, 1873-12-16
A TERRIBLE TALE OF THE SEA,


t2ttnpo,vttcr-I4adcn Ship 80 Isrlvcry,
Humanity, uMA NIirnct1louA Escape
Or tito Crow.
Tho Eden, a ship Of over 600 tons burden,
Bailol from London OH tho 18th uf October last,
pound for Valparaiso. Sho was loaled with 150
tons Of gunpowder, and-following tho STATIC
mont u the crew, nj given in tho Liverpool
Daily Post-witll gonoral cargo, IN which n
quantity of matches conveniently figured. Tho
ing we'll TIL aho lad beo1 about twenty days ont st.
III tho conduct Of tho Captain. 1he symptoms
rapidly Increased IN l,nsonBity, and presently
taapo ano n ID ~ 5 qss ~ c
present month tho crow, slccing in their berthB,
wore aro',ncd BY, shouting and the shufIling Of
{eet, aud, rushing on deck, they found thoir
wasch. This was not rleasaut situation, to DO
at Sun with Captain promo to turn out ol hiH
cabin H. tho dead Of tho night with
loud loaded pistols. % and m m evident rockleas;
go, But tho aailora seemed to hnvo takon
tho mattor worry. coolly, and, soothing tho mad-
rnan in their kind but worry clumsy man1lor
tlloy induced him to turn III agaiu, ho promis-
ing, like o child who had boon naughty, to Ego
to sloop" and not mako any fresh disturbance.
Half IN hour passed away, tho ship meanwhile
pursuing her coulso over tho darltened son, md
tho sailors oil aslcop again savc tho watch. Sud-
denly y there was another alarm and ihe crew
startling oven than tint OF madfnan armed
with loaded pistols. Tile Captain had, in ac-
corda1leo with Ills promise, gono down into hiB
cabin Dll, and fastened his door, but 50 far from
and. looking down through the skyliglt, tue
horrliicl crow could 500 tho flames through tho
lurid cloud Of smoke That Illcd tho room. With
100 tons OF gunpowdor n tho hold tic case was
ono that demanded instant treatment. Tho cabin
ar In r1on o1,e1s s,&
light aud tticd to got down through tint. But
this courae was found to bo impracticable, mud
tho second mate and the carponter volunteered
to 60 down aud break upon tho cabin-door, and
teeth, vas pacing round tho cabin uttoring
shouts Of demon,ac CLEO. The two men eucs
cooded in brealzfng down tho door, and the ecc-
ond mato entering was shot IN tho head by tho
Captain, and retroatcd, followed BY tho cur
peitsr. Tho flames were spreading with a
rapidity which presently led to discovery that
tho Captain had carefully prepared for tho fear
mi seono by soaking parts OF tho yeseo In pnraf-
fine oil. When tho SAILORS learuod this they
gave up all hopc OF saving the ship, and q movo
was mHdo for tho boats: As tho long-boat was
swung round ready to drop from tho dayitB tho
infuriato Captain, having now added bayonot
to hls armory, appeared on the deck, and,
at the crew gathered around the boat, fired at
tho lead Of ono, and stabbed another in tho
shoulder with tho bayonet. A Hailor, picking
up handspilc, smote down the 1nldman'B
arm, and tho rest rushing upon him ho was
oyorpOwored and disarmod. Tilo crew then rot
into the bout, and rowing round to tho Htorn I'M
piored tho Captain to leap over and Join tLom.
But lio waB not going to leave spectacle which
lc had prepared with euch forotEought and
trouble and waiYing tho bout away Lo continued
to walk up and down the deck, above which tho
flames wore already beginning to leap. Should
they leave him to the fato ho had designed for
tllofn mud glorileti, in for himself? Ho was
violent maniac, porhapa best out OF the way, and,
moreover. tho gentlo wind that drove tho almost
deserted ship through the wavos was slowly but
surely blowing sheets Of ilro over the hold In
which woro Btowod 150 tonH Of gunpowder aud
tho conyenient "quantity Of matches." It was
situation in which men might we'll hesitate,
aud it seon1s from the story that at first the
doubt was decided against tho Captain, and tho
boat's crew turned their back upon tho ship,
drifting " towards the linz" with itH fearful car
20 and its solitary passenger. But On second
thoughts tho sailors decided. aH il tho general
habit of English aailors, to do tho thing that was
right and manly, at whatever cost and so
they pulled back, got the raying mailman
safely into tho bout, and rowed nway in timo to
view from q saro distance tho sudden going up
skyward of the good ship Eden by tho explosion
OF loo tons Of gInpowder. At daybroak tie bont
had the good fortune to be sighted by the Jun-
ata, OF Scarborough, bound for Bahia, and all
wore got safely on board. Tho Captain of tho
Eden, being still raying mad, WIS put in irons,
where he remained for four days, after which
period he ''got IN anchor loose" and running
to the side ct tho vessel leaped overheard, and,
Weighted with his irons, went straight down in
the sen mud was mover moro soen. As for the
CROW, tlloy wont oil to Bahia, whonce they wero
sent homo in ono Of tbs Pacihc Company's boats,
aud arriving iu Liverpool on Wednesday, wero
comfortably housed In the Sailors Home.