea.h. A la
Ids TioYs lay on an ottont n, ard BESIDE i wa,
an o, 90 book bat no other traces OF human BE-
lines were discefniablc around. Where coulc
The owner of that snail, delicate French 1iov,
ia I Was she alreadyra victim TO that fright
: snl eiementf-had the msse deceived himself il
ltuppc sing she had bean lemoysd from tks hold
Wa there no hone, che asill lived, of IsMehine