American citizen. [volume] (Canton, Miss.) 1864-1890, 1876-09-23
A NARROW ESCAPE.

demand from the company
in the neatly sanded parlor
of the old Sailors Head, Gas an appren-
tice-boy on board the brig Albatross, OF
London, Captain John Collier, as thor
ough a seaman as ever passed the More
Light. He had instructions to proceed |
from Leith to Rio Janeiro with a mixed |
cargo. Having shipped his crew, OBJ
tanned the usual clearance from her
Majesty's customs, and his bill of health
from the Brazilian vice-consul, we drop
ped down the Frith-of-F Forth with a fair
wind, and put to sea; but we were bare
ly clear of the river when the breeze
became light, or what we sailors call a
soldiers wind" 50
"What sort of wind is that, Mr..
SharpP" asked one of the auditory;
6 for, being a soldier, should like to
know"
"Why, sir, it means that it is blow
ing so that the craft might lie with her
head any way"
This was not very lucid explanation,
but the company were forced to be con-
tent herewith
"After a time the breeze freshened,
and we ran along the coast of England
to reach the Channel; but ere long it
increased to gale, and we had to beat
hard to windward to keep off the rocks
near Marlborough Castle. That night
we were involved in regular hurri-
cane, and every thing was taken off the
brig but the topsails, and they were
closely reefed, with the yards well down
on the cap. Something had gone wrong
with the steering compass; thus. we
were nearer the coast than we thought.
All around US was pitchy blackness, ut
ter obscurity and gloom. Not star
was visible in the zenith, and, shipping
sea after sea in succession as the waves
broke over her, the Albatross labored
sorely, being heavily laden.
Suddenly there was Il shout from
the forecastle-a shout that was heard
above even the believing of the wind
and the hiss of the sharp salt spray.
"sBreakers on the lee bowl
"'Hard up with the helmn cried
Captain Collier, through his trumpet,
keep her off a Gttle-steady!'
"He came rushing forward. 1 in
stinctively followed him, and saw, to
my terror, amid the darkness around
us, the blacker outline of the land loom
ing high and vast, and all along its base
q long, white line of foam-the break
ers!
awe were close in shore, but where,
we knew not exactly; for by this time
we should have seen the lights of Loves
toft, but not the faintest CLEAN was Wis
ible; and ere the Albatross could be put
about, or even thrown for moment in
the wind, she went on the rocks, her
masts went crash by the board, and, be-
fore we had time to think-of it, she was
totally wrecked.
GAS the masts had fallen on the land
side, not a moment was to be lost in
using them as bridges whereby to reach
the shore, which was so close that one
might have tossed biscuit on it; and
while we could hear the tearing and
rending of the ships timbers as the
wild sea, now penetrating into the hold
like demon of destruction, burst her
asunder, we made our way along the
wreckage of the masts, yards and top
hamper. Six men persisted amid the
surf, but Captain Collier, eight others
and myself-though mere boy
reached the rocks just as day was break
ing.
"The coast where we landed was a
perpendicular cliff about seventy feet in
height; and then our most terrible dis
aster was yet to come. The cliff rose
from base of sand and clay, which is
continually washed by the isea during
high tides; thus many cavities are
formed, of considerable depth, from
which the soil has been sucked out by
the back-wash of the waves; and into
one of them we scrambled for shelter
from the bitter cold and fierce inclem-
ency of the weather, and, penetrating
for about twenty yards from the shore,
we all sat huddled close together fol-
warmth.
ssFor some time there was no APP
| pCdl dHCC VI thO eShAPCSe 1o1uhhSS tsAo
we could see, as dawn frightened, the
stormy scud flying past, and white foam
dancing where the brig had gone utter
ly to pieces, and where the boxes,
bales and barrels that had been heI
cargo were tossed wildly about among
the fiotsam and jetsam of the sea.
"Poor Captain Collier, who had q
wife and several children at Greenwich,
having lost nearly his all in the brig,
was overwhelmed by his misfortune,
and sat moodily with his head between
his hands, staring seward, as the day
drew on. Suddenly half-stifed cry
escaped us all. There was q dull
crashing sound, and all were involved
in utter darkness. The sea, the day.
, light, the sound of the waves were al
gone, as if curtain had fallen between
us and them. And such, indeed, was
the case. A mass of rock from above
that had long been impending, had
slipped suddenly down and Enclosed us
all in dreadful trap-in one common
grave.
: "We could touch, but not see each
: other. For a time we could breathe
but respiration soon became difficult
Words are too weak to describe the
horror of such situation as ours. Bet
: ter would it have been that we had al
Oerished with the shin