The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1884-05-02

keep quiet and prepare themselves for
any chance. Then fixing position on
the bridge he gave the order to put the
wheel over.
II was well the man warned the peo-
pie before her head began to fall off.
for Il seemed or few seconds as If she
would roll over while broad of i'm the
seaway. But she wore around rapidly.
and during the movement was favored
by several smaller waves: but as she
got pointed west. .bfllow curled over
her stern and delupei her fore and aft.
And now terrible and subj me spec
tacle spreads itself in front andon either
hand. The rushing pillows, which had
gathered an Irresistible force in a race
of a thousand miles across the ocean.
followed each other like squadrons in
stately array. Crested and curling. and
plumed with snowy foam they reach the
shoals, tower up, up, only to topple
over and sweep shoreward IN giant win
rows. 1t was an endless success on of
pillows, green tinted ridges, and bat
talions of raging winrows churning and
lashing in fury. continually hurrying
shoreward on the wings of the blast.
On the bridge stands the mate of the
schooner. looking neither to the right
nor the LETT. His glance is fixed on the
narrow opening anead, through which
the Swallow had already passed to
sifety. At last she approaches the bar
and passes a spar-buOy painted red.
Then she is encompassed by the racing
breakers. es.
'.Starboardr'
|. Over went the wheel to starboard, her
head swings to port. Then comes a
peremptory-
''Steady!" s.4.
STEADY it is" sings back the helms
man, as back went the wheel to meet
her; but not to stay. Slowly it went
over again to starboard as the expert
steersman holds her under control.
She is now over the bar, encircled in
turmoil and uproar, save in the narrow
channel she moves in. On each side,
almost alongside. the winrows race
with the speed of wild horses. She is
quivering in every timber under the
rapid play of the engines; then there
came a fearful crash, aud the deck is
Immediately deluged with water. the
mate thunders:
"Starboard little"' ~ E
The wheel revolvcs slowlyover, stops
turning moment, and then is whirled
swiftly back to port. She steers wildly
and feels the bottom. A monster wave
came sweeping in from seaward. just
astern, it is a solid, heaped-up hill of
b ack water, wrinklcd and ridged up to
its crest; but on either flank it is a steep
winrow of churning foam. With Tor
ward bound it overtak,s the steamer,
reaches under her aud clutches her in
its irresistible embrace. High over the
horrid tumult is heard the mate thunder
ing peremptorily:
..Hard-a-port! Hard down! Go ahead
fast!''
Almost buried in the brine a glance
REVEALS the wheel swiftly going over to
port. Over and over as only a wheel
is made to turn in moments of deadly
peril. Tiukle, tinkle, sounds a bell
down below where the engineer stands
with hand on the throttle. On and on
races the wave, still clutching the
steamer. which trembles like fright
ened bird. Still holding the wheel hard
down, the steamers head is spinning
around to starboard, and the helms
mans eyes are riveted on the mate.
The wave sinks from under her, she
shoots around. a low sandy point of
land, and the mate, smiling all over his
face, calls:
.'Steady!'
The next moment she dropped anchor
close to the Swallow in smooth water.
Outside, the wild wall of the tempest
and the thunder OF the breakers kept
their revels, and all night long the vivid
lightning and peaiing thunder combined
to make the rescued mariners and pas
Sengers mindful OF their security. In
the morning the storm went down. and
by the next day with thankful hearts
they recrossed the bar, now no longer
looking 50 terrible. Outside the bar
the two vessels parted with prolonged
cheers.
When the Swallow reached New
York the mate received letter inviting
him to take command of the tslla. He
laid it before the ,kippcr. who warmly
con graduated him and advised him to
accept the respons bility. Before leav-
ing for his new duties the owners of the
Swallow gaze all hands a grand blow
out in an up town hotel; made speeches
about heroism. GOODNESS and courage.
The popping of the corks sounded like
the barking of muskets between the
pickets of opposing armies, and the
stories and songs were the best of their
kind. In those days we did not have
such an ALFRED hurrah about the lower
classes and the best people. But in
good time the distinctions came.
Three or four years rolled by and
then came the war of the rebellion.
From the Highland light to Key West
you could not see the shadow of sail.
The fleets of schooners were idle. Br gs
and barks and sh ps were tied up to the
docks or had hoisted English or Dutch
colors and sailed in other waters. The
idle steamers fiocked into the army or
navy and did excellent service wherever
around Richmond. Confederate light
battery was posted at pc mt on the
South Shore Railroad. Around it were
surging thousands of armed m n in
desperate efforts to carry the position.
From twenty directions came the
screaming shells, which continually.ex-
ploded in and around the position.
Suddenly the continuous thunder
ceased. and over the brow of the hill in
front appeared squadron after squadron
of cavalry. On the dead gallop they
came straight for the battery. Over
their heads flashed the sheen of the
sabers which advanced like waves of
the ocean. What could the gunners do?
Rafora oooh p;aoa uoS firad holt .. Scoro