The Milan exchange. (Milan, Gibson County, Tenn.) 1874-1978, 1875-05-20
A True Hero.

! Any one who undertook to write the.
history of the >uflerings of seamen during
the winter of 1919 would find ready to
his hand a very large amount of material.
Beginning with the crews of the Cape
Cod fishing craft, who for weeks had TO
endure the tOrtures of an ice prison with
out fuel, and with scarcely food enough
to keep body and soul together, he would
be called upon to describe the Newfound-
land wreckers' terrible struggles for life
on an ice-fiOe, and to add chapter on the
foreign vessels that were driven out to sea
by inhospitable winds, just as they had al
most sighted the ports to which they were
| bound. Ii would, it is true, be very diff
cult to do justice to the subject unless the
writer happened to have witnessed the
agony of crew like that of the Rebecca
| Goddard. After having made land, as
our readers will remember, this vessel
was driven out to sea under a crushing
weight of ice. Having come from warm
climate, the sailors were but thinly clad.
One man was frozen to death at the wheel.
Twenty-one DAYS of torture were endured
before The Goddard came within hail of a
friendly tug and was brought into port.
Then there were special cases of suffering
in which the herOism displayed was of
such character that it would take many
chapters TO do fit honor TO it.
The very latest case of this kind should
have chapter to itself. And even that
would not be a sufficient acknowledgment
of what humanity owes to the hero. On
the 23d of December last the bark Men.
dota left the Island of Java with full
cargo for New York. The Captain and
one seaman Were down with Java fever
when the vessel got under sail. There were
ttrn ht1fn nY,l hn
first, understood navigation. On him de-
volyed the command. Before many days
had passed, the second mate and the cook
and steward were seized with the disease,
which had already eaten away every NOR
sel OF flesh from the Captains bones. Soon,
only five of the crew we're well enough to
work the ship. The second mate wasted
away and died, but the Captain still lin
gered between life and death. So long as
the mate. Frederick Adams, was able to
keep at his post, his companions worked
cheerily, believing that he, at least, was
fevcr-proof. They well-nigh gave up in
Geslalr when he, too, succumbed. For
tunately for themselves, they did not full
ly understand the nature of the man on
whom their lives were depending. Per
haps they thought that he would be rem
dered as pOwerless as the Captain, and
that they would be compelled TO get to
land rs best they could. Mr. Adams hap
pened to have in him the material of
which heroes are made. The feeling of
responsibility was so strong that il, to
some extent, baffled the fever. Instead of
falling prOstrale under it, as thousands of
men in similar circumstances would have
done, this liOn-hearted man used to crawl
out of The cabin on his hands and knees to
" get the sun" crawl to the chOnometer
to get the time. and then work out the
ships positions. While he proceeded on
his da ly rounds he says "yOu could
smell the fever in any part of the ship
Mr.. Adams continued for several DAYS
to navigate the vessel in this manner,
without once thinking of turning her head
from the direct course III ords r TO seek
medical assistance at some of the ports
within few days sail. 1t was not un-
til the body of the second mate had been
buried in The ocean that he decided to al /
ter his course, and steer direct for st. Hell
ena. 1t took six days to reach there {;
but he never once faltered in his duty un-
til the Mendoza was safely anchored. An !
hospital surgeon, well skilled in the treat /
ment of Java fever, was soon on board, !
and gave speedy relief to the sufferers.
Mr.. Adams. like all true heroes, is very
ilOuCoG III uCeCilOliS tilC pdI u hc iOOh III ]
bringing the Mendoza safely to port,
mercy concluding his narrative by char
acter,Zing the voyage as the toughest
he had ever made. TO add to its severity, /
it should be stated that during sixteen |
days the vessel was within five hundred /
miles of New York, battling with wester-
ly winds and seas that constantly threat /
ened to make an end of her. Now as
we have already stated, the case of Mr.. |
Adams is one that cOmmends inself very .
strongly to the notice of humane sOcie-
ties. But for his heroic conduct the Men
dota might have been lost, with every /
soul on board. The fact should be speed \
lily taken into consideration, so that when
Mr.. Adams, who, it is hoped, may soon
have the chief command of ship, leaves
on his next voyage he may carry with
him mark of public appreciation more
substantial than newspaper articles.-N.
7. Times.