The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1873-09-05

but IN such an emergency nothing
worked quite right. The boat had to
be launched from on deck, and this
was a work of time Finally the crew
were all in their places and commenced
pulling down the stream, but in the
hurry of the moment one of the deck
hands, an unfortunate Irishman, had
dropped into the boat, who knew no
more about pulling an oar than he did
about working n lunar, and his first
mistake was to break, his oar short Off
at the handle, and some more time
was lost in getting another. So full a
quarter of an hour was spent before
my friends were really under way in
pursuit of me. By this time the rapid
drifting of the tide had carried me Il
full mile down the stream and night
was closing in upon me.
was out of sight and hearing All
that could be done was TO pull as rap
idly as possible down the channel and
hope to overhaul me. AS for me, my
case was getting some what critical.
Although still floating bravely, yet
was becoming numbed with the cold.
A bic wave would sometimes give me
a lee lurch, just enough to warn me
that if l was capsized, and the upper
arm of my pipe filled with water, that
it would be all over with me in more
sense than one Just now, too, | no
ticed that while the water had been
about waist high, now and then big
wave would bathe my chin. L felt for
the wadding IL the lower joint, when,
horror of horrors it was being grad
ually forced into the pipel Should
the pressure drive it past the elbow,
it would shoot out of the upright stem
in moment, and my buoyant life
preserver would become a useless mass.
But, happily, l was not left lohg to
the thoughts this discovery suggested.
The boat was now bearing down upon
me rapidly, and the lookout in the
bows caught sight of me, and gave
cheering shout which l joyfully re-
turned. The officers promptly gave
orders as to how | should be picked
up As the boat neared me, at the
word, every oar was to hold water,
and. as he steered the head of the boat
toward me, the lookout was to seize
me and drag me into the boat. But
here again our unfortunate lrishman
marred the whole proceeding. As he
caught sight of the strange figure be-
fore him, looming up in the darkness,
in an agony OF terror he exclaimed:
"Nhist! howly mither, an what is
it? lie rides the say like a maremaid
! and carries a shmoke-stack like Sound
| steamer"
Dropping his oar at the same mo-
ment, he managed to foul all on his
| side at that very critical time, so that
the boat, instead of coming up to me
head on, struck me brOadside, and
passed over me, and my life-preserver
beside.
The shock of the encounter knocked
the stove-pipe out of my arms, and it
sank to the bottom; and it, with all
my wife's cotton batting, was lost for
ever As for me, as | came to the
surface on the other side of the boat,
half a dozen hands were stretched out
to haul me in. Luckily, Patrick with
stout grip caught me by the collar
and lifted me into the boat, blubber~
ing now with the heartiness of JOY that
he had rescued q human being, as he
was lust now in his terror at the non
descript sea-monster he saw floating
before him. --.
The rest Of my story is soon told.
The boats crew pulled back to the
steamer with a will l was at once,
on my arrival at the steamer, stripped
Of my wet garments, some hot blank
cts were thrown around me, and |
threw myself around a pint of hot
brandy and water This artificial
heat, applied outwardly and inwsrdly,
soon revived me, and in an hours time
was in a condition to be driven
home.