The St. Cloud journal. [volume] (St. Cloud, Minn.) 1866-1876, 1874-11-19
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SAVED FROM THE SEA.
Exciting Adventure Of Young Mtdship.
man Lost Overheard From the EHxat>
Omaha.

'~' 80 'ii'S oity,'i1 d young man WnOse
adventures and escapes pass to the
very verge Of the marvellous, Harry
!. Devol, recent graduate Of the
United States Naval School at An
napoIIs. Last August, after a brief
vacation, he was ordered to report to
duty at Queenstown. Upon his az
rival there he was ordered to report
at Nice, where the American squad
ron in European waters was then ly-
ing. At Nice he was ordered on board
the frigate Omaha, which was trans
terred to Queenstown. About the
10th Of September, while less than
two days sail from Southampton,
violent squall arose, and during its
continuance young Devol was directed
by the captain to convey an order to
the officer stationed on the bridge
AS he was going forward huge sea
came over the side, and the frigate
with its monstrous burden, lurched
heavily to leeward. The trafail was
low, and being between the masts, the
young midshipman was whirled with
the wash overheard. The officer on
the bridge saw him and did the little
ne could to save him. He seized
large circular cork ife-buoy and
hurled it with all his might to-
ward the point where the young sail
or was seen struggling with the waves.
1t was the work Of scarcely more than
second. To the buoy was fixed a
line about ten yards long, and as the
/ buoy passed over him beyond his
reach, this line fell across his back.
He caught the end, and while the
staggering vessel drove helplessly on
IN the storm, he drew the buoy to him
and placed it over his head. He was
now safe for the moment, but he says
death itself would have been q pleas
! ing sensation compared to his feelings
as he saw the Omaha disappear be-
hind successive hills of angry water.
His knowledge of seamanship told
him at once that no Captain would
dare to put his vessel about, or aE-
tempt to lower a boat in the violent
wind and sea that were raging.
"In little wble," he relates, II
could only see the masts and cordage
whipping against the sky, and I gave
up all hope. I tried to swim towards
it instinctively, though 1 knew i, was
OF no use, and that my only hope was
to outride the squa]l on my buoy, if
possible, and be picked up after float
ing few hours
The violence Of the storm did not
last, as he estimates, but two or three
hours, although it seemed days to him,
but no vessels came near enough to dis
cover him. The water, stirred from
beneath by the wind, was cold, and
he began to grow numb and weak
Fortunately, the cork life preserver,
which at first was so loose that he had
some difficulty in keeping it in proper
place under his arms, began to tight
en- as the cork swelled with the moist.
ure. Subsequently it held itself well
in place, It was about four O'Clock
when he was washed overheard. A,
nightfall he had grown quite weak
and his limbs were very numb,
''As the darkness began to gather
he narrates, II felt that I would have
to drown. Before this I knew that
my chances were desperate, but some
how while it was light I had hope
, Then | began to pray. I don't know
how long time elapsed. At times
would pray for several minutes, and
then | would find myself thinking O.
a thousand things about my home anc
my mother, and my father, and abou
my past life. 1t seemed as if all tn,
good things and bad thingsI had eve
done or thought of came back to me
Occasionally l would start up as
from revery, and strike out to swim
At such times the water and SIX,
would look So black and pitiless tha
it would seem to fairly frighten me
9 and | would be forced to shut m,
eyes. l can't tell how long I suffered
in this way, but it seemed ages. The,
indistinctly 1 remember another sen
sation. My limbs were numb on
utterly without strength, but a plea.
ant, ]istless, dreamy sort Of feelin;
! took possession Of me. My side;
which had been chafed by the move
ment of the lite-preserver, ceased t.
pain me. l cannot say I was happy
or that | was entirely unconscious 9
my position, but l didn't seem to car
This state of dim consciousness va
the last | remember"
O At sunrise the next morning b
o was found by the United States me,
r chant steamer, Indiana, floating i
the water insensible. He had bee
y in the water fourteen hours. A gres
=. deal Of salt water was found in h
4 stomach, but he was still alive, ku
" after careful medical treatment ".
:, completely restored. He arrived
: New York a few days ago.
'e On the 30th ofSeptember, his mot
: er, then stopping at Lancaster, O., r
r ceived a dispatch from the comman'
S. er Of the Omaha, announcing Il
s. death of her son, who, it was state
n had been washed overheard in Il
1t Irish Sea. This dispatch was pu
\. lished, and was made the occasion {