Lexington weekly intelligencer. (Lexington, Mo.) 1871-1887, 1880-02-21

pipin' on to a gale of wind, and we
furled the to'gsllan' sail and put a
couple of reefs into the topsails,
steerin' her still ives: by nothe half
nothe and nothin' 10 leeward. Under
this canvas she staggered along, the
wind breezin' continual and the snow
dreadful thick, and at 8 O'Clock we
began to come to it once more and
slowed the mainsail and jib, reefed
the foresail and close-reefed the fore
and main, furlin' the mizzen tepsail.
AFTER doing this we hauled her up
another half pint and steered her
west nor'west.
1T were a awful job a gittin' them
topsaiis close-reefed, and more par
ticularly reetin' the foresail, but we
got it done at last, bein' nigh hand
unto two hours a doin' of it, and as
[ were a layin' down the fore riggin'
1 comes athwart Harry Edwards,
which says to me, what do you
think of it now p and says l, Il don't
see nothin' wrong into it; we got
good departure this noon and knows
jist where she are, and we've got her
all snug for the night things seem to
me good enough, or leastwise nothin'
alarmin',' whereat he made answer.
yet he f1ewed afore you counted
furder than eight
well, Of course we didn't go very
fast under this snug canvas, but at
midnight we hauls the foresail up,
backs the head-yards and rounds her
to for q sound, gittin' forty-fve
fathoms, ooze and dark sand. Then
we filled away again, and ruined her
till 4 in the mornin', when we sound
ed again and found we had shoaled
the water to thirty-five fathoms.
Everythin' were all right, and VIC
went on, the gale contlnuln' heavy,
and the snow thick as mush. We
got a cast at 8 o'clock, at noon and
agin at 4 O'Clock in the afternoon,
the last cast glvln' US seventeen
fathoms white sand, and this agreed
with the old mans reckonin', II put
her off Fire Island. We'll let her
co. says be to the mate, 'for a couple
of hours more, and then we'll put her
head to the ~south'ard and heave her
to. With the course we've been a.
steerin' she must have the Long
Island shore close aboard, and l
don't are to run her furder till 1 car
see somethin'.' Away We went, aud
our side was a-gittin' supper, and it
had just struck three bells, when
there come q shock that pitched us
off our chists, and then q second and
a third one, and then she swung
breadslde to the sea, and all three
masts went out of her, aud the sea
begun maxim a clean breath over us.
A lot of passengers ruined up on
deck at the fust shock, and was
caught by the sea and carried away
to leeward and with 'em three or
four of the watch on deck and among
'em my chum, Harry Edwards. The
rest of-us kep'in the forecastle Oh the
weather side and was slightly pur-
tected from the sea. For the first
half hour arter she stuck, she thump-
ed awfully, but finally, she bilged,
and settled In the sand, layin' more
easy. The sea hows'ever continued
to break over US, renderin' it impos-
sible for us to do anything. The
boats on the starboard side was
stove almost Instantly, and the lee
ones filed and broke down with their
own weight.
AN attempt was made to fire some
rockets, but they had got damp aud
wouldn't go off, aud the blue lights
found to be in the same condi-
ton. There were nothin' for it then
but to wait patiently till the morn
hangin'. OH to the wreck. if SO be
it held together so long. Goin'fore and
aft were dangerous, so them of us as
was fLr'ard staid there, and them as
aft staid there, usin' the poop
and to'gallan' fOrecastle as a pertec-
ton from the sea. The passengers
staid below. The ship had fortunate
ly heeled i'll shore, and the weather
side Of the twixt decks was out of
IF it had continued as rugged as it
when we first struck the ship
couldn't have stood it,, and would
have gone to pieces, but fortunately
had struck on at high water, and
the ebbin' tide the sea lost much
Of its power, though it continued TO
lash heavily against her and fly over
her in clouds of spray. Still, after
first two hours or so, it was only
and ceased to sweep the deck.
About midnight, as we judged, the
gale abated and the snow ceased, and
shortly arter the wind went into
nor west and the weather cleai ed the
stars comm out bright. Then it was
the old man and all OF us W; 8
astenished. Up to this time W 9 had
we was IN Long Island, but
the weather cleared, here were the
north star a couple of pimts on the
port bow, and as far as we could see
north and south of US was the beach
clear and distinct in the
starlight from its covering of snow
We kuow'd from this we was on
Jarsey, though how we got there are
mystery TO me to this day. We was
awful close tU the beach, too, at low
water, but the old man concluded as
It would be best to stick to the wreck
rather than land, and run the risk Of
freezing to death arter gittin' to
shore. For with the shifting wind
he temperature fell and it became |
bitter cold. All that wanted to try
t could, he said. but he advised all
hands to stay as the only risk would
be at the next high water, and he
that by that time the sea |
would have gone down SO that il
not be as bad as it was at the
tide.
'All of us thought that this were
!ood advice, and we staid by the
It. were pretty bad ae'in
bout daylight, and the ship had set
led so much INTO the sand that the
'eas ran over her midship with great
orce, and the twlxt decks was so
the passengers could not stay
here and had to come for'ard to the
which were the best part
# the ship. We was now seen from
he shore. and they told us AFTER
wards that it were a fearful sight,
md that they didn't think a soul of
10 would be saved. By s O'Clock,
o ws'ever the ebbin' tide begin to
i've us relief, and soon arter that they
hooted a line over u.s.. and we got a
lawser ashore and rugged a traveller
INTO it, with which We begin to send
wimmin and children ashore.
'y noon it was nearly dry in shore
It us and there weren't no trouble in
avin' all II duunage as we'll as that
f the passengers. l took charge of
he chist Of Harry Edwards he bein'
chum of mine 1T were only fair that
should have his dunnage. The
HIM unrn N total Loo, L-