Prescott journal. [volume] (Prescott, Wis.) 1861-1871, 1868-04-25
r4r noAr Is HRApEp TO THE SHORE.


for the shore; head the boat for the
shore" In carrying out this order,
the helmsman either through the ex-
element of the occasion or because the
after machinery of the wheel had al
ready received irreparable damage from
the fire, put the rudder hard-a port,
and left it in that way. This kept the
vessel turning round; but she had
hardly made more than one circuit be-
fore the engines stopped working, and
by this time the hurricane and upper
decks had completely burned off.
ONLY TEN MEN LEFT.
At this time. that is, about one-half
hour after / had left my stateroom.
there we're not more than ten men on
the wreck
By this time I had worked my way
to the most forward part of the vessel,
and seated myself on the forward post,
while sitting. here / pulled down the
halyards from the flagstaff and
doubled them twice, intending to run
the quadrupled cord through the staple
of the post, and love- myself down
when / thought the time had arrived
for doing so.
The men below me who were holding
on to the side of the bow, were
dropping off one after another, be-
coming overcome by either the heat or
the cold.
The last act of the second mate was
to take down tE9 flagstaff and Jump
overheard with it. The water was SO
intensely cold that be could have lived
but very few minutes.
TERRIBLE SCENE.
During all this time there were dead
bodies floating around the vessel, and
MANY live persons could be seen bat
Ting with the cruel waves, and des
perately cliDging to chairs and pieces
of the wreck Generally when a man
was about To jump overheard he would
shout aloud, and on rising to the sur.
face of the water after his plunge, he
would shout again, but the cold soon
numbed him, and he would sink TO rise
no more.
At this time we were about eight
miles from land. The wind was blow
| ing from the east, and we foated
slowly toward the shore.
| Shortly after the mate jumped over
board my seat on the forward post be-
came. from the approach of the flames,
altogether 100 hot. therefore, with
the aid of the halyards, lowered my
self over the bow of the boat, holding
on to the projecting rim of one of the
vessels timbers with my feet, occupy
| ing the identical position that many
poor wretches had just before me, and
from which, despairiDg of succor, they
had dropped hopelessly into the lake.
As near as can judge, about three
quarters of ali hour after / had reached
the forward deck, was surprised, on
looking around, to find but one other
than myself upon the wreck. This
other individual, who think was one
of the crew, sat on the rim running
round the boat Just forward of the
oanovay. The sides of the vessel we're
| burned right up to where he had placed
| himself. aud the heat to him soon be
came unbearabe. At this iuncture he
cried out to me to throw him rope,
and supplicated my assistance, saying
that he could not swim or he would
lump into the water. 1 told him l
could not help him, as my rope was
not long enough. Shortly after this,
he jumped into the water and
| swan to the bow of the boat,
and proved, contrary to his former
| assertion that he waas a good swim
mer. He caught hold of a rope which
v.--s =vyinging in the water just few
feet below WnD-a I stood. He held
on to this for some three or four min
utes, and then, completely benumbed,
let go, and L saw him no more. Then
/ hauled up the rope that my last COM
panion had hold of, and reeved it
through the anchor chains below the
ring TO which / had the halyards
| hitched. After fastening it in this
manner | coiied It twice around my
chest. In very few minutes after
this arrangement had been completed
what was my CONSERVATION on finding
that the upper end of the rope was
burning. / reached up my hands and
| blistered them somewhat In trying to
put the fire out. Seeing that
this mode of procedure was of
no avail, and that the rope was
likely to burn out Of the ring, which
was beyond my reach, L took the other
end, which was coiled around
my body, and fastened it security In the
| anchor chains below the level OF the
fire. The two anchors over my head
were gradually settling into the wreck,
and / began 60 fear new disaster from
this cause. just at this juncture,
espied sail between the wreck and
the land. Trembling between hope
and fear whether she would heave too
and lend me aid or 60 by and leave me
to my fate, placed my feet against
the side of the vessel and commenced
waving my cap vigorously as a signal
of distress, and TO let her people know
that there was a survivor on the wreck.
This vessel turned out to be the
Schooner Cornelia, Capt. Yates, and it
would appear that he had discovered
me some time before had commenced
TO make signals, by the aid of his spy
glass. When / once knew that nv
signal was seen, felt quite confident
of being saved, as my hold was good
for all day. When within about a
mile of the wreck the yawl boat of the
schooner VAS lowered and manned by
the first mate and three seamen. They
reached me in about fifteen minutes,
but, owing to my state of suspense,
it seemed to me as so many hours.
Owing to the roughness OF the sea, it
was somewhat difficult to approach me.
Two times they tried to steady the
yawl under the bows, without success.
Or the third attempt the mate caught
the tails of my overcoat, and, holding
on firmly, by that means steadied the
yawl. Another difficulty now stared
me in the face. / had become entan-