The Hawaiian gazette., 1881-12-14
6.nsr.I -m.reEzndirs
wreck Of the CypriAn.


49, hound for Genoa and the Mediterranean
-. In All human probability this trnant
la had not the slightest conception wnere ne
was r-oinr to, and cared very little how long
H.. ,o,,qe might be. Such surreptiuous pas
..,,-e-s are no, viewed with much favor by me
-,nfain or his crew, as sailors know pretty well'
ur-,.nitv saves them from outrage, bur-
socially speaking. they are regarded pretty
,,,r,b as rats or other yermin. certain pity
-, he extended 10 the lad who has the pluck
20 encounter the penalty Of discovery; but
the situation is often too grave 10 allow oil con-
So-;nr This serious nautical offence, and the
stowawsv is generally the last 70 expect OF
receive GOOD treatment. The tNpTlHN hau
s,arselv cleared ont Of the river before the
captain and all his crew must have regrelleu
mai thew ever left Liverpool. A hall gaze
was blowing at time OF starting, anu IN le"
hours il increased 10 hurricane. Ihe seas
were so violent that they swept the deck cream
and the only spot that was IN any way s4lo
~. he waist Of the ship and her bridge.
u-.,l,.s ,rere b.itened down, and everything
5nnc,dad on the engines and helm remaining
e,I,';.asEls Rnt soon came the earliest OF
,,,rv disasters 10 the steamer Cgpriml. For
hours the vessel had been laboring with these
tremendous seas. which had been beating
o-,inst her sides. for hours there had been
RAT bideous beaving and grooming wnich
seem like tie wailing Of vessel IN distress ;
when suddenly the steering gear OF the lore
wheel house raye way. Luckily there was
still an available apparatus IN the atlei "Hee'-
house. aud the steamer renamed unueI man
arement The momentary hope luus "Noi Gu
WIS soon darkened, for not long Afterwards
one Of the boiler-tubes burst ana put out tue
fire adjoining il. All was CONFUSION anu
horror. No one had time TO think oil the STOW
away. who had by this time crept ont oil MS
hole and was in the presence 0t MS nrs' S,O' IN
n sea The second boiler was sun intact,
and gave steam enough for the propulsion oil
the vessel, so that If human ingenuity nilSht
save the CvDriaH the captain ana ms brave
crew determined 10 do it. They first patched
nm the burst tube and got along pretty well,
up,il on a sudden the aft steering apparatus
gave vav with crash, and the Cgp'iiH' WIN
every soul Oh board, was left to the mercy oil
the waves. Not yet, however, did the gallant
crew give up their ship. They toushi Tor her
and their own dear lives with the courage anu
skill Of heroes, setting an alter sall 10 Try 10
yet the steamers head 10 the wind. But the
CypriaH fell off broadside for the want Of
steering power, and roller after roller broke
over her decks and into the engine-room, sx-
tinguishing the last Of her furnaces. Then
an was over. Not single individual bad
enioved minute rest since leaving Liverpool;
the seas were so powerful that men were
washed like a feather from one end of the deck
TO the other: and when it was found that the
unmanageable steamer, rudderless and with
out any means Of navigation, was drifting
towards the Carnarvon coast, the captain called
an on board up into the bridge. and told them
il was case Of every one for himself.
The captain Of the CypTiaH, however, was
wrong. and be himself nobly proved it, rs the
rescued sailors honorably testify. Gradually
the doomed vessel Was drifted upon the
Welsh coast and struck the rocks Death
stared every human being in tile face. and
before the steamer touched each one had pre-
pared as best he could for his own personal
safety. The hfe-belts were served round or
seized upon, and one of them fell, as was
rirht. TO the captain, who had done his utmost
10 save the Inflated vessel By This time the
C1priaR was driving higher up in the frightful
sea which ragged along the shore. The dis
tress signal could not be recognized. and no
6feboat could live in such surf. There were
a couple of hundred people waiting on the
beach ready 70 save, but utterly p0werless:
and at last, off Nevin, the steamer grounded
fast on a rock, and opened at each shock from
stem 10 stern. The captain hai not miscal-
culated matters. 1t was, indeed, case Of
. sutf-s gld psuf" One after the other those
who had not any artificial support seized an
oar or a barrel, riskiug anything rather than
STAY on a steamer with broken back waiting
10 be engulfed in the boiling waves. The
engineers boy, who had before been almost
washed overheard said goodbye to his com
pauions, and leaped, trusting to lifehelt and
l. /.
they looked hope essly at the sea, and, going
down below, were never seen again. Mean
while, what was the captain doing Captain
john Alexander Strachan, Of Great Crosby.
Liverpool, who had counselled every one to
look 10 himself" All was over, discipline
was at an end, the vessel was breaking up /:
there was no human human hepe Of saving
rope or spar, and the captain, who had seen
the rest Of them take To the sea, stood ready
10 lump with the life-belt about his waist. II
thov could sec chance In those wild pillows,
why not he ? for already he heard the
encouraging voices on the friendly beach
II was at the very moment that Captain
Strachau was ready to jump for lite, for home,
for safety, that he noticed in all this hidcuus
confusion the pale and terror-strickcn face uf
the neglected stowaway. The lad had shipped
for CHASTITY voyage and bitter port, hiding
in that doomed ship Yesterday be was a
Young scamp to be held worthy Of tie ropes
end: now he was q wretched creature left
alone on the sinking steamer. few hours
ago he was sneak, an unworthy thing, a
miserable pilferer Of privileges; but now the
skipper only remembered lie was human
being, 10 be saved if possible; at any rate not
to be left behind Without another word Cap
tain Strachan unbuckled the life-helt from his
Z 4 4 - Il Il
stowaway, bidding him save himself if it were
the mercy Of Providence that this should be
81. " can swim, said the captain: " take
the beltH Over the side went the stowaway,
lifted upon the surf like a cork; over the 81 e
went the captain, trusting, like the good brave
fellow that be was, To his strength enfeebIed
with long watching and anxiety. But swim
ming was impossible in such a sea The
boatswain. struggling for his own life, canght
at the captain, VINO was still making Roadway,
and both went down, never 10 be seen again:
while the little stowawsy, with the good cap
tsin's belt about his waist, was flung upon tie
Welsh coast, battered about, but alive. TO tell
the story Of his strange fate and his kind
friends herulsm. The moral Of such story
is contained IN is recital Words would lie
wasted IN saying more Of the perfect humanity
and fearlessness Of man VINO gave up bis
best chance OF life without hesitation for one
Of the unWorthiest Of those little ones who
stood helpless by his side when man and boy
We're in the immediate presence Of death.
John Straciian, Of Great Crosby, uulashing his
life-belt-with two miles Of white water be
tween himself and the shore-to tie it upon
the little rascal who had stolen passage
with him, is figure which tells US with new
and noble force that manhood is stronger than
a lie -f--,