The spirit of democracy. [volume] (Woodsfield, Ohio) 1844-1994, 1860-05-30
,Sleaf:et Sto1rp.
THE BURNING SHIP,

My friend Harry is the happiest of men.
He has tho sweetest and most romantic
cottage in the vicinity Of Philadelphia
1t is but nine miles from tho city, and
near o 6ne old turnpike, so that q span of
blood horses will take you there in forty
minutes. His wife is o pretty angel
beautiful, sweet-tempered, and loves Har.
ry devotedly. y.-And q group Of his lovely I
childrenl 49, " ' .,,.,
Did you ever hear how Isabel and ] be,
came acquainted?' said he to me one evo-
ming, looking on his wife. shook my
head In the negative. We'll, then, draw
your chair closerto the fire, aud will tell
lyou.'O b NJ 9.ges.
With these words he began; a. ,.rg
twas night In the tropics. We had
been In pursuit Of q heavy merchantmen,
but o fog coming up she was shut In from
our sight, aud for moro than an hour re-
NAMED invisible. Suddenly however, the
moon broke forth, and wo saw the chase
close hauled. and on the very point of ss.
Gaping us. We instantly made all sail, but
the wind so uncertain that the stranger
kept his advantage, tho Dir being compar.
atively still with us, while he had respect
able breeze, Az length itiella dead calm,
the chase being by this time several miles
of. rFiti,9ios syes, ,o Il ..s...
She could now be seen lying In liquid
food Of moonlight, rising and falling lazi.
ly upon her swells, her white sails scarce.
ly moving from the masts, and flashing in
the distance like seagull's snowy wing
All OF once Captain Drew; who had been
scrutlnizing her through his glass, cx.'
claimed sos,,ss ls ,f.g.. -.r..li
.There 10 something tho matter on board
there, the men have almost oil left her
decks--and even those aloft repairing are
coming down--what can II mean, Mr..
JonesY'aG - gs,,.ab O. ifir,aHe5r.l li ,..,yns
| n can't make out sir---tho crew, per,
haps, has has mutined, they are running
wildly hither and .thithor--no, my God.
the ship Is on drel he calculated, as q
cloud Of thick, black smoke suddenly puff.
cd up her fore hatchway, followed by o
llong. vivid stream Of Ere, that shot up
I brighter into the midnight sky. go. ~. I,
| We saw OF once that flames must have
been raging some time In the hold, and
| that they had attained on intensity which
1 would defy every effort to subdue them.
| 1t was fearful sight. The eager element
shot along the rigging, 7an swiftly up the
foremost, wrapped the hamper in q sheet oi
lire, and streamed almost perp endicularly
upward O. fathom or two above the trunk
0 There was o breeze; but the undulatons
of the atmosphere swept the dense smoke
3 to one side, forming, as 1t were, a gloomy
: curtain against which the lurid aa aes shons
= In terrible relief. Every object on decl
could now be distinctly seen, and we no
ticedthat oil at once the whole crew rushed
2 aft. A signal Of distress the next instan
Z was shown, on the quarter. All this hat
passed In o moment slfs So ..as 50 s.alal
: Lower the boats-their crews there
q boatswaiu! quick, sir, or the poor wretche
will be lost!', ,thupdcred the captain.
The men hurried to their stations, 6re'
with asympathy q equal to his own. s'a.
Mr. Danforth. be said, 4 shall give yo
the command Of the leading boat; spare n
= effort to reach them in time-but,' he con
tinued, in q whisper, mind the magazine
u a.Ay. ay, sir answered, touching m
. hat, and leaping into the stern sheets.
i continued, push off there forward AN
4 now give way with will, boys--pulW Sc
: At these words the men bent their oar
e with the thews of giants, curling the wa,
q ers in foam beneath Of our bows, and send
ing the boats along as if they had bee
pleasure boats .la sast.g eii 9! aisT = ssa5f
Bn: swift as was our progress, that {
7 the destroying element was still more 81
/ The fire had spread with such fearful r,
= pidity as to wrap the whole fore part I
: the ship in flames, and threatened to col
IS sumo her before we could arrive. Sine
"a it had found vent it had ragged with r,
y doubled fury, until now the shrouds, ii
foremast, the bowsprit the yards, evel
thing was sheeted with fire. which, whir
y ing round and round, assembled spirally
e the mast head, shooting its forky tongr
out on every hand, and streaming like
meteor away up In the calm, blue sky :
q the after hatch, and catching at once
the ratIins, leaped from rope to rope, n
!, wildly up the rigging, spread almost i
g stantly to the huge lower sails, hissin
q flashing and roaring as they went, until
length the. whole ship seemed mass
lurid fire, and nothing was left untoueht
, but the narrow quarter deck, on which Il
now despairing crew had gathered
: crowds, some eagerly endeavoring to lo'
as er the only boat that had escaped Il
,ly flames. some. frantically crying out
nd mercy, some cursing and disappearing a
tie fully in their agony and some stretchir
of out their hands imploring for help 5si
of Give way, my men, give way-will y,
see them miserable wretches burn befo
ed your eyes?' shouted, rising in the bo
,ly and waving my hat,to the sufferers, 70
es. getting 10 the excitement of the nome
gh the imminency of our own danger in ca
ct. of on explosion. The poor wretches
the quarter deck of the burning ship a