River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1876-02-24
A STORM AT SEA.

! For the next hour OF two there was a
constant augmentation OF the storm. No.
body did anything but cling TO the bench
backs under the dismal gllmmer OF the
lamps There was no other light although
the morning was far advanced, and listen
/ to the deep booming OF the seas as they
hurried themselves against the ship dis
tant bows. BY half.past = hardly any
supper. vas sufficient to enable man to
keep his feet. At this hour one OF those
| sickening Is. one Of those dread sus-
pension Of ali motion which tells that the
ships centre is pinnacled on watery Alp,
and that when she topples over aud plung-
| es down there is going To be trouble .
/ and while every creature held his breath,
| she auiyeled moment, and went down
| And with her went everybody, spraWling
on the floor. There was a terrific crash
as if she struck the rock of Gibralter,
and in that instant a sea swept bodily
over her, breaking a sky-hght on the up
per deck. bending the thick bars Of an
iron fence till they curved like bows.
splitting in two and carrying away halfof
short board inches thick, that was
dashed high away upon the bridge, and
passing into the ocean again from the
upper deck on the other side Of the ship,
Kidding a strong lIle.boat TO splntcrS,
and sent il overheard, along with one Of
its great iron dayitsl And down ON our
deck il SMASHED in the starboard bull
warks, flooded the deck walst-deep, enter.
ed the galley, seized the smoking hot
breakfast, washed every yestage Of It
overheard, crushed in the saloon door aud
came pouring along the carpets, bringing
with ID with a final cTashl the bar stores,
aud 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 bnwarks with u, stove IN the port
door Of the saloon, and set the luggage
anoat n all the state-rooms on that side.
"Weil' IIt was the only remark that
came into my mind, and 1t did not APP
pear to meet the cas- either. Up TO that
moment had felt little or 10 concern.
But Judging from the mighty crash that
had assailed our ears, | felt almost sure
that the ships sides were crushed in and
possibly, by collision with another ship;
aud. therefore, as ours was an iron vessel,
she mu-t 60 down with the prompt hcili
w Of au iron pot. tried TO make up
my mind as TO what plan Of action 10 pur-
sue, aud was getting along very well with
ii considering that had been At II only
thirty fifth or forticth part Of a second,
when stalwart young man at my side ex-
claimed
"we're gone! :. 0, my God
We're gone, we're gone
lie scared me, and 50 ] said 10 myself.
Never mind the plan. IN get a life pre-.
server. / had seen two lying on the
floor, but they were not there now. !
went into my room, saw though these
had been mine the. -plungng OF the ship
had thrown them out through the ven.
tiator. Then / thought ! would go and
borrow one Of the cardiff Giant las We
called hnn): aud | will do myself the
credit 70 say that ! meant 70 got both OF
his, and save some woman with the extra
one. At the time. It did not occur 20 nc
that that would be little ungcnerous 70
the Giant. and even now ] am not sorry
lnr II. because II was such splendid an
conscious compliment 10 that big english
man manhood. il ignored the possibility
ofany difficulty or amy peril which he
could NOT extricate himself from by bis
own strength and his own courage. A.
/ fought my pfcearious way along the
cqrcenng floor, dIsmay sat upon almost
every face encountered aud il had been
the spifit " the storm, could not haze
resisted the appealing looks that spoke
from SOME OF those eyes ! ball alwa.
remember The .otiowfui picture the dim
clio. times of the lamps revealed VI that
moment PIT ny hand on the Giant 4
door without knocking not slppoNhg
lar +. moment that ho was lH-hna Iast
lhga 4 mghiy lu0Eg d thc .hlp shol wy