The Lambertville press. [volume] (Lambertville, N.J.) 1858-1???, 1860-05-16

It's axis, ana the line TO pass over tn'
rail.
"Ho1d," said the man, as the las
grain of sand disappeared from the up
per part Of the glass.
The mate suddenly checked the line
and examining the knot that last went
over the rail, he left the line to bt
hauled in and coiled up by the men
while he walked over to the weather
side of the deck to report.
"Well ?" said the captain, inquir.
ingly, as he approached him.
She marks eleven knots and hall
by the log line," replied the mate
"and taking into account the set O.
the sea, which sends the log home,
should say she was going through i
something more than twelve"
"Not fast enough" said the cap
tain. eve must knock fourteen Of
fifteen out of her, or we never shall
work over the bank. We must crowd
more sail on to her, Mr.. Midships."
Impossible I" exclaimed the mate
with astonishment. She can hardly
bear what she has now. AS it is, ]
expect to see something part every
minute. Do you see ?-the weather
fore-brac and studding-sail tack is
fairly smoking with the strain"
"Can't help that. You must reef
preventer- braces, and get the lower
studding sail on her,"
every well, sir" replied the mate.
"But we shall have the boom coming
inboard by the run before we can boom
end the backyard"
The captain made gesture of i'm
patience, and he went forward to issue
the necessary orders.
The lower studding sail is an i'm
mense square sail, half as large as the
fore courses, and is hoisted to the end
of the foretopmast studding-sail boom
the tack coming down through a
block on the end of a long swinging
boom, which juts out some twenty five
or thirty i've feet from the vessels side.
The strain upon this sail is enormous !;
and though increasing the vessels
speed materially, it tries the strength
of the booms and rigging to the ut
most, when it is set in a heavy breeze.
With almost incredible effort, the
sail was hoisted to its place without
any accident, though the boom whip
ped and bent like a rattan, instead OF
the stout, heavy spar it was. With
this additional spread of sail, the ship
darted onward to her work-almost
seeming to leap clear of the water as
she sprang from wave to wave; now
lifting her bows high in the air, and
again plunging heavily into the yield
ing pillows, churning the waters into
foam, and deluging the deck with
spray.
While this was being done on board
the ship, the frigate was by no means
idle. With larger crew, the same
sail had been made upon her in much
less time, and the distance between
them had very perceptibly diminished.
With torrent of foam and spray dash.
ing far before her and flying clear to
her foretopsail yard, she held on her
course as steadily and resistlessly as a
cannon shot.
1t was now near the turn of the
tide, and the highest portion of the
bank was yet three miles distant. -
The gale which had been steadily made
on the increase for the past hour had
now reached such a pitch, as to cause
serious fears for the safety of the masts.
They would gladly have relieved the
spars, by taking in the studding sails,
but it was now too late-any attempt
to start them would have ensured their
destruction and, perhaps, the loss Of
one or more yards +; and still the gale
piped fresher and stronger, singing
through the strained rigging with a
sharp, ringing sound The stretched
and swollen sails gaped ominously at
many starting seam, and semi-tranS-
parent patches began to make their
appearance at the clews and about the
reef bands The jib-stays bellied over
in wonderful bights to leeward, and
the poor ship, quivering in every plank
and ropeyarn, fairly howled through
the seething foam that shot like light
ming by, beneath her lee.
With the most intense anxiety, each
man on board the ship awaited the
|
critical moment. The dreaded point
was almost reached the water evil
IDENTIFY grew more and more shallow
every instant the waves combed and
broke as on a lee shore.
We are almost on the spot" said
the captain, in hoarse whisper.
The flying ship rose upon a billow
and plunged heavily forward ; there
was slight grating beneath her keel.
Again she rose and fell with the surg
ing wave; the shock was harder, and
a culver ran through her en- tire frame.
A third time she settled in the trough,