Dallas herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1849-1873, 1872-10-12
A Tragedy of the Sea.
Tho London Daily Telegraph, in

Tho London Daily Telegraph, in
its issue of September 9Th, says:
"Noble as is tho tale of the Birk-
enhead, it finds its parallel in the
account Of the death of Paul Elson,
English pilot, in charge of the ship
Rothcsay. On the 25th of July,
this vessel, which had three days
before cast off the Calcutta tug and
steamed safely out of the horrible
jungles and swamps of the Sunder-
bunds, was caught by a cyclone
On the Both she lay wreck, all
hope of saving her long past. Then
the pilot, Paul Elson, the one man
who seemed to have his wits about
him, collected few volunteers and
rugged raft. Thirteen only Of the
crew got on her; the rest were fran
tic with terror-some praying, 9TH
ers drunk. others raving, others
lashed inextricably to the sinking
vessel. Elson was the last to leave
the ship; leaping overheard, he
swan to the raft, cut the hawser
that held her, and constituted him
self by inherent right her sole Off
Ger. Within en- hour the doomed
vessel reeled, lurched heavily, and
went down head first. All that
day and all night tho raft drifted,
heavy seas breaking over her. "We
were up TO our necks in water"
says the man who tells the tale,
"for sho foated low" All that
night, nevertheless, Elson, who was
a powerful swimmer, swan round
and round the raft, lashing her to-
gethcr and strengthening her as
best no could. Ever and anon the
furious breakers washed a man off.
And then would the brave pilot,
who had not only the heart but the
strength of giant, strike out TO-
ward him and carry the drowning
wretch back. But ut last it became
apparent that the raft must be bro
ken up, and that a second and
smaller raft must be constructed to
relieve the other. This, too, the
pilot effected almost single handed.
The largo raft floated away into
the night; EIson and three other
mon took 10 the smaller, while on
tho other drifted away a ma
tive boy, Paul Elson's servant, of
whom, hitherto, in tho midst of all
his terrible toll, the brave pilot had
never lost sight. "Hc kept near
him; he tended him rs q mother
would tend her child; he gave him
our last supply of drinkable water"
The vessel had sunk on tho 29th
Of July; it was now the End of Au-
gust. The raft was drifting undcr
a raging tropical sun; for three
days there had been no food, no
water; worse than this, tho frail
support itse'f began to break up,
and, swimming about in q heavy
surf, Paul Elson became much ex-
hausted. Tho end of course could
not be far off. First one of the men
was washed away, and then anoth-
or, until Elson himself and the
Scotchman who tolls tho story were
sole survivors. Pilot, said $50
the narrative runs-'we must fight
IL through!' %. Frazcr!' answer
cd ho, i can't hold out any longer.
y y X Then a heavy sea broke
upon us and knocked him of. l
found il impossible to hang on and
was forced to let him CO." And 80
tho story ends. The body of Pilot
Elson, worn out by his inccssant
labors, fonts away into tho great
deep, thore to lio till the sea shall
give up its dead. For hour after
hour he had labored and toiled,
wasting himself and his strength
in tho effort to succor those whom
he had under his charge. A hun
dred times ovor he forgot to think
of himself; hc broke his great heart
in an obstinate effort to save, not
himself, but the others.
All night he swan round tho
raft, tightening rope here, wedg.
ing in spar there; when the ma
tive boy was delirious he handed
him tho last drop Of water; when
hope grew desperate his CHEEKY
voice brought back fresh life and
strength to the desolats; and at last,
when oil his strength is gone, when
those stout limbs were cold and
numbed and well.nigh dead; and
faintness, brought on by the delu-
ging salt spray and the dreadful
binding sun had sot Uneven then
the brave man dies az he ought to
have died-ending nobly. II told
him" said Frazer, that II he could
not hold on l would lash him. He
then made some exclamation about
his poor wife, and said: II will try
TO stand it," but huge wave, rear
ing its hundred foaming crests
against the skies, washed Paul e.
son off-his body to the deep, and
his soul to his God"
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