The state rights democrat. [volume] (Albany, Linn County, Oregon) 1865-1900, 1872-05-10
LOST AT SEA.
BY II. W. MEADE, L. S. N,
"ATan overboard"

| throng came rushing wildly ait TO the
quarterback. Hard down the helm,
quartermasterl Let go the lite buoy!
Let fly the stun sailtacks. and clew
up the lower stun'.sail! Quick to the
braces, men, and stand by to shorten
sail there for'ardl Clear away the
life. .boatm and perfect volley of or
ders came from the lips of Lieuten-
ant Ringbolt in rapid succession and
in stentorian tones, while the trigate,
which but moment before had been
bowling at twelve knots, with a crack
ing breeze on the star-board quarter,
came rapidly and gracefully to the
wind and lay there quiescent, the huge
foretopsail to the mast, to deaden her
headway.
Now, my lads" said the lieutenant,
''bear hand, and lower away on
those falls togetherl" and soon the
cutter was in the water and pulling
vigorously in the direction where the
man had fallen.
"AIy Godl who was it," "How
did he fall?" "Did you see him?"
were the questions eagerly passed
from lip to lip among the excited
groups crowding the frigate's spar
deck.
Of all the contingencies incident to
a life on the broad ocean, the one cal
culated to produce the most startling
effect upon ships company is the
sudden alarm of "A man overheard" !"
Even in the best disciplined ship,
and with the finest crew, 1t produces
for the moment the widest excite
ment, nay. even panic. Men rush
here and there half bewildered, there
noblest impulses reused into sudden
action, and torgettul of every other
consideration but that OF saving their
unfortunate shipmate, they are ready
on the instant to venture their lives,
| if need be, provided only they can
extend helping hand TO their perish
! ing fellow man.
| 1t is at such times that the highest
qualities of the deck officers are
brought out clearly before the eyes of
all, for it requires the utmost nerve,
energy, skill and presence OF mind, on
Z
! fuence and direct this torrent of feel
ing into the right channel, so as to
rescue promptly, it may be, the un-
| fortunate suffer. Woe TO the man
who may be incapable Ct the task.
alas, for the miserable victim of his
incompeteucy!
The N-was a magnificent steam
frigate of forty guns, manned with a
| picked crew OF seven hundred men,
and sent abroad, at the close of the
Crimean war, to display to the mari
time powers of the world the rising
power OF the great republic.
We had visited Europe and were
on our return home by the way OF
the West Indies, and at the time my
story opens, the huge ship, under
cloud OF canvas. was running down
the northeast trades" and about sew
en- hundred miles from Cape Verde
Island, then the nearest land.
Poor Billy Seavy.-a smarter sea
man and better man never trod a
| forecastle. He belonged tn race of
sailors even than fast passing away,
and was one of those men who, emu
latiug St. Paul, seems never weary of
well-doing. No matter at what hour
of the day or night an emergency
arose. be it his watch on deck or be-
| low, Bill was always TO be found in
his ~all hands" station, working away
in his quiet, cheerful manner, with the
best ot them. He was prodigous
! favorite with every one on board,
from the captain TO the loblolly boy,
and it was no wonder then that our
anxiety and alarm were great when
We learned that Bill was the missing
man. He had gone into the lee fore
chains to perform some trifiing matter
of duty, when the tapping in OF the
fore-sheet on weather roll caught
him and hurled him into the sea-
The alarm was instantly given, and it
SO happened that our doctor, who was
aft on the lee-sidc of the poop-deck at
the time, with great presence of mind
seized grating near at hand, and
threw it to Bill as the ship sped rap
IDLY by, which old Lancet declared,
the poor fellow caught, and with a
grateful glance rewarded him for it..
AS quick as it was possible for hu-
man power to accomplish it--for
Lieutenant Ringbolt was a good sea-
man-the frigate hove to, and the
lifeboat went in search of the man;
but the wind was strong and the sea
was rough, while the shades OF even
ing were rapidly settling down over
the wild waste of waters, reducing
to minimum poor Bills chances for
safety, unless the hand OF the great
Creator guided the boat to his vicini-
| ty
1t was therefore news not wholly
unexpected by US, when, in an hour
or so-it then being almost dark-the
cutter returned with the intelligence
that the search had proved vain; not
even the life-buoy had been found.
A rare specimen of the old regime
was our captain, and a nobler-hearted
man never graeed the annals of any
navy. 1t happened to be my lot to
be near him as he stood aft. cap off,
and his long, gray hair streaming out
in the wind, when the cutter was dis
covered in the fast thickening gloom
approaching the ship.
!. Gutter, ahoyln hailed the lieuten.
ant in charge of the deck; shave you
found the MANI"
mo, Sir!' came mournfully across
the water.
A tear glistened in the old cap
tain's eye, but he turned quickly te
tho fret I;an+o,ar+ orJ cn;d. ssNT,