Orleans independent standard. [volume] (Irasburgh, Vt.) 1856-1871, 1860-02-03


her topsails, Jib and spanker set; the
courses, royals, topgallant sails and flying
jib were taken in. William sounded the
pumps, and found her tight, and then
turned his attention to the squan, which
was bearing down upon him black as
night The boats landed. were hauled
up, turned over, and the men sought
shelter under them. At last. the storm
burst with tremendous fury upon the
Key, sweeping away the boats before it
like sbavings, leaving the men half buried
in the sand, which was rolled over them,
and still it reached not the ship, which
lay almost becalmed. Rain, lightning
and thunder, mingled with the tempest.
which continued circling in a very mar
row compass, tearing the sand up like a
water-spout. Towards sunset it seemed
to sail away, down the Gulf, like a pillar
of night, furrowing the sea before it in
whitened foam. About midnight a strong,
clear gale struck the ship aback. She
heeled over, rolled from side to side, and
slid of the sand-bank into deep water
He lowered the spanker down; the iib
filed, with slap like the report of a can
non, and payed her off, the topsails shiv-
cred for a moment, then swelIed boldly
out, the ship paused in her stern-board,
the jib was becalmed, the topsails full
with square yards, and she bounded be-
fore the breeze like a thing of life Will
liam was at the helm. Shall we say he
felt proud? No. He felt grateful As
he grew in grace, his mind was in the
habit of searching for providential causes
to account for the various incidents Of
life. While shaping her course down
the Gulf, he tried to reason out-why he
did not leave her with the others; why
the apprehended storm, which had filled
them with terror, produced no effect upon
him; why he received the impression
from the first, that she would come off,
though hard and fast aground fore and
aft; and why, if it was the captains pur-
pose to wreck her, he did not order the
anchors to be let go; but after turning
these questions over and over, he came
to his old conclusion, that Providence
was the moving cause, and would in good
time make all plain.
When he had obtained a good ofing,
he made the wheel fast, went forward
and hauled the jib down, lowered the
fore and mizzen topsail down to the sec
ond reef; and, strange to say, the ship
kept as steadily on her course as if he
had been at the helm. The wind con-
tinued fresh and fair, sometimes blowing
a gale, but the ship being before it and
under short sail, William had little diff
Guilty in managing her. In two days
after she had been ashore, he rounded
her to of the South West Pass, was
taken in tow by a steamer, and brought
safely to New Orleans.
The consignee came on board and
wanted to obtain possession of the cargo
book and bills of lading, but William
turned him ashore, and placed the shiT
in charge of the underwriters agent
/ Suspecting foul play on the captain anc
owners, the agent called a survey upor
the ship, ana caused the cargo to be ex
amined on the levee. Many of the cases
and barrels which were entered on tht
bills of Iading as hardware, broadcloths
silks, &c, contained shavings and othel
useless stuff Here was proof positive o
q scheme TO defraud the underwriters,
a scheme in which the consignee was i'm
plicated, for all the sham part of cargo
was directed to him. The real part 0
it, valued at thirty-fve thousand dollars
was delivered in good order. After lay
ing an attachment upon the ship for sal
wage, William was advised by the under
writers to come North without delay
\ Upon his arrival he was examined b,
them, and in confirmation Of his state
ment in relation TO the cargo, produces
the Port Warden's certificates. The
expressed themselves highly satisfe
with his conduct, and asked him wha
salvage he intended to claim
Gentlemen, he replied, I will Ieav
the amount to your decision, as ha
no thought of salvage until your ow
agent insisted that ] should attach til
vessel for that purpose.
i Our agent advised you rightly tn
fellows who managed her must be mad
to pay for their tricks.
! The ship and cargo were insured 70
one hundred and thirty Thousand dollars
aud if destroyed, her owners and mar
# ayers would have made seventy thousan
dollars. Al their next meeting, the Oh