The daily Cairo bulletin. (Cairo, Ill.) 1878-1???, 1881-07-24

time that seemed to my imagination
almost an age
1t was trying hour with US; unless
we could carry sail so as to go at the
rate Of nine knots an hour, we must OF
necessity dash upon Sicily; and who
ever touched those rocks and lived dur
ing a stormp The sea ran very high,
the rain fell in sheets, the sky was one
black curtain, illumined only by the
faint light which was to mark our de-
liverance, or stand a monument of our
destruction. The wind had got above
whistling; it came in puffs, that fiat
tened the waves, and made our old
frigate settle TO her bearings, while
every thing on board seemed cracking
into pieces. At this moment the car
penter reported that the left bolt Of
the weather fore-shroud had drawn.
Get on the luffs, and set them on
all the weather-shrouds. Keep her at
helm, quartermaster, and ease her in
sea-" were the orders Of the captain.
The tufts were soon put upon the
weather shrouds, which of course re-
lieved the chains and channels, but
many an anxious eye was turned toward
the remaining bolts, for upon them de-
pended the masts, and upon the masts
depended the safety Of the ship--for
with one foot Of canvas less she could
not live fifteen minutes.
Onward plunged the overladen fri
gate, and at every surge she seemed
bent upon making the deep the sailors
grave, and her live-oak sides his coffin
of glory. She had been fitted out al
Boston when the thermometer was be-
low zero. Her shrouds, of course,
therefore slackened at every strain, and
her unwieldy masts Qor she had those
designed for the frigate Cumberland,
much larger ship seemed ready to
jump out of her. And now, while all
was apprehension, another bolt drew!
and then another!-until at last our
whole stay was placed upon single
bolt less than a mans wrist in circum-
ference Still the good iron chung to
the solid wood, and bore us alongside
the breakers, though in most fearful
proximity TO them.
This thrilling incident has never,
believe, been noticed in public, but it
is the literal fact which | make not
the slightest attempt TO embellish As
we galloped on for can compare our
vessels leaping to nothing else-the
rocks seemed very near us. Dark as
was the night, the white foam scowled
around their black heads, while the
spray fell over us, and the thunder of
the dashing surge sounded like the
awful knell that the ocean was singing
for the victims it was eager to engulf.
At length the light bore upon our
quarter, and the broad Atlantic rolled
its white caps before us. During this
time all were silent, each officer and
man was at his post, and the bearing
and countenance of the captain seemed
to give encouragement to every person
on board. With but bare possibility
of saving the ship and those on board,
he placed his reliance upon his nautical
skill and courage, and by carrying the
mainsail when in any other situation it
would have been considered suicidal
act, he weathered the lee shore and
saved the Constitution.
The mainsail was now hauled up by
light hearts and strong hands, the jib
and spanker taken in, and from the
light OF Sicily the gallant vessel, under
close reefed topsa;ls and main trysails,
took her departure, and danced merrily
over the deep toward the United States.
Pipe down" said the captain TO the
first lieutenant, land splice the main
brace"
Pipe down." echoed thelirst lieuten.
ant 10 the boatswain.
"Pipc down." whistled the boat
swain to the crew, and pipe down" it
was.
Soon the Jack of the Dust held his
levee on the main gun-deck, and tue
weather-beaten tars, as they gathered
about the grog tub, and luxuriated up
on full allowance of Old Rye, forgot
all their perils and fatigue.
How near the rocks did we go?"
said to one of the masters mates the
next morning. He made no reply, but
taking down his chart showed me
pencil line between the outside shoal
and the Lighthouse Island, which
must have been small strait for
fisherman to run his smack through in
good weather by daylight
went upon deck; the sea was calm,
a gentle breeze was swelling our cam
vas from mainsail to royal, the Isles of .
Sicily had sank in the eastern waters,
and the clouds of the dying storm were
rolling of in broken masses to the
northward and westward like the fly
ing columns of a beaten army.
have been in many gale of wind,
and have passed through scenes of
great danger; but never, before or
since, have | experienced an hour SO
terrific as that when the Constitution
was laboring, with the lives of five
hundred men hanging on single small .
iron bolt. To weather Scilly, on the