The Superior times. [volume] (Superior, Wis.) 1870-1912, 1878-04-13

a point about southeast by east. had
one source of comfort, and that was
that / had plenty of sea-room. | threw
the log after the ship had got full head
| way, but it was impossible to make any,
thing from it, for the mad sea that had
leaped up before the gale drought the
log home" SO that the reel would hardly
turn, save by fits and starts.
All night long the gale continued with
undated fury, and towards morning il
became evident that we must either
throw over most of our cargo, or else SET
some sail, for the seas were now very
high, and they were beginning to run
faster than the ship went, and | saw that
should we be overtaken by some of the
immense mountains of water, they would
surely swamp u.s. / ordered the foresail
to be set, it having been already double
reefed before it was furled. By care in
easing away the buntlines and clew-gar.
nets, and in hauling down the sheets, we
got the sail safely set; but this would
not answer long. The seas were now sc
high that they took the wind from the
sail all of halls the time, and it soon be.
came evident that we must set one of the
topsails. / felt sure the ship would scud
/ the easiest under the fore-topsail, and &C.
cordingly had that set.
1t was now morning, and the wind had
lost not a whit of its fury. tried many
times to heave the log, but it would
"come home" with the seas. Once,
/ however, ] managed to run off six knots,
and [ knew we were going faster than
that-we were going ten at least. Noon
came, and the gale was still up in all its
! power. | began to have some fears that
We should not weather it, for the fore
topsaiI had more strain upon it than !
liked. | feared it would give way. |
knew if that did go our chance of safety
would be small, for | had seen enough OF
the ship in gales, to know that under the
main-topsail she would be apt to yaw and
| broach-to. | had some stout, excellent
seamen, and it was to their faithfulness
and experience at the helm that we in a
great measure owed our salvation, for
even the slightest mistake or mishap at
the helm might have proved fatal at
once.
Our course was now northwest by west,
and we had run very nearly that for the
last twenty hours; and yet | could not
tell how far we had rum could guess,
and that was all. | set it at two hundred
miles, but the mate said it was more.
Night came again, and the gale was
still blowing furiously, and when | went
down to my cabin that night, | prayed.
At midnight | went on deck, but the
mate would not 90 below. The men had
become fear-stricken. for the ship was
now wrenched and loosened fearfully,
and l found it necessary to keep the
pumps going all the time.
| went back to my cabin at one O clock
and sat down to my chart. | made as
loos. a reckoning as | could of our sail
ing distance, and / knew that | had the
course true. Then placed my parallel
upon the chart, and at the first look my
/ lips started apart with an utterance OF
horror, and my eyes glared wildly. My
rule struck the island of st. Elmo, and if
my mate was correct in his estimate OF
our velocity, we could not be over fifty
miles distant from that island and, what
added to the danger, / was not fully sure
of our position even so far as the course
was concerned, for | knew there was a
considerable current in this section OF
the Pacific, setting to the westward, and
! hence | knew not how to steer in order
to avoid the fatal island. called Hunter
down and showed him the chart, and
asked him to make out where we were.
He sat down, and in less than two min
utes he leaped up again.
Good Heaven, cap'n!" he cried, "St.
Elmo is right ahead, and surely not more
than fifty miles off! We are gone, as
sure as faten'
/ But may not the current have set liz
| to the westward of it?' said /, hopefully
No" was his quick response.
! We went on deck, and after a few
moments consultation | ordered the
helmsman to keep the ships head west
nor-west if possible. He tried it, but il
was hard work, for ever and anon the
seas would knock her off like cork, and
the danger of being popped by the huge
water-mOuntains was now threatening
Us all the time. Yet made the man at
the wheel give her all the star-board
helm she would possibly bear / said
| nothing to the men of the new danger
| that threatened us, but from the looks OF
myself and mate they guessed it; and
when, at length, We were obliged to con-
fess the whole, they were perfectly hor.
ror-stricken, yet they were prompt to
duty, and shortly they seemed resigned
/ to their fate-that is, they were more
calm than they were before the new
danger was made known to them, though
it may have been only the calmness OF
despair.
/ Towards morning the nature of the
wind seemed to change-it was change
| which 7 cannot descrihe-vat thaf iu6e-
scribable something was there which told
us the gale could not last much longer.
| 1t was in the temperature, in the smell of
/ the wind. 1t seemed softer, and had not
so much power of penetration But the
/ JOY OF this discovery was quickly damp
ed. Just as the day was about to break,
/ there came upon our ears the sound of
something besides wind At length the
light OF day came, and we saw the scene
we had been so fearfully dreading.
Right ahead, at the distance of not more
than ten miles, was the shore of St.
Elmo. 1t was a mass of bold, sea-dashed
rocks which was presented TO us, and a
cry of horror went up from my men.
The wind was still powerful, and we
were being hurled on at fearful rate
toward the rocks. What could be done
Instinctively | cast my eyes towards my
mate, and saw that he was very pale
| knew that my own face must be pale,
too. But could not stand still. ! went
to my cabin and got my glass, and by
time / returned it was light enough to
see the shore distinctly. I raised the
glass, and when had carefully surveyed
the shore ahead, CLEAN of hope shot