The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1881-03-17
A. Terrible Tale OF thelsea.

Beach TO Rockaway, Long Island, n. Y.
il will cut fringe OF shoals Visible only
at low tide. This fringe, broken here
and there by nasSes OF dangerous rock
has made the foreground for more thar
one marine pS.niing OF note, and hai
been ele grcsc OF moro than one gallant
ship; Eat there lives in memory no such
casuaity az that which has Just occurred
there; no scene Of shipwreck, indeed
either on this spot or any other. of Sc
strange and tragic horror. o. 4p9.
The Italian bark Ajdce was wrecked
on Rockaway SheRls Friday morning
and one man alone Of all her crew Of
fifteen souls were saved. In the fearful
gale of Thursday night the vessel, which,
had come from Italy by way Of Antwerp
was driven on the coast of New Jersey,
but by good fortune and skilful handling
she was got OIL BY 10 O'Clock on Friday
morning, however, she again struck ,Ithis
time on Rockaway Shoals. She broke In
two at once like pipe stem. A sea oi
tremendous forco was running, ard al.
though the crew were at frat able 10 Gus.
tain themselves by cliuging TO the wrerx
which had found lodgment, the S4:es
constantly rose higher with the tide and
swept over them with -ver-increasing
fury. The unhappy men could see mo
land, 30 full was the air Of vapor and
Tying water. Their position seemed
to them hopeless. Death 10 their eyes
was in short time inevitable; the agony
of awaiting him was toc great TO ,sear :
and the terrible notion came into the
head of the carpenter to anticipate his
approach. an -
This poor feiloT cried out, in italian.
"As must die; 4 prefer TO die this y7ay.'i
and he whipped his sailors knife from
the lanyard and slashed it across his
throat. a moment after he fell into the
sea. Then three Of his companions did
precisely the same thing. Each cut his
throat and pitched headlong after into
the soothing waves. The ten men who
were left-it is the one survivor who tells
the story-become, in their despair, like
maniacs. They raved, cursed and prayed
by turns. Drink dTinkp cried the
captain. "for we all must did," He gave
them wtiskey and all drank their Ell,
Scarcely had the last man done so when
q wave huger and moro furious than auy
that had gone before came crushing
down oD the after part Of the fated ship
to which the crew we're clinging, and afl
who remained Of che living freight of the
Ajace were owept into oblivion.
All, that is, save one man whose name
4; Pietro Sala, and who, wonderful 10
ell, has lived to tell the story. ;Sala
managed to keep his grip on q fragment
OF the ship's cabin at the moment of the
final catastrophe. Just before this the
wreck had been deBcried from the life
saving. station whose headgun. :ers are
near the Oriental Hotel. In 8 trice
Capt. Bebensee and ak brave oarsmen
we're IN lifeboat and making O superb
struggle 20 force her through the Chamber.
ing SURF. Twenty times the boat diaap.
peared from the sight of the straini1a
eyes that were watching it from the shore
itwas IN the hollows Of the waves. The
sea. poured over the rowers in torrents
auc as they pulled they were up to theil
waist in water. But they made theil
way to the shoals in safety. Thew hrouph,
Pietro Sala in safety to the shore. AND
had his ahipmntes held out thew would
nave been rescued also. -
day morning-so fatally dismal in solat
places, go joyous ss:d memorable Ii o:hi;e +;
along the coast, but none attended b,
events 30 frightfnl as this. In truth. W,
recall in mono of the published annals
of "Shipwrecks and Disasters at Sea-
an episode more terrible and more i'm
pressiye than The selfslaughter in the
agony oftheir despair of the crew of the
Ajdce. The tale is still furthur note.
worthy in that IL exempl;ties with strik.
ing forcs the wisdom in all perilous sit.
uations of holding out to the last, and
proves with an eloquence which words
alone can never bear that while there is
life there is hope.