McCook weekly tribune. (McCook, Neb.) 188?-1886, 1884-04-10

Va uCnu uOA4CS III OLA PObltlOuo. vi
rising to the surface | struck out with
my arms, but to my horror found my
feet bound tightly together. The band
of my drawers had burst, and slipping
down had bound my ankles as securely
as if tied. Turning on my back care
fully disentangled them from each foot.
These efforts greatly exhausted me,
but, once free, swan toward the stern
until clear of all Instructions, and then
struck out for the shore. One strong
swimmer passed me and spoke some
encouraging words. l saw others who,
must have become daZed, swimming
back into the lake.
II was not an experienced swimmer,
but I had passed, as I had judged,
nearly half the distance to the shore
when deathlike GOODNESS and numb
ness came creeping over me. All the
life had left seemed centered in my
head, which lett like ball of fire. /
found that l was. turning round and
round in the water, now catching
glimpses of the burning ship, to which
even yet a few human beings were
clinging, and now on the beach. Could
l ever reach itp Was it worth while to
struggle any longer? Every movement
caused intense pain in my chest and
lungs. 1t seemed SO easy to die now.
81 ceased all efforts and raised my
eyes for last look at the sky. l was
struck by peculiar golden haze to the
atmosphere, and the air seemed filled
with human forms lowering over the
drowning. The air was filled with
them, and close beside me recognized
my father, brother, and other friends
who had died many years before. They
called me by name. They pressed
closely around me, telling me to strug-
gle on and they would aid me-that
my work was not done-that could
not be spared yet.
ga little strength came back to me.
I remembered that l must be more
than half way to the shore. The water
could not be over five feet deep. l let
myself down, and felt the sand under
me. Aided by spirit friends, whose
hands and presence were real to me
as any human touch. L crept on my
hands and knees on the sand for some
distance, rising often to breathe. Be-
coming too weak for this, with my
heavy head constantly falling back
ward, sank to the bottom, and drew
my body with my arms nearer and
nearer to the shore, rising to the sur
face as often as necessary. A man was
lying on the beach, one of the few who
ever reached it. When he saw me
feebly struggling, he crept down to the
waters edge, and, reaching out his
hands, tried to aid me. slowly crept
up little way out of the water, but he
was so weak that, falling backward, l
would lose my hold and sunk again.
SAT last was lying on the dry sand.
How good it seemed to lie there, if
only l need never move again. MY
companion spoke roughly yet kindly to
me, telling me that it was sure death
to remain there. I refused to IN we,
but, being much stronger, he COM
PEELED NE to get up, and, half support
ing me in his arms, dragged me I'M
willingly along. A farmer met us and
almost carried me across the fields to a
low, two-roomed log cabin. In the
smaller room, containing two beds, ]
was at last permitted to lie down. The
long, black neck of a bottle was in
serted between my lips, and l drank
and drank until it was gently removed.
The draught warmed me.
81 alternated between consciousness
and unconsciousness, but remembered
much that passed about me. A large
man, with tall hat, black satin vest,
and heavy gold chain came in and lay
down on the other bed. He certainly
had not been in the water, and won
dered if he had been saved in boat.
A man in the next room was exclaim-
ing mournfully:
"sMine Got! Mine Got! Mine mon
ish is all gone. Mine monish is all
gone. Mine wife is gone, mine son is
gone. Oh, mine Colt, mine monish is
all gone!'
ssAgain and again that mournful wall
went up. Then heard the tall man
call out wrathfully:
"'Won't some one kill that d--n
Dutchman?'
'sThen 1 dozed off again. When ]
awoke more people were coming in,
bearing woman, and they were say
ing she was the only woman saved. ]
heard them say tha6 eight men swan
ashore, and twenty were saved in a
boat. Only twenty-eight saved out OF
over four hundred! Toward evening
they put us all in a heavy lumber
wagon-on beds of straw-to take u.s.
they said, to sLloyd's tavern, three
miles away Jolting along over g
rough road, the pain in my chest ano
limbs became unbearable, and re
membered nothing more.
ssDays afterward l awoke from wha
seemed long sleep. l found mysel
lying on bed in a strange room alone
The sound of voices came in through
} the open window and from the halls
where people were constantly passing
to and fro. They were talking Of !;
great disaster, of dead bodies lying il
; heaps on the sand waiting to b.
claimed, and others being buried in
trench. There was something abou
county lines, of coroners quarrelin.
l IL Il