The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1868-11-07

cd 10 shape dis course wen 10 Tie OuLslue Ol
the Goodwins, we had in reality been coastine
order of keeping the steamer point away
had probably only preciptated catastrophe
we could hardly have escaped.
Now he affected wonderfully well hopeful
ness be could not have felt To be sure, we
had one boat left, but it seemed certain death
to launch it in such sea and in such gale
The great point in our favor was that the
snow had ceased, and the night was begin
ming TO clear a little. If at present it only
served to show us the white crests OF the
breakers that were roaring all around, at least
we had the chance of sooner or later being
seen and fetched away.
See everything clear for lowering the
boat" SAID the captain; shut the ships good
TO hold together for twenty-four hours to come
now that she's beached so snug; and, long
before that, We'll have half dozen life-boats
making = race for u.s."
His words seemed TO have small comfort ior
the terror-stricken groups huddled by the
companion- way, ii indeed they heard them
at all, They did not look the sort of men
greatly accustomed to be knocked about.
| There were halt dozen well-to-do English
men-tradesmen or tarmerS,-moSt of them
muffled to the throat like walking rolls of
woollen and Frenchman or two, in thin
overcoats, light-colored pantaloons, and jean
boots,-got up more for summer lounge on
| the Boulevards than winter night in the
| Channel.
Fetch up lot of blankets for those gen
| tlemen, steward" said the captain, looking at
| their Gathering jaws and hueless faces. by
| this time, too, the lady who had tainted had
| unluckiy awaked to a sense of the situation,
| and with her head thrown back, and her eyes
| wide open, lay giving out shrek on SHREK
snow, steward, glass of brandy all round,
| and then not drop more to any one, at your
PERIL
While the captain was looking after the
| comfort OF his passengers, the crew had, I'M
der the orders of the mate been working like
men, tor their safety. They could still reach
the gangway that crossed the ship before the
tunnel, and on this way they had secured a
barrel halt filled with tar, and rummaged out
from somewhere below. They found some
little trouble in persuading light of any sort
to burn; but soon il was blazing merrly
away, the flames only famed by the violence
of the wind, that swept away the smoke in
thick black swirls. The passengers were
clustered by che Stern; and in the wild blaze
their features showed with every shade o.
horror and despair, as it cast its glare on the
surf that was breaking all around. The
storm was rough test for the old timbers
and rivets OF the GrampuS; but it might be
hoped that they would hold together till the
beacon had brought us help. The worst of il
was, that the tide was steadily making, and
although twas certain that il could not float
US of, it seemed by no means so clear that
we should not be swamped in its rise. An
hour or two later and cod and haddOcks
might be disporting themselves ON the decks
and reposing upon the cabin sofas of the
Grampus. 1t was bitter cold where we were
standing; even if we stayed there, it seemed
unlikely that all of that shivering groul
could keep soul and body together till morn
ing; and even if we succeeded in raising and
securing them on the main-yard, chilled ano
soaked as they were, the piercing wind would
only prec:pitate the divorce. STILL, in prepa
ration for the worst, a whip and a pulley
were rugged to the mast, little store of slim
ulants sent up, and ropes kept in readiness tc
lash helpless bodies to the yard.
'See all ready with the boat, Barker"
could near the captain say to the mate; "i
may give us squeak for our lives, il little
one"
Meanwhile as the deck was getting mucl
too wet for us, preparations were made for 6
fitting aoft. Two active fellows, spite O.
pea-jackets and wading boots, mounted to the
cross-trees like monkeys; guy was lowered
to se attached to the PROSTATE form of the
| lady, when all at once strange sound came
| borne to our ears on the storm. We looked
in each others faces in eager silence,-those
| of US. at least, who had their senses about
them. Was it the scream of gull, or was il
| really the call OF a boatman? But it came
again; and this time all doubt was gone; and
then the captain seized a trumpet he had
| kept by him, and gathered his chest together
to heave OUT with mighty below: 'sHolo
| life-boat ahoyw Half of our group sprung to
their feet with every eccentric extravagant
demonstration OF joy; the other scarcely car
| ed to raise their heads, as they sat huddled
up into dripping bundles.
Now our straining eyes make out, in the
faint moonlight, a boat borne towards and
| past us on the crest of a monster wave. The
object of the strong arms and practiced heads
| who manned her was to bring her up, and
| lay her to on the more sheltered side of the
/ Grampus, where the long waves were broken
and came popping up like the water in a
| boiling caldron. Even there on our lee the
| work would be dangerous enough both for us
| and them; but on the other side any such at
tempt must have been fatal Ropes were got
in readiness on board, some to fling oTer the
| side, some with running nooses, to help those
who were powerless to help themselves
| Soon our lights fell on the faces of the stanch
boat crew, all looking anxiously determined
| from their weather-beaten old cock swain, on
~~Lneo oooI,oSc and j,1de,,,nu+ til -. Iii
depended, to the younger hands in the bows,
| who stood ready to catch the ropes we she uld
| fling and to tend off The ropes are thrown
| and caught, the boat is rising and falling on
the breaking swell below our counter, the
faces of her crew now almost level with our
bulwarks, now gazing up at us from far be-
| low, and across chasm of surging foam.
"Come along, mates, come along" roared
| the cockswain; and as the life-boat rose again
| one of our seamen set the example, and took
the leap, Then the passengers followed but
each with rope passed under his arms, in
case of accidents. Those who were para
lyzed by cold or fright were handed over the
sides, swung down like so many packages.
and dragged on board through the waves by
the ready hands of the life-boatmen. One
| seaman, who made the jump unattached
seemed to lose his foothold as he sprang, and
| fell short into the seething waters. But it
| was written that we should all be saved.
| Providentially his head bumped on the life
boat as he was washed past her quarter, and
| the next moment her steersman's~ strong
hand had locked itself in his hair Last came
| the captain, now the most downcast of us all,
| for while all else were too grateful to quit a
| vessel that they had feared might be their
coffin, he had left both ship and character on
the Goodwins. At another time that voyage
ashore in the lfe-boat would have seemed
like sailing in the jaws of death but after the
hours of terror we had passed on those fatal
sands, to me, at least, it was pleasant sum-
mer cruise. Land folks whom the gale kept
awake that night, as it bowled Iound their
chimney-pots and ratified their windows, may
have thought the storm wild one; but for
me. spite OF the biting wind that pierced my
soaked and half frozen clothes. never reco-
lect experiencing so luxurious feeling of
peaceful, home-lk security. as when we ran
past the pier-liehts into Deal Harbor But
ever to appreciate the full comfort of a bed
ON shore, perhaps few people would care to
try the experiment of a. night on the Good