The Republican journal., 1883-01-25
Horrors of the Sea.

HACSTIO\ AND RESCUE.
For nearly week we were on a float
ing furnace" said Captain Charles Mich
OILS Yesterday. For nearly week with
the deck timbers scorching under our
feet, and never chance of popping be
low without suttocation."
He sat in the cabin Of the steamship
Necker. just arrived from Bremen 10y
way Of southampton, with one of the
men who had suffered with him along
side. These two, with five other men.
had been taken on board in mid-ocean
from a burning vessel which was not eX-
pccted to hold together for two hours
after she was abandoned
My craft was the baIkentine Mary
Lizzie, of st. Johns, \. F." the captain
continued, "She was owned 10y F. < l..
Tessier, Of that port, and Oh the ;}d OF
January We left it with cargo OF cod
fish for Bahia, in the Brazils. The
weather was fair. We had a fresh breeze
from the northwest and made good head
way Till we were out OF sight of land. At
eight O'Clock next morning the wind
hauled around to the southwest, and at
four o'clock that afternoon it was blow
ing a gale. We took in double reefs and
kept Oh till tie following day. At eight
o'clock ! called all hands on deck to
shorten sail. We cewed up the foretop-
sail and hauled down the standing jill.
The ship was brought to the wind. 1t
was blowing a heavy gale from the
northwest and the sea was running high,
The men were busy balance-reeti; 2 the
nainsail. when Chanced to look for
ward. y Whit OF smoke caught my eye
up toward the bow. and | sent one Of the
men to see what was the matter. He
came running back with his face white
as d ghost. The ships atite ! he cried.
The forecastles all in blaze" \ lot of
Us went forward in a hurry, | can tell
YOU. There was a sight for us there.
The whole Of the vessel below deck
was in a blaze The flames were rush
ing up through the torescuttle, and the
smoke was creeping up through the tim
bers. | tlieG to 60 below, Out was met
With a blast that seemed to come from
furnace and saw the forecastle under me
d mass Of lIe. We never found out how
it occurred | suppose the lamp must
have fallen down and the oil caught in
the bogy. The whole place had sprung
into flames in Il tWinkhng, | called all
hands forward and We tried TO get at the
fire. 1t was no use The torehatch was
tilled with flames and no one could get
down. We got sails and canvas together
ana covered the forehatch and ventllat-
ing holes, to keep the draught of. The
smoke was coming up still, and we could
hear the roar Of the fire underneath; but
it seemed Il Tit stited, and We cut small
holes in the deck and kept heaying
buckets Of water on them. al hands
worked with a will. The men knew their
lives We're in peril, and they worked in
downright earnest
VAIN EFFORTS TO SMOTHER THE FIRE.
The wind was still blowing. and it
would 90 hard with US if it crept through
any l0Ophoie. We used the canvas to
cover everything and made every effort
to prevent The fire going aft. We batten-
ed down the after companion and sky
light and closed up all the vents we
could find. 1t was of no avail. The
smoke still kept coming up. and We heard
the cracking of the flames as they work
ed deeper and deeper into the heart of
the vessel. There was no escaping the
truth. We were aboard burning vessel
an actual floating furnace in mid
ocean, and we could do nothing to help
ourselves. Our lives depended upon the
speedy appearance of a passing ship.
We got out the boats and kept them
ready for an emergency, but made up
our minds not to take to them till the
last moment, when every hope was gone.
Our spirits were low enough, can tell
you But there was little time for re-
Election. Every man was busy We
were safe while the flames could be kept
below, but we knew that at any moment
they might burn up through the deck
timbers, make a vent and then all was
over. 1t was this we had to fight against,
and we had to be at work necessarily to
do it, Tie deck had to be kept saltwa-
tered, and day and night through all
that dreadful time the men were never
spared a moment, but went rushing
about with buckets, plashing the water
over the canvas and emptyng it on the
tlmbers. At the start we got some pro-
visions up on deck from the cabin, and
it was lucky we did, for before long it
would have been beyond our reach. The
mate and | got what clothes we had out
of the cabin and they had to serve us all,
for the crew had their kits in the fore
castle and none Of them were able to save
a stitch. Poor fellows, they had to suf-
fer great deal. The weather was bitter
cold and sometimes the sea would splash
over them, wetting them through and
through. Some of them were covered
with ice as they handled the buckets and
it was hard work for them to keep their
feet. NO one dared to 90 below and
there was no place to snatch a moments
rest. Indeed, that could not be thought
OF anyway, for there were only eight men
all told on board and not a soul could be
spared while the fire was liable to break
out under US. For three days that un-
ceasing struggle was kept up without a
change; no sail in sight, no hope of as
sistance. Nothing but the smashing of
water about the deck, with the smoke
steamlng up and choking us, and wind
and rain beating down a good part of the
time
EXHAUSTION AND DELIRIUM.
con Saturday, the 9th of the month,
noticed signs OF great danger forward.
The ship was getting very weak there.
| supposed she was fairly gutted and all
the ceiling and timbers were burned
There was no telling whether she would
break up or not. TO guard against it
we had to cut the two anchors adrft
from the bow and let them 90. This
eased her for the time and we went on
with our work. We did not hear the
flames cracking any more, but the smoke
still kept rising, sometimes in a dense
volume. 1t filled our throats, but we
were too mnch occupied to mind it and
toied on without rest and with very lit
tie food On Monday, the 6th, a strong
gale blew from the southwest. The rain
came down in torrents and a heavy sea
tossed US about and seemed likely to
smash the vessel to pieces. TO tighten
her we cut away the foretopgallant masts,
the royal mast and the jb-boom. The
Mary Lizzie was now little more than a
hulk, without anchor, with little timber
standing, at the mercy of the winds and
with blazing fire shut up in her. 1t
| was no wonder some of us began to sink