The Portland daily press., 1872-10-02
The Story of a HcrO's Death.

The London Daily Telegraph, in its issue
ofSept. 5, says: 'Noble as is the tale Of the
Brkenhead, it finds its parallel in the ac-
count of the death of Paul Elson, English pi-
lot, in charge of the ship Rothesay. On the
29th 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 Sunderbund's, was caught by
a cyclone. On the 3Oth she lay wreck, all
hope of saving her long past. Then the pi-
lot Paul Elson, the one man who seems to
have had his wits about hinl-collected few
volunteers, and rigged raft. Thirteen only
of the crew got on her; the rest were frantic
with terror-some praying, others drunk,
others raying, others lashed ihextricably 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 himself by inherent right, her sole
officer Within an hour the doomed vessel
heeled, lurched heavily, and went down head
first. All that day and all that night the raft
drifted, heavy seas breaking over her. I'VE
were up to our necks in WATER says the man
who tells the tale, for she fioated low All
that night, nevertheless, Elson, who was a
powerful swimmer, swan round the raft,
iashing her together and strengthening her as
best he could. Ever and anon the furious
breakers washed man Off And then would
the brave pilot, who had not only the heart
but the strength of a giant, strike ont toward
him and carry the drowning wretch back.
But at last it became apparent that the rait
must be broken up, and that second and
smaller raft must be constructed to relieve
the other. This, too, the pilot effected al
most single handed. The large raft floated
away into the night; Elson and three other
men took to the smaller; while on the other
drifted away native boy, Paul Elson's SER
want; of whom, hitherto, in the midst of all
his terrible toll the brave pilot had never once
lost sight. He kept near him he tended him
as a mother would tend her child; he gave
him our last supply of drinkable 'water.'
The vessel had sunk on the 29th OF July:
it was now the I'd of August. The raft was
drifting under a raging tropical sun; for three
days there had been no food, no water; worse
than this. the frail support itself began to
break up. and, swimming about IN a neaVy
surf. Paul Elson became much exhausted.
The end of course could not now be tar OH.
First one of the men was washed away, and
then another. until Elson himself and the
Scotchman who tells the story were the sole
survivors. pilot said l,-so the narrative
runs-'we must fight it through! Oh, Fra
serr answered he, i can't hold out any lon
COR, y Then a heavy sea broke upon
gsia gs and knocked him off. l found it impossi-
Bile to hang on and was forced to let him CO."
| And SO the story ends. The body of Pilot
Elson, worn out by his incessant labors, floats
away into the great deep, there to lie until
the sea shall give up IT'S dead. For houl
| after hour he had labored and toiled, wasting
himself and his strength in the effort to sue
cor those whom he had under his charge. A
hundred times over he forgot to think of him,
! self; he broke his great heart in an obstinate
effort to save. not himself, but the others
All night he swan around the raft, ughoen.
ing rope here, wedging in spar handej .nele
when the native boy was delirious @ ne nirurI ,roI
him the last drop of water; when hope SosI, Se%
desperate his CHEEKY voice brought o'cA HUSH