Alpena weekly argus. [volume] (Alpena, Mich.) 1871-1893, 1881-01-26


her condition but then no colors
were needed. Her story wanted
no better telling than was found in
the suggestion of the small crowd
Of human heads on her deck watch
ing the Parthia; in the dull and
deadly lifting of the dark volumes
of water against her sides, in the
gushing of clear cascades from the
scupper-holes as she leaned weari-
ly over TO the fold of the tall swell
that threatened to overwhelm her,
and in the sluggish waving Of her
naked spars under the sky. Tween
ty-two people could be counted
aboard of her. All these had to
be saved, but it was very well I'M
derstood by every man belonging
to the Parthia that they could only
bs saved at the risk of the lives Of
the boat Grew that should put off
to save them tho swell was
still violent to an extent beyond
anything that eau be conveyed in
to words. AS the Parthia, with
her propeller languidly revolving,
sank into q hollow, a wall of water
stood between her and tho bark.
and the Inflated vessel became in
visible; then in another moment
hove high, the people on board the
steamer could look down from their
/ poised deck upon the half drowned
hull and the soaked, clinging and
| pale-faced crew as you look upon
housetop in a valley from the side
Of q hill.
The serious danger lay in low
ering a boat. But Jack is not Of
deliberate turn of mind when
something that ought to be done
waits for him to do it. Volunteers
were forthcoming. The order was
given. Eight hands sprang aft and
seated themselves in the lifeboat,
and the third officer, Mr.. William
Williams, took his place in the
stern sheets. It was one of those
moments when tho bravest man in
the world will hold his breath.
There swung this boats crew at
the davits; the ends of the falls
in the hands of men waiting for
the right second to lower away.
One dark, green, foamless swell in
hugh mountains of water, rose and
sank below; too much hurry, the
least delay, and lack of GOODNESS,
of judgment, of perception of the
exactly right thing to do, and it
was q hundred to one if the next
minute did not see the boat dash
ed into slaves and her crew squat
tering and drowning among the
fragments. The due command was
cody given; the sheaves of the
fall blocks ratified on their pins and
the boat sank down to the waters
edge. A vast swell hove her high,
almost to the level of the spot
where she had been hanging, and
quick as mortal hands can move,
the blocks were unhooked-but
only just in time. Then strong
shove drove her clear, and in a
moment she was heading for the
Inflated wreck-now vanishing
as though she had been wholly
swallowed up by the tall, green
sparkling ridge that rose between
her and the steamer, then tossed
like a cork upon mountainous
pinnacle, with half her keel out of
the water. She had been well |
stocked with lines and life-buoys,
for it was clearly seen that the
pouring waters would never per-
init her to come within a pistol
shot of the bark, and the suspense
among the passengers on board .
amounted to an agony as they
wondered within themselves how
those sailors would rescue the poor
helpless creatures who watched |
them from the foamy decks of the
almost submerged wreck. They
followed the boat vanishing and
reappearing, the very pulsation Of
their hearts almost arrested at mo-
ments when the little craft made a
headlong, giddy swoop into pro-
ditious hollow and lost TO view, un-
til presently they perceived that
the men had ceased to row. 1t
was then seen that the third mate
was hailing the crew of the bark.
Presently they saw one of the
shipwrecked sailors heave coil of
line towards the boat; it was