Knoxville journal. [volume] (Knoxville, Iowa) 1874-1986, 1876-02-24

| ABOUT three years ago, but afterward ADAM
| doned:
| For the next hour or two there was a
constant augmentation of the storm. No
body did anything but cling to the bench
backs under the dismal giimmer of the
lamps there was no other light. although
the morning was well adyancedl, and lis
ten to the deep booming OF the seas as they
hurled themselves against the ships dis
tant bows. BY half.past nine hardly any
4 support was sufficient to enable man to
| keep his feet. AT this hour one of those
| stckening lulls, one of those dread suspen-
| sions OF all motion which tells that the
ships center is pinnacled on a watery
Alp, and that when she topples over and
plunges down on the other side there Is
going to be trouble-and while every Great
ure held his breath, she quiverad a moment,
and down she went And with her went
everybody SPRAYING to the floor. There was
a terrific crash, as if she struck the rock
of Gibraltar, and in that instant sea went
bodily over her, breaking a sky-light on
the upper deck, bending the thick bars of
an iron fence till they curved like bows,
splitting in two and carrying away half of
| a short board three inches thick, that was
dashed high away upon the bridge and
passing into the ocean again from the up
per deck on the other side of the vessel,
/ riddled a strong life-b boat to splinters and
| sweptit overheard, along with one of its
great iron davits! And down ON our deck
it smashed in the staTboard bulwarks,
flooded the deck waist deep, entered the
galley, seized the smoking hot breakfast,
washed every vestige of it overheard,
crushed in the saloon door and came pour
ing along the carpets, bringing with it
lx.,ttL n FL,
spreading ruin of champagne and Irish
whisky bottles all around! And in the next
instant another sea came over the port
! side, bringing broad specimen of the
bulwarks along with it, stove in the port
door of the saloon, and set the luggage
afloat in all the state rooms on that side.
Wellr' 1t was the only remark that
came into my mind, and it did not appear
to meet the case, either. Up TO that mo-
ment / had felt little or no concern. But,
/ judging by the mighty crash that had
assaulted our ears, felt almost sure that the
/ ships sides had been crushed in, and,
possibly, by collision with another ship (;
and, therefore, as ours was an iron vessel,
she must 60 down with the prompt facility
OF an iron pot. | tried to make up my
mind as to what plan of action to pursue,
/ and was getting along very well with ii
considering that had been at it only a
thirty fifth or a fortieth part of a second),
when stalwart young man at my side ex-
claimed:
1 "We're gone! 80. .. o, my God!
. We're gone, we're gonerr
He scared M, and so | said to myself,
never mind the plan, IN get a lifepre-
server had seen acouple on the floor,
but they were not there now. / went into
my room, saw though these had been
mine-the plunging OF the ship had
thrown them out through the ventilator.
Then thought would go and borrow
one of the Cardiff Giant las we called
HIM and otl do myself the credit to say
that meant to get both OF his, and save
some woman with the extra one. AT the
time, 1t did not occur to me that that would
be little ungenerous to the Giant; and
even now am not sorry for il, because 1t
was such a splendid unconscious compli-
ment to that big Englishman's manhood
/ --itignorad the possibility of any diff.
Guilty or any peril which he could not ex'
tricate himself from by his own strength
and his own courage. As / fought my
precarious way along the careening floor,
dismay sat upon almost every face en-
countered; and if had been the spirit Of
the storm, could not have resisted the ap.
pealing looks that spoke from some of
those eyes. i shall always remember the
sorrowful picture the dim ghostliness OF
the lamps revealed ut that moment. put
my hand ON the Giants door without
knocking--not supposing for moment
that he was inland just then mighty
lunge of the ship shot me clear across his
stateroom, head first. A voice said:
| (" HallO-what's wantedg" 10 es..I ~
looked up from the floor, where was
holding on to something--I peered
through the gloom, and, as am sinner,
that calm, genial iceberg was standingup
on his hind legs shapingi ftHr.s usEE
How he could see anything, or how he
kept his feet never cared to inquire. All
that thought of was that was unspeak-
ably ashamed of my GRAND. He said:
g Sorry you fell. Did you hurt your
self Anything wanting?" .f.,.-. ...
4 NO." l said 4" only came to borrow
IA match"
/ RI believe some people will lie even in
the very presence of the grave, If TO tell
the truth would make them blush.
/ got a match chad about q thousand In
my pocket, and came out thinking 10
myself that 1t could not be much of a
storm after all. Thus, one man had
scared me, when the sea failed to do 1t,
and now another had completely restored
my tranquility-and neither had en-
ployed more than look and a word
What docile slaves of outside influence
men arel =.
And now came another specimen: Capt.
Moland had followed one OF those seas in,
that smashed the saloon doors, and with a
bright, CHEEKY glance, and breezy word
or two had swept their terrors away al.
most MS completely as ii he had brought
sunshine ia his face, and summer zcphyrs
In his breath And yet at that moment,
the ship was in the greatest danger. When
the Giant came OUT wherever he went,
his brave, tranquil face wrought It's mira
Gle The reinforcements Of the courage
that saves wavering armies, and wins bat
ties. Is drawn from the commanding Of
ficer, AS from reservoir.
The influence which one individual
| WA hanfNlEV III