The Republican journal., 1877-08-23


with this wind in our stern? Send the
hands up to loose those royals agin, and
just pack that mains'l on her, YOU lubber-
ly coward. What in -- are you afraid
Ot-a capful Of wind; hey!"
The mate strobe up to the back-stay
and explained that there was an occa-
sional squall passing over; that she was
steering wild, and SO he thought he'd ease
her little. She's going twelve knots
now, which is fast enough to take it.
'4ou clap that mains'l on to her, YOU
fool. Don't you suppose know what Pm
| about and if you're scared go below and
put your head in a bag"
The mate strobe away; the three royals
We're set, the mainsail sheeted, and the
Planet, trembling in every joint, went
boring into the night that was now fairly
shutting down on the flying ship and the
heaving ocean.
The captain, chucllling to himself at
his own daring, craWled back to his state
room took another " nip and reeled
back to his post at the back stay. After
bit he got it through his head that the
studding sails We're taken in, and he
rOared out
- Stand by to set the maintopmast
stun'-sail Y
This order made the men express a
hope that he'd take the sticks out of her
and the mate had the harclihood to say
that the old man was either very drunk
or getting crazy, but he went about the
difficult job of setting the studding- sail,
and after an hours labor succeeded in
setting it.
AS the night wore on, the wind in
creased i'll volume, the waves grew higher
and broader and the ship began to sheer
wildly. Occasionally big sea would
overtake her and lap inboard over he
rail. She began to roll heavily, and the
torecastle turned out and gravely discuss
ed the unusual incident Of shi p running
away from tempest under a press Of sail.
The morning brought no change in the
aspect of affairs, only worse. The tenn
pest roaled through the top hamper and
the masts bent and buckled under the
heavy strain. The steering of the ship
had now become {; very difficult matter,
and it was evident that, should the ship
by any mischance be thrown in the
trough Of those heavy seas, she would
roll over at once. At last a heavy lurch
eased her of the studding sail, which
went down to leeward Oh the wings of
TIE wind, and, under the excitement. the
mate cleWed up the royals and had them
rolled up.
The captain came on deck soon after
and at once began to abuse the mate for
taking in the royals The mate soon at-
ter went below, being relieved by the
second mate. Toward noon a heavy
squall took the three gallant-masts
out of her, and then there We're horrid
oaths and imprecations in order until the
wreck was cleared away. During the at-
ternoon the seas began to tumble in over
the rail, and the compass grew 50 I'M
steady that it became unreliable. The
ship was steering wildly. Two men at
the wheel We're Whrling it about in spite
of the mates nceSSant warning to ..steer
small"
And the captain was hanging on to his
back-stay eXulting in the idea that he
was running down Il living gale OF wind
under three whole topsails and courses.
\ little before eight bells in the last
dog watch 6 p. My the mate bluntly told
the captain he was going to batten down
the passengers; that if sail wasn't short
ened at once, the ship would get tripped
up in nf tho hi0h waves that ,"o,o
now racing after her She's going sixteen
miles an hour, now, and if she goes any
faster, she'll be unmanagcable."
'Let her rip, my Sweetscentcd son of Il
sea-cook. I'm captain, | am: and if
hear any more OF your lmpertincnce Ill
disratc You, my buck. Let her rip, say:
she's all right; blow, good breezes blow :"
The mate turned away and told those
Of the passengers who still fingered on
deck to go below but the quiet, gentle
manly chap didn't bulge an inch. While
a sense of coming danger filled every
heart, the quiet man did not seem to be
alarmed. After Il while the matches were
put on and secured, and Il few things at
tended to which We're Of prime impor-
tance in view of the present situation
After eight bells the captain Mortified
the second mate by securing the fore and
main sheets with chain and paddock
and, with the parting Injunction to call
him if it came on to blow, he reelrd aft
and disappeared down the after compan-
ion-Way.
The watch below turned in all stand
ing, heartily cursing the man who WAS
risking their lives in such a foolish way.
the wheel, and to the surprise of the sec
ond mate, began to con the ship. Now
this coming process consists in watching
the ships head, and moving the hand in
the direction the wheel should be turned
1t is often resorted to in a high sea-way,
when the motion of the ship reuders the
compass card unsteady.
The officer mentally making a note Of
the fact that the passenger was a sca
man, went forward to punch up the look
outs posted forward, and he had scarce
ly reached the waist when Il flashing light
famed out of the gloom ahead, a hoarse
voice shouted, Light, no : then a con-
fused hubbub on the torecastle, with an
imperative order to port the helm. I'M
pulsively the men at the wheel began to
whrl it to port, but We're stopped 10y the
passenger sternly shouting to do no such
thing A moments reflection convinced
them that to alter her course in those
tremendous seas would be instant destruc-
ton, and though the mate was frantical-
ly shouting port, hard-a-port" she was
held in her course simply because she
could not leave.
Steering wildly, she rolled up the slope
of a ships light dead ahead. The next
instant there was heard a cracking and
swapping of timber, forward, then a tre-
mendous shock, followed by a loud de-
spairing cry-the tribute nature wrings
from humanity in its dire extremity. An
other crash succeeded by a grating sound
under the keel, and the Planet lurched
heavily to port. As she rolled back to
the starboard, she took Il wild sheer; at
the same the sails began to slat, and in a
moment they were torn into ribbons and
| tapping violently. Still sheering. she
climbed u big sea, and as she sunk away
into the trough, her fore and main-top
mast snapped off close to the cap. Then,
us she lay canted down on her portside a
huge wave topped with foam and fairly
glowing with luminous sparklings emitted
with the PHOSPHORUS held in solution,
came down from windward. There was
a terrific grandeur in its grand sweep, rs
far us the eye could reach black sides eX-