The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1875-12-02


The clear ice holding the sailors face
AS he lay inhls mortal rest. a.."
And I've thought since then, when the slip cam
home, ~ I..
That sailed for the Franklin band
Amistake was made in the reckoning
That looked for the crews on land,
They're floating stilly I've said to myself,
And Sir John.has found the goal
The Erebus and the Terror mates, lV
Are icebergs up at the POleP h "A
awe sailed due north, to Baiiin's Bay
And cruised through weeks oflighti
Twas always day, and we slept by the bell,
And longed for the dear old night,
And the blessed darkness left behind,
Like acurtain round the bed;
But month dragged on like an afternoon
With the wheeling sun Oerhead,
We found the whales were farther still,
The farther north wesailed @ ..
Along the Greenland glacier coast,
The boldest might have qualled }0 NJ AZ
Such Shapes did keep us company 700
No sail in all that sea, Iau .
But thick as ships in Mersey's tide .H'
The bergs moved awfully
Within the currents northward stream -..
But erethe long days close,
We found the whales and filled the ship
Amid the friendly foes.
"Then came q rest: the day was blown
Like cloud before the night;
In the south the sun went redly down
In the north rose another light, .U ..
Neither sun nor moon, but shooting dawn,
That slvered our lonely way. u
1t seemed we sailed in belt of gloom,
Upon either side a day.
The north wind smote the sea to DEATH
The pack.ice closed us round
The Narwhale stood in the level fields
As fast as ship aground
weary time 1t was to wait,
And to wish for spring to come,
With the pleasant breeze and the blessed sun,
To open the way toward home.
Spring came at last the ice,fields groaned
Like living things in pain;
They moaned and swayed, then rent amain,
And the Narwhae sailed again,
With Joy the dripping sails were loosed,
And round the vessel swung;
To cheer the crew. full south she drew,
The shattered foes among
We had no books in those old days
To carry the friendly faces;
But think the wives and lasses then
Were held in better places.
The face of sweetheart and wife to-day
Islocked in the sailors chest
But aloft on the yard, with the thought Of home
The face in the heart was best
Well, well-God knows mates, when and where
To take the things He gave; .I
We steered for Home-but the chart was His,
And the port ahead-the Gravel
1--WE cleared the foes through an open sea
. The Narwhale southland sailed,
Till a day came round when the white fog rose,
And the wind astern had failed
In front ofthe Greenland glacier line
And close to its base were we;
Through the misty pail we could see the wall
That beetled above the sea. ......
A fearl like the fog crept over our hearts
AS we heard the hollow roar
Of the deep sea thrashing the cliffs ice
For leagues along the shore.
"The years have come, and the years have gone
But itnever wears away
The sense have of the sights and sounds
That marked that woful day.
Flung here and there at the oceans will,
Asit flung the broken foe "N ".N
What strength had we 'yainst the tiger sea
Transports with sailors woe? ''ra
The lifeless berg and the lifeful ship
Were the same to the sullen wave,
As itsweptthem far from ridge to ridge, f
Till at last the Narwhale drave a rN
With a crashing rail on the glacier wall,
As sheer as the vessels mast
A crashing rail and shivered yard;
But the worst we thought, was past
The brave lads sprang TO the tending work,
And theskipper's voice rang hard:
'Aloft there, one with ready knife
Cut loose thatroyal yardP ..l i...F
lsprang to the rigging young was, nHf.H
And proud tObe first to dare: uuJ
The yard swung free, and turned to gaze f
Toward the open sea, DER the field fhsze,
And my heart grew cold, as If frozen through,
Atthe moving Shape that met my view
o Christ what sight was there!
Above the fog, as hugged the yard,
saw that an iceberg lay
A berg like mountain, closing fast
Not cables length away
could not see through the sheet of mist
That covered all below, lt .rr
But heard their CHEEKY voices STILL
And screamed to let them know.
The cry went down, and the skipper hailed, a.,
But before the word could come
1t died in his throat, and knew they saw ~.
The shape of the closing DOOM
mo sound but that-but the hail that died
Came up through the mist to me; t..,
Thank God, it covered the ship like vail,
And was not forced to see .,,,
But heard 1t, mates; o, heard the rush
And the timbeB rend and rive,
As the yard Iclung TO Swayed and fell
III lay on the Ice alivel Daa
Alivei Lord of mercy Tship and crew and
sea were gone r..
The hsmmocked Ice and the broken yard,
And q kneeling man-alone
"a kneeling man on frozen hill
The sounds Of life in the air. eUn
AL Death and Ice--and minute before
The sea and the ship were therel I.0l
I could not think they were dead and gone, 4,
And listened for sound or.word; ,.3r3.d Il
But the deep sea roar on the desOlate shore
Was the only sound heard. a.. ..,,i
o mates, l had no heart to. thank i...
The Lord for the life he gave;
/ spread my arms on the ice andcried
Aloud On my shipmates' grave 5-''
The brave strong lads, with their strength all vain
called them name by name, - -