Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1882-02-04
AN OLD SAILORS YARN.

OF MS Deer mug and blew dense cloud o
smoke across the table, since last we tw,
did meet; rheumatics keepin' me home til
the old woman has got tired of the sight 0
me, and cold weather comm On, be;n' III,
season for hot rum, not to be drinked, tn,
doctor says, not on no account, and bee
but sparingly, which l can take anothe
mug without much harm, as doctors il
often mistakened, water, in my opinion
bein' more unhealthy than beer, least
wise for them as isn't used to it.
:. | mind one time as | were with skip
| per as would have done better to have
stuck to water, not on account of rheuma
tiz but keepin' his jib bowsed up taut con
tinual, were not able TO navigate with &C
cyracy that are at all times desirable II
well-regulated ships.
"She were hooker as hailed from Nan
tucket, bein' bound home arter four-yea
wage in the Pacific, with $500 barrels Of
sparm lie. l shipped into her in Yalpa.
raise by the month, bein' short handed in
consequence of scurvy. faint much like
as the old man had steamed it for the
whole wage, else they never wouldn't
have filled her with lie, and she were
chock. "a block full but. as were told, il
come on him in Valparaiso, bein' triumph.
ant like at havin' done so well. Howsever
that might be, when he left Valparaiso he
laid in good stock, and arter we got out
he just swayed away on all taut ropes to
admiration.
"She were a three-masted ship, called
the Benefactor, the old mans name bein'
| Jones, with stump fore and mizzen to-.
gallan' masts and main.royal alott, carryin'
l. 4 L. H. ID Ill
twenty four men afore the mast, leastwise
me and Jimmy Andrews, what shipped
into her at Valparaiso for the home wage,
made twenty-four, and leavin' in the month
of November, and, if don't disremember,
somewhere about the year 1912.
Z" were young man them times, sir,
| though you might not think it to look at
me now and I've started from the main
tack and gone to the royal yard without
touchin' rattlin' or DRAWN short breath,
whereas now 1 blow like porpus just a
gettin' up one flight of stairs.
"We reached her off onto the port tack
with the wind about ou'west, passin' of
to the north'ard of Juan Fernandez, and
when five days out we tackled her in about
30 degrees south and somewhere about SO
or S4 degrees west, and reached her down
for long board, fallin' in with the land
about Wellin'ton Island, and only but for
there bein' no night, I'm game to say as
the old man would have pumped her to
shore then, he insistin' that he were well
off shore, whereas the mate told him we
were gittin' in with the land along in the
afternoon afore we made it. At that time
of year, however, you can't very well run
ship ashore along in that region. for there
amt much night, and you can see the
mountains awful distance off-200 miles
I've hearn tell, but wouldn't swear to it.
"Well, We made reach off for mat
ter of twelve hours, the wind fresh from
the sou'west or thereabout, carrying hard
onto her with the mainto' gallan' sail, one
single-reefed topsail, and then we round
with her agin, expectin' to fetch by; the
land to the suth'a ard Of Wellin ton Island
trendin' rapid to the east, and we had the
land plain in sight all one Afternoon, and
along about six bells IN the first night
watch the old man cum up and swung
her off east. | were at the wheel at the
time, and the mate says to him:
"' Captain Jones, / hardly think we've
made our latitude yit'
"'That's all you know about it p says
Vic olu HAL, opCdhiA hSKJ tltCA SlulIc
in the yards.
"Well, we checked in the yards, and the
old boat begin to go through the water at a
good gait.
keep a good lookout there for'ard,
says the mate, and when we were relieved
he tells the second mate for to keep a
mighty sharp lookout ''cause it's my
idee, says he, that we amt clear of Her
NIT Island, and the way we're goin' wen
pick up the land afore long
81 supposes our side had been below
about hour when | was walked by deuce
of row on deck, everythn' slattin' and
bangin' to all admiration. Then felt the
ship come to the wind and stop, and then
she fell off agin, and afore she could gather
way l felt her fetch up on the bottom,
when she Civ half dozen thumps fit to
drive the masts through her and then be-
came immovable.
"We didn't wait for no calm but bun
died out on deck, and by the light of the
day jst breakin' we found that she was
jammed right in atwixt two high rocks,
our lower yard-arm iist clearin' of 'em
on either side. As the canvas were only a
drivln' her faster on the rocks, we turned
to and took 1t off of her, but afore we got
the sails clewed up we perceived her set
tim by the head in the most unaccounta.
BILE manner. Fust off we couldn't tell
whatever to make of it, but as the day
come in brighter we seen what it were.
She'd run In atwixt these rocks for more
than half her length, and as the tide ebbed
the forard eend on her bein' the heaviest
were goin' down. And down it did go,
if you believe me, sir, there bein' a ire.
mendous rise and fall there, till she stood
right up one end, her bowsprit pintin'
down, and the water went away and left
her at least forty foot in the air.
"Why on 'arth she did not slip out of
| this crutch and go down the cliff and smash
herself to s.nithereens, never couldn' tell
presume, as it weren' t reckoned up for her
to go just then, and that are all there are
of it. Everythin' movable on deck or be-
low fetched away and went for'ard, and
with heavy surge all the cargo shifted
chock in the eyes of her, but even this
weren't enough to start her out of her era
die in the rock. She must have gone on
about an hour after high water, cause about
six o'clock we seen that the water weren't
gettin' no lower, and soon ar.er that it be-
gan to rise. We seen where we was, too,
/ as SOOu dS SOt UEOdQ ~ Z u run IN
among some outlyin' rocks on the south
eend of Wolloston Island, and was aheadin'
little to the north'ard OF east, with Her
NIT Island abaft our starboard beam. The
old man went below soon after the ship got
fast, and we didn't see him no more, but
the mate stuck her out waiting for the tide
to rise and see what could be done. OWN
to her position, standin' on eend, we dar-
sent make no fire into the galley stove, and
we had to make our breakfast off of cold
| beef and bread. 1t were awful hard gittin
about anyhow, and as a general thing all
things Just got a place where they could
hold on to somethin' and stayed there.
"AloDg about nine o'clock her bow begin
for to be water-borne, and gradually she
come up nigh hard onto line, but in conse-
quence of everythin shiftin for'ard she
were at least two foot by the head, and
that, sir, were our salvation; for as the
tide come up it lifted the after part of her,
she bein' SO much by the head, and off she
went.
The fust thing we done arter she go.
ahoat were to sound the pumps, but in
consequence of her bein' 80 much by the
head there weren't drop into the we'll.
We put the three topsails and canvas onto
her and ruined her into an anchorage in
Nassau Bay, and there we laid, sir, for
four days while we restowed the lie, and
| got the ship once more in trim. 1t were