Mower County transcript. [volume] (Lansing, Minn.) 1868-1915, 1880-12-01
WRECKED UPON ICE,

OF the North American station hired an,
equipped q number Of small fast-sailin!
schoonerS and dispatched them from
Halifax, Nova Scotia, to cruise on tn
banks for the double purpose of stoppin.
eucroacLment and also to prevent tn
Newfoundland fishermen from SNUG
Cling cApelin "a small fish used for bal
foc coN to the French island of St
Pierre, on whose rock-bound coast it i
not to be caught. OF one OF thes
schooners vas put i'll charge, and it wa
while running through the straits O
beilcisle that the adventure I am abou
to relate occurred to NE.
had been visiting the stations on tn
coast Of Labrador, and was returning tt
ST. johns, Newfoundland, through tn,
straits. when one evening | was caugh
N heavy Dortherly gale. As nigh
closed i'll | reduced our sail to treble
Ilets, and knowing that ice was knocking
about placed extra lookouts on, and re-
manned on deck in charge of the yesse
myself.
To say the night was dark would give
- idea Of the l1lky obscurity in which
We appeared to be sailing. One cuult
scarcely see an arms length, and az fol
discer'ingan thing ahead that appeared
impossible. [ say appeared, because
T!iece Is much difference in having some
thing to look at and nothing; because
Ill the latter case, you fancy that nothing
could be seen, even if anything were
there to be seen.
Meantime, the breeze kept increasing
Nnu had the close reefs taken IN. At
l.2,luiy!it We we're heading we'll out of
the straits, and I thought I would go
below and cnIeAvOr to snatch an hours
sleep, and WAS IN the act Of giving my
orders to the officer of the watch, when
Il lookout men OF, "A sail ahead, stand
i::5 right for us. sir!'' startled me.
Rushing forward I saw the heavy, indis.
tlnct form! OF what I thought to be a
large vessel Under press of canvas,
within cables length of us.
'l.Utf. lutf all You can?' I beloved
10 lie MAN at the helm: but he, either
,nisunIt rstanling my order, or else hay
ing clu+ at sight OF the object we were
approaching, was too terrified to carry it
uNt. and instead OF putting the helm
down, put it hard aweather. The
sci -ooner fell of, felt the full force of the
gale AID flew with rc.loubled speed
through the water.
In almost less time than it has taken
inc TO write the above half-dozen lines. l
saw that it was no SAIL but gigantic
t'cbel!e Had the iielmsman lutfed. we
might rolchanrc have weathered it: but
J. was now too late. and, with loud and
ilarini crash, which threw myself and
Ill hear me on the deck, the schooner
struck full upon it, her foremost going
short OF h.! the board, but Fortunately
1H!Iirln2, no one.
Crl IS OF horror and distress arose from
IL parts 81 the vessel The watch below
rushed up on deck, many OF them with
ont tli"it clothes. All was for moment
''ismlv and confusion, and as the schoon-
81 rose and fell with the heave of the
SEA. the crashing forward showed that
htr bows Wer' stove in, and I at once
saw that, unless she liked herself upon
tie ice, she must. if she backed off it, go
town. Most fortunately, she showed no
o'2u oi a"!ng this, and, as the force of
the wind, AGED by every heaye of the
sea, forced her still further on the berg.
began to entertain some slight hopes
Of saving my crew.
Collecting al hands, I told them that
the only chance we had Of escape was by
their regaining their GOODNESS and strictly
"hcvlng nav orders, and that, could we
but land on the berg, we should be COM
nar2tivelv safe.
then directed one watch to get up
provisions, while with the others cot
'Ilr' mainma,t safely cut away. This
done, secured the end OF the deep sea
'ead-line around my body and, laying
out along the bowsprit, 1 lowered my
self by ropt-end. and landed on a part
Of The ice which the waves did not reach,
"Au with some difficulty succeeded in
scrambing up perfectly clear of the
spray. Here [ found tolerably level
space. The schooner had struck on the
last procipityus side OF the berg. and
having run nearly half her length ur
cNt ct the water, had become firmly
fixed: but this, OF course, did not dis
cover until the day broke.
ReturDlng cautiously, I hailed for {
stronger rope, and regained the deck.
found that during my absence quantit,
OF provisions aud clothing had been go'
On deck, which l directed to be made
INTO bundles, and, having directed eacl
person to secure one to his body,
c'uscd the men to land on the berg il
the manner l had done myself. Had
known how firmly fixed the schooner
vas, We might have been spared tina
nights discomfort; but, not knowing,
Gcemed it advisable to abandon her a
tnce, fearing she night glide off, i,
"hlch case DO mortal power coull hav,
rescued us.
Leaving the vessel the last, ;oin !,
my men on the ice, and then. in o. few
but fevent words, we thanked the \!
mighty for Our escape, and implored Hi
protection.
I can scarcely picture the horrors O
that night. I would fain, indeed, forge
them; but that is impossible. We ha,
preserved our lives for the present mo
ment, but we knew not at what nome
the schooner might break up or glide O,
the ice, aud then what could we expec
but starvation in it's worst form? Strang
to say, we did not suffer as much froI
the cold as might have been expected
probably the sense OF our greater dal
ger rendered us less susceptible to til
lesser one.
We had many hours to wait for da,
light, but as several of the men had the
pipes and tobacco in their pockets, an
[ had a box Of lights, we smoked, ant
by keeping closely huddled together v
got through the night better than migl
have been expected. To favor us sti
further, the wind fell very much, an,
veering round to the southwark, made
nf,51v :
Morning .dawned at last, and what
change from theprevious day! Then '
had a good staunch vessel under our fee
now we were adrift OH an iceberg, @,
poor little schooner half in, half out.
water, with hole in herbows big enons
to drive a wagon through; but the stor
had ceased and the sea was rapidly eoi1
down. A thick fog came on, but tn
we cared little, about. =. -, .........
Our first act: was, TO again: offer O,
thanks to that Bene6cent Power whic
had SO merciful1y spared us. This dor
we descended to the wreck, and then 50