The Ebensburg Alleghanian. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1865-1871, 1866-05-03
EBENsBURG, PA, THURSDAY, MAY 3. 1866

ingly in our ears, and told us of a swiftly
| approaching danger. What was to be
done, must be done speedily. We hurried
! forward Rimmer rushed to the cabin
[ went forward, to descend into the hold
L descended the ladder. / walked into
| the engineers room. All was empty
here, all was water. The waves of the
ocean had entered, and were sporting with
WORKS of man. / went into the freight
room. Suddenly, L was startled by an
| appalling noise upon the deck. The
heavy footsteps Of some one, running, as
| though in mortal fear, or most dreadful
haste, sounded in my ears. Then my
heart throbbed wildly for it was a fear
full thing to hear, far down in the silent
depths of the ocean. -a
Pshaw it's only Rimmer. a
| hurriedly acended the deck by the
first outlet that appeared. When I speak
of hurry, 1 speak OF the quickest move
ment possible, when numbered with so
much armor. But this movement of
mine was quick; rushed upwards;
sprang out on the deck.
1t was Rimmer!
He stepped forward and clutched my
| arm. He pressed it with convulsive
grasp, and pointed to the cabin.
l attempted to go there.
He stamped his foot and tried to hold
me back. he pointed to the boat and
implored me, with frantic gestures, to go
up.
1t is appalling to witness the horror
struck soul trying to express itself by
signs. 1t is awful to see these signs when
no face is plainly visible, and no voice is
heard. l could not see his face plainly,
but his eyes, through bis heavy mask,
glowed like Goals of FIRE.
81 will go!' [ exclaimed. [ sprang
from him. He clasped his hands together,
but dared not folluw.
Good heavens I thought, what fear
full thing is here What scene can be SO
dreadful as to paralyze the soul of prac-
tised diver? 1 will see for myself
[ walked forward. [ came to the cabin
door. entered the forward saloon, but
saw nothing. A feeling of contempt
| came to me. Rimmer shall not come
with me again, thought. Yet 1 was
awe struck. Down in the depths of the
sea there is only silence-oh, how solemn!
[ paced the long saloon, which had echo
| ed with the shrieks of the drowning pas
| sengers. All there are thoughts which
sometimes fill the soul, which are
only felt by those to whom scenes of sub
Unity are familiar Thus thinking,
walked to the after-cabin and entered
Oh, God of heaven
Had not my hand clenehed the door
with a grasp which mortal terror had
made convulsive, [ should have fallen to
the floor. [ stood nailed to the spot
| For there before me stood crowd of peo-
| ple-men and wumen-caught in the last
| death struggle by the overwhelming wa
ters, and fastened to the spot, each in the
position in which death had found him.
Each one had sprung from his chair at
the shock Of the sinking ship, and with
one common emotion, all had started for
the door. But the waters of the sea had
been too swift for them. Lo! then
some wildly grasping the table, others the
beams, others the sides of the cabin
.here they all stood. Near the door was
a crowd of people, heaped upon one an
other-some on the foer, others rushing
over ther-ali seeking, madly, to gaia the
outlet. There was one who sought to
Chamber over the table, and still was there,
holding Oh to an iron post. So strong
was each conVulsive grasp, so fierce the
struggle of each wild death, that their
hold had not yet been relaxed but each
one stood and looked frantically at the
door. sa
To the door-good God ! To me, to
me they were looking! They were
glancing at me, all those dreadful, those
terrible eyes! Eyes in which the fire of
life had been displaced by the chilling
CLEAN of death. Eyes which still glared,
like the eyes of the maniac, with no ex-
preston. They froze me with their cold
and icy stare. They had no meaning
for the soul had gone. And this made it
still more horrible than it could have been
in life; for the appalling contortion of
their faces, expressing fear, horror, des
pair, and whatever else the human soul
may feel, contrasting with the cold and
| CLASSY eyes, made their vacancy yet more
fearful. He upon the table seemed more
| fendish than the others for his long,
black hair was dishevelled, and foated
horribly down-and his beard and mus
tache, all loosened by the water, gave him
| the grimness of demon. Oh, what woe
| and torture what unutterable agonies ap-
peared in the despairing glance of those
| faces-faces twisted into spasmdic contor-
tions, while the souls that lighted them
were writhing and struggling for life.
[ needed not the dangerous sea which,
even when we touched the steamer, had
| slightly rolled Down in these awful
depths the swell would not be very strong,
unless it should increase with tenfdA fury
| above Rut it had been increasing,