Alpena weekly argus. [volume] (Alpena, Mich.) 1871-1893, 1875-10-27

"
i was saying a little while back
that l pulled my wife regularly out
of the hands of death, and of course
that was when We were both quite
young, though for the matter OF
that, / don't feel much different
and can't well see the change
That was in one of the Cape steam
ers when first took to stoking.-
They were a little ramshackle sort
Of boats in those days, and how it
was that more weren't lost puzzles
me. 1t was more due to the wea-
Their than the make or finding of
the ship, / can tell you, that they
used to find their way safe to port ;
and yet the passengers, poor things,
knowing no better, used to take
passage, ay, and make a voyage,
too, from which they never got
back.
Well, was working on board a
steamer as they used to call the
Equator, and heavy laden and
about twenty passengers on board.
We started down channel with all
well till we got right down off the
west coast of Africa, when there
came one of the heaviest storms l
was ever in. Even for a well-found
steamer, such as they can build to-
day. it would have been a hard
fight; but with our poor, shaky
wooden tub, it was hopeless case
from the first.
Our skipper made a brave fight
of it though, and tried for one Of
the ports; but, bless you, what
can a man do when, after ten days
knocking about, the Goals run out,
and the fires that have been kept
going with wood and oil, and every
thing that can be thrust into the
furnaces, are drowned; when the
paddle-wheels are only in the way,
every bit of sail set is blown clean
out of the bolt-ropes, and at last
the ship begins to drift fast for the
lee shore
That was our case, and every
hour the sea seemed to get higher
and the wind more fierce, while /
heard from more than one man how
fast the water was gaining below.
Ny mate and l didn't want any
telling though. We'd been driven
up out of the stoke-hole, like pair
of drowned rats, and came on deck
to find the bulwarks ripped away,
and the sea every now and then
leap aboard, and washing the lum-
Der about in all directions.
The skipper was behaving very
well, and he kept Us AL at the
pcmps, turn and turn in spells, but
we might as well have tried to
pump the sea dry, and when, with
the water gaining lS:.St, and we told
him what we thought, he owned it
was no use, and we gave mp.
We'd all been at it, crew AM
passengers, about forty of us al
together, including the women
five of them they were, and they
were all on deck, lashed in shelf
cred place, close to the poop. And
very pitiful it was to see them
fighting hard at first and clinging
to the side, and only to grow weak
er, half-drowned as they were I;
] saw two sink down at last, and
hang drooping-like from their lash
ings, dead, for not soul could do
them turn.
was holding on by the shrouds
when the mate got to the shippers
side, and i saw by his blank white
face what he was telling him. OF
course we didn't hear his words in
such storm, but we didn't want
to, for his lips said plain enough I:
"She's sinking !"
Next moment there was a rush
made for the boats, and two
Of the passengers cut loose a cou-
pie of the women place was made
for them before the first boat was
too full, she was lowered down,
cast off, and big wave carried her
clear Of the steamer. / saw her
for a moment on the top of the
ridge, and then she plunged down
the other side ont of our sight
and that of every body else ; for
how long she lived, who can say :
She was never picked up or heard
Of again.
Giving bit Of cheer our chaps
turned to the next, and were get