The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1876-06-16
A Night at Sen on u FraiI Raft.


The New York Sun has the follow
inc report Of thrilling adventure
.Iohn Graham, stout, rosy-faccd
Ohioan, Il years Of age, shipped as an
able-bodied seaman in the bark Eliza
Mclaughlin, for Antwerp, on Saturday
last. The bark sailed on Tuesday.
During the days that INTERVIEWED Ora
ham found himself among pleasant
crew, aud thought the officers inclined
10 be fair But before the pilot and
tuo quit the bark at Sandy Hook, on
Tuesday evening, he had taste of the
officers brutality for while the pilot
was yet on board Capt. Dennis let his
tongue loose, and the First Mate struck
the men and uttered fouler language
than even that used by the Captain.
Graham saw the Mate strike first a Nor
yegian and then Il Frenchman, and
when the Mate, brawny Englishman,
caught him looking, he said, with an
ugly oatA, slack, what kind of IA ship
40 YOU want this 10 bePn Graham
made no reply, but . shipnatc said that
he hoped il was a good one. ''WeH,
you'll find IL amt, /" you,N said the
Mate. After the pilot and the tug had
gone, Graham saw many Of the crew
kicked and beaten by the Mate, and
heard himself and all the others cursed
repeatedly. He had been aloft, and
was stepping on deck, when the Mate,
from behind him, struck him in the eye,
and would have hit him again had he
not sprang out Of reach. 81 would
ike 10 hear the rules and regulations of
this ship before am punished said
Graham, 81 promise To obey them. -
&C. you'll the Mate said "you'l
learn them before YOU cross. IN teach
them to you
ssThere's one Of US you won't teach
them to-" Graham replied, as the Mate
turned away.
At 10 o'clock, nearly all hands being
below in the forecastle, Graham shook
the hand of each of his shipmates and
babe them good bye. Then he ran on
deck, seized the forecastle steps, and,
throwing them overheard, plunged into
the ocean after them. lie had deter
mined 20 risk his life alone at sea, rath-
er than cross the ocean under such OIL
GERS. As he clutched the steps and float
ed past the stern Of the bark, the Second
Mate looked over at him, but did not
say "A word TO either the crew or the
officers. The night was dark, and Ora
ham was l5 miles from land.
There was no wind, but the water
rose and sank with a heavy swell, and
when Graham was at the top OF a wave
he Was able to see the light-ship. or
rather It's light. He strovc to reach her,
holding TO the steps with his hands and
swimming with his feet but the cur
rent was against him, and he soon gave
up the effort. He was being borne to-
ward land, but he felt the chill of the
water and the night air so strongly that
he doubted his ability TO hold out to
reach the shore. A small sailing ship
passed him close 10 the southwark. lie
shouted again and again, but no one
heard him. Then a steamship that he
had watched from the time that she
was black speck on the horizon, grew
larger and larger, and passed so close
70 him that he had 10 look up to see the
top of her high black sides. Again he
screamed until his breath gave out, and
again was left behind
Graham's hands became numb, his
body chilled through, and one leg was
seized with cramps. With painful ex-
ertion he managed to pull himself upon
the steps in such manner that only
his arms and legs were in the water
He knew that in a short time the cur
rent would change and carry him
further out to sea. An hour or more
passed, and pilot boat 10 hove in sight
and bore down on him, and he shouted
so fecoly for help that his heart sank at
the sound of his own voice.
Keep your courage, my man. said
voice from the pilot boat /" Wen have
you on board in a minute
A boat vas lowered and Graham was
rescued He was helpless when he
reached the deck. Cramps had stiffened
both arms and one leg, and cold and
hunger had robbed him Of the power
Of speech. II was O'Clock on We'd
nesday morning when he was rescued.
Capt. Wolf, who was in command of the
pilot boat, had the half-drowned youth
undressed, rubbed warm and put TO bed.
On the next morning he was able to tell
his story. He arrived at Quarantine
at O'Clock yesterday afternoon.
:" Ii was nothing" said he, I'm refer
esce to his exploit, " compared with
what ! should have experienced under
that brutal Mate. II ]. had been
d->wned should have had an easier
death than to have been killed by that