Cleveland morning leader. [volume] (Cleveland [Ohio]) 1854-1865, 1859-11-16

THE BURNING SHIP.
BY rHE AUTHOR OF "oRUisINo IN THE LAST WAR"

nary deNotedly. Aud then group OF hi
lovely children!
"Did you ever hear how Isabel and becam,
acquainted" said he to me one evening, look
ing on his wife.
l shook my head in the negative.
well, then, traw your char closer to the
6re and will tell YOU
With these words he began:
1t was night in the tropics. We had beer
in pursuit OF heavy merchantmen, but fog
coming up she was shut in from our sight, and
for more than an hour remained invisible. Sud
denly, however, the moon broke forth, ana we
saw the chase close hauled, and on the very
point of escaping us. We instantly made eli
il, but the wind was 80 uncertain that the
stranger kept his advat tage, the air being com.
parauyely still with US, while he had n respec =
table breeze. At length it fell dead calm
the chase being by this time several miles Off
She could now be seen lying in liquid flood
of moonlight, rising and falling lazly upon hei
swolls, her white sails scarcely moving from
the mast, and flashing in the distance like a
seagulis snowy wing. All at once Captain
Drew, who had been acrutiniziDg her through
! his glass, exclaimed:
"rnero is something the matter on board
therei the men have almost all left her decks
and even those aloit repairing are coming dowr
| what can il mean, Mr.. Jonesl"
IL can't make out si-ihe crew, perhaps
has mutiniedi they are Tnnning wildly hither
and thitheT-no, my God, the ships on fre!'
he circulated, as a cloud of thick, black smoke
suddenly pulled up her fore hatch way, follow
ed by long vivid stream of fire, that shot VI
brighter to the midnight sky.
We saw al 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 10 sebdue them. l was a fearful
sight The eager element shot along the rig
ging, ran witty up the fOremast, and wrap
ping the hamper in sheet of fire, and streamed
almost perpeldicularly upwards of a fathom or
two above the trunk There was a breeze; but
the undulatiols of tho atmosphere swept the
dense smoke u one side, forming as if il we're,
a gloomy cuEain, against which the lurid
flames shone ia terrible relief Every ubject on
board could Dw he distinctly seen and we
noticed that al at once tue whole crew rushed
aft a signal tf distress the next instant was
shown on the quarter. All this had passed in a
moment
Lower away the boats-pipe their crews
there, bOaiswail! quick sir or the poor wretch.
es will be lOst!' thundered the captain.
The men burned to their stations, fired with
sympathy equal to his own.
"Mr, Danforth," he said, al shall give you
the command oithe leading boat; spare no effort
TO reach them in time-but," he continued, in
a whisper, mind the magazine!"
Gay, ay, sir answered, touching my hat
and leaping into the stern sheets, continued,
"push OFF there forward-and now give way
with a will boys-puHi"
At these words the men bent TO their oars
with the thews Of giants, curling tho waters in
foam benelth our bows, and sehllng the boats
along as if they had been pleasure boats.
But swift as WINS our progress, that of the
destroying elemeRt was still more 80. The fire
had spread with such fearful Tapidlty as 10 wrap
the whole bTe part OF the snip in flames, and
threaten tocOnsume her before we could arrive
Since it had found vent, it had ragged with re-
doubled fury, until now The shTouds, the fore
mast, the bOwslrit the yards, everything was
sheeted with fire, which, whirling round and,
round astended spirallY to the mast head,
shooting It's toTky Tongue out on every hand,
and streaming like a meteor away up in the
calm, blue Gky, Meanwhile the flames had
broke out itom the after hascb, aud catching at
once to the rstlins, loaped from rope To rope,
ran wildly up the rigging, spread almost instHn-
tly to the huge lower sails, kissing, flashing
and roaring as they went, until at length the
whole ship seemed mass of lurid fire, ani
nothing was left untouched but the narrow
quarter deck, on which the now despairink crew
had gathered in crowds some eagerly endeavor
ing to lower the only boat that had escaped = ia
flames, some iranticly crying out for msrcy
some oursing and blaspheming awiullyipI theil
agony, and some stretching out their hg.nds i'm
ploring for help.
"Giye way, my mem give way--will You see
those miserable wretches burned before youI
eyesl" l shouted, rising in the boat waving nv
hat TO the sufferers, forgetting IN the excite
ment OF the moment the Immlneney of our own
danger in case Of an explosion. The poor
wretches on the quarter deck Of the burning
ship answered back with a bysteric shout
Our gollent tars started like mettlod hounds al
the cry, and with few vigorous strokes we
dashed up 70 the quarter.
Keep her off there" shouted seeing that
wo should be swamped by the eagerness Of the
sufferers TO escape keep her on-jump over.
board, and wen pick you up" continued, as
we fell of from her quarter agaln; and in less
than three minutes the deck was bare, and our
boats lull OF the rescued crew,
"Mr Danionh" at this moment shouted jack.
from the other boat ahead; "there's a lady and
her father, they say, here-still on hoaTd-for
Heavens sake, let US save them"
For one moment, as ! remembered my orde' 4
aud the extremity Of our danger. paused; out
when reflected that by departing, we SD ould
abanjon two human beings 10 horrid de ath,
hesitated no longer. Hastily learning from the
mate OF the vessel that they were tne only pas.
sengers, and having take.i refuge in the hold
dunng the late chase. had since been forgotten
--and not feeling warranted ia ordering any one
on so dangeTc US journey, l gave the boat in
charge o. irvine, who had luckily smuggled
hims~ 4 on board, sternly bid one or two OF my
crew, who attempted to follow, to keep their
stations, ] mounted her side by rope that hung
over her quarter, rapidly tTaversed the deck in
the midst of tremendous heat, and darted down
the companion way, leaving the flames roaring
not five feet from its entrance.
The cabin was a large one, and fitted up with
taste. The decorations were even luxurious
and such as had at that time Tarly seen in
merchantmen. The state rooms were Of ma.
hogany, inlaid with ebony, and finished off with
the greatest elegance. Curtains, apparently oI
damask, hung around, and the show Of silver
and cut.g glass by the companion way was even
brilliant. The cabin was, however, still az
death. A lady'S glove lay on an ottoman, and
beside il was an open book; but no other traces
of human beings were diseemable around
Where could the owner of that small, delicate
French love bel Was she already victim 10
that frighiful element!-had tho mate deceived
himselfin supposlng she had bsen removed from
the holdl Was there no hope, If she still lived
Of reaching her In time to save her from a hor.
rid death All these questions flashed rapidly
across my mind, and my heart siekened az
owned could not answer them.
mi A. 4