The Elk County advocate. [volume] (Ridgway, Pa.) 1868-1883, 1880-08-12

|
Van Anden looked around to see f
Only one remained.
"Stand by to lower the yawl" he
shouted, in voice that rose above the
storm.
The three good men answered in one
breath, "aye, aye, sir! " and jumped to
the side of the vessel. They recognized
voice of authority.
The other five, melted by their ex-
ample, followed. Van Anden was there
as soon as the rest, and turning to one
of the sailors, he shouted Fetch life
preservers for the passengers!"
The man demurred.
"To = with the passengers!" he
answered; " let's save ourselves"
! Without an instant's hesitation Van
Anden Knocked him fiat on the deck.
Selling a Delaying pin, he stood on
the defensive for an instant. not know
ing how the Others would act.
| m in command now" said he,
"and you've got to obey orders"
Then turning to q man ne knew he
could rely on, he said: $50 fetch the
life. preservers
They were soon brought, and first see
| ing that each passenger was provided
with one, Van Anden had the yawl low
cred.
He knew that the boat ought not to
have over fifteen passengers, and there
were twenty souls in all on the
| steamer.
Turning to the passengers he said:
One at a time, now. Ladies first"
And himself experimenting, he saw
them lowered to the yawl which the
two sailors below were barely able to
keep in position.
He put Miss Danforth in the yawl
| first, and as he handed her down, he
| felt the pressure of his hand slightly
returned, but no words passed between
them.
When the passengers were all in, he
turned to the best men of the six that
remained, and ordered them to follow.
They obeyed, and then as the other
four were preparing to follow them, he
shouted:
"Shove off! She's full enough, Davis ;
/ put you in command
1t was an unexpected order, and
seemed like a death warrant to four men
| besides himself.
Two of the men still on deck, with
angry oaths, rushed past him and made
Il leap for the yawl, while half a dozen
voices arose in remonstrance from be-
| low.
But Van Anden sternly repeated his
order:
"Shove off!" and raised his Delaying
| pin threateningly at the two men left
| with him, who stood undecidedly for a
| moment.
"Aye-aye, SIR" came from the yawl,
and she was pushed off.
You'll find an inlet two or three
miles SOUTH" he shouted to Davis.
TRY and make that, and you can get
ashore"
"Aye-aye, sir!" came UP once more
from Dick Davis, and the men bent TO
their oars and pulled away.
Van Anden turned to his two remain
ing men.
Your chances are better with me
than they would have been in the yawl,"
said he. There are two more in her
now than she can safely ;ry, and we
can get ashore on a raft"
He spoke thus to keep their courage
up, although he knew that raft would
be manageable. 1t seemed, however,
to be he only chance remaining, and he
was going to try.
The men were sullen, but knowing as
well as he that there was no other
chance helped him as he began to lash
together some of the debris that strewed
the deck.
But before they had accomplished
their purpose the ship gave sudden
lurch, and they knew she was going
down.
clash yourselves to SPAR" cried
| Van Anden, suiting the action to the
word, and then all were struggling in
| the water.
Van Anden was submerged for few
| moments, which seemed like hours to
him, and when he came to the surface
he realized that he held in a tenacious
grip one end of piece of rope that he
had thrown twice around his wal ST.
The other end was fast to a spar, and he
was thus kept ahoat.
He looked around, but could gee
nothing of the two sailors who had been
with him.
Poor fellows!" ne tn ought. 81 have e
sacrificed their lives, but it was to save
the others that did it,"
He had little time for moralizing,
however, for his thoughts were speedily
directed to his own probable fate,
During the little time that had elapsed
since Captain Butler put off in his boat
the steamer had been driven in shore
until when she had at length sunk, she
was within half mile of the long row
of breakers.
Van Anden had recognized the coast,
and knew of the inlet to which he had
directed Davis.
He also knew that he was drifting di.
rectlv toward Il rocky point where he
would probably be dashed to death by
the waves.
TWAS only a matter of few minutes
and with II proud sense of having done
his duty as far as he could, he breathec
short prayer for Miss Danforth's
safety and for mis- own, and waited a!
calmly rs he could for the shock.
On and on went the spar, until a
length it was hurled far up on the rocks
by mighty wave that broke further il
than the others.
A dull crash was all that Van AndeI
felt, and then he was unconscious.
When he came to himself he was ~
ing in large, comfortable bed. and /.
kind, motherly-looking woman wa
watching beside him.
"Where am l ?" he asked, in voic,
that surprised him by it's weakness.
You are among friends" was tn
reply.
He was too weak to question tn
woman any further, and he shut hi
eyes again, contented with the on
word Friends" while the joyful nurs
stole out of the room to carry the new
OF her patients recovery from deliriun
to the kind-hearted family who ha
harbored the stranger.
In day CT two more he was stron