The weekly Portage sentinel. [volume] (Ravenna, Ohio) 1854-1861, 1860-04-18

Ind jumped down upon the boxes alone.
A little way forward saw a space where
Jack might easily have gone down, and to
that point crsWled on my hands and knees;
| called out there, but could get no on, wer.
A short distance further was wide space,
which had entirely forgotten, but which
now remembered had been lett open on ac-
count OF a break in the flooring Of the hold
which would hsve let ev, rythng that might
have been slowed there rest directly upon
the pIsnking of the ship.
To this place ! then made my way, and
looked down. heard the splsshing OF wa.
ter, und thought ] could d tect a sound like
the incoming of tiny jet or stream. Al
first could see nothing, but as | became
used to the dim light, could distinguish the
faint outlines OF the boy at some distance
below me. He seemed to be sitting on the
broken floor. with his feet stretched out
against a cssk. I called out to him and
thought he looked up.
"JAck, are you iheTe
And he answered in faint. weary tone 4:
"Yes, help me /! For Heavens sake,
help me Bring men and a lantern-the
ship has sprunga leak !"
| Ihesitated, and he added in more eager
tone
Nuke huste-I will try and hold it till
you come buck."
waited to hear no more, but hurried on
deck as soon rs possible, and returned with
IA lantern and three men. | leOped down
beside the boy, and could scarcely believe
the evidence of my own senses. Three OF
the tinbers were completely worm. eaten to
the very heurt, and one OF the outer panks
had been broken and would burst in, any mo-
ment the boy should leave it, whose leet were
br4ced against the cask before him. Hslf
d dozen little jets of water were streaming
ia about him, and he was wet TO the skim
saw that the plank must burst in, the mo.
ment the strain was removed from il, SO
made my men brace themselves against it
before | lifted him up. Other men were
called down, with planks, snd spikes, and
adzes, and with much care and trouble we
finally succeeded in stopping the leak, and
aver,ing the danger. The plank which had
been e,ove in WAS six Ieet long by eight in.
ches wide, and would have let in stream
Vt water OF that capacity. i would have
been beyond our reach long ere we could
have discovered il, mud would have sunk us
in a short time. knew it must be where
the iceberg truck u.
Jack Wi,hers WIS t"ken to the cabin, and
th.re he managed to tell bis story. Shortly
after put him in the hold, he era "Ied tor.
ward, and when he became used TO the dim
olmmer that cume through the dead Ii. ht-,
luuked about for snug place to lie, for his
limbs were sore. He went to sleep, and
when he awoke he heard faint sound, like
water streaming through hole; he went
t. the open pllce in the cargo Hnd locked
dDwn, and h. was sure he saw small JET OF
water spr,nging up from The ships bottom
H. Ieaped down, ard in lew minutes tonnd
that the ,imbers had given away, and that
the stream was increasing in size. tie
placed his hand on the plank, and found il
broken, and discovered that the pressure o
the water without WINS pressing il inward
H. had sense enough to see that it it ganet
an inch more i, must all go, and the ship be
lost. perhavs all hands perish And he saw
too, that if he could keep the broken plank
in its place, he might stop the incoming
,od So he sat himself upon it. and brace'
his rect against the cask, and then called fo
help. But he was so far away, SO low down
and with such dense cargo about him, tina
his voice scarcely reached other ears thai
his own. Some OF the men heard him bu
thought he was talking to himself.
And there he sat with his feet braced, fo
four and twenty hours, with the water squirt
ing in tiny streams all over him, drenchinl
him to the skin. He thought several time
of going to the hotchway and calling 70
help but he knew the broken plank wou|
be forced in il he lett it, Tor he could feel
heave beneath him. His strength was fail
ing him-hs limbs were rscked with pain
but he could not give up. asked him If h
should not have given up if had not com
as I did. He answered that he could no
while he had life in him. He said he though
not OF himself-he was ready to debut h
wou Id sLve the rest il he could-and b
saved us, surely saved US all from a water
grave.
The boy lay sick almost unto death bu
nursed him nearly oil through his delirinm
and when his reason returned, and he coul
sit up and talk. bowed myself before him
and humbly asked his pardon for all tn
wrong | had done him. With his arm
around my neck he told me if would b.
good to him, he would never give me caus
for offence ; and he added as he sat up agaiI
-"I am not coward-I couidn's be dog.
From that hour I never struck blow OF
board my ship. make my men feel the
are men-that ! SO regard them, and that
wish to make them as comfortable and hap
py as possible F.; aud I have no, failed to gail
their respect and confidence. give no un
due license, but make my crew feel that the!
have a friend and a. superior In the SAM
person. For nine years sailed in three
different ships, with the same crew. A maj
couldn't be hired to leave me save for al