The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1884-01-12

on deck, standing by, knowing
that something was bound to
happen, but incapable of know
ing from what quarter it meant to come.
1t was as much as we could do to see
one another's faces. The strain on the
spars and rigging was something fear
full, with the rolling. and in the gloom
overhead you could hear the creaking
and complaining, the squealing of
| sheaves, the grooming of parrals and
trusses. AT four o'clock or Whereabouts,
the wind swept down upon us in body,
right in the wake of the swell. 1t was
wind at first, but it became a moving
wall in short time, and before the
| clewlines could be manned, the foretop-
sail blew up and BURST into smithereens,
| just like one of those elastic air-balls
when filled too full.
sit was a terrible tempest. /, who
have seen some fearful weather in my
time, will take my affidavit that q worse
storm of wind never ragged than that.
1t picked the sea up and made wheels
of the waves, that looked don't say
they were-but they looked to be forty
or fifty feet high. The Eagle was full
of iron very deep, and labored heavily,
taking in tons of water forward, so that
the undertook forecastle was scarcely
to be come at by the men through the
scuttle. In the troughs, during the
water rolls, the barque would lay so far
overto the windward that twas enough
to make the oldest seamen hold his
breath to look at the curl of the oncom-
| ing sea, and speculate whether it was
| ,NpSsiblo haf che on,,1l hoist horeolf at
clear of that terrific, white, roaring.
flashing arch, before it rolled its enor-
nous volume clear over her. But the
Eagle was q good sea- boat, having q
| tlaring bow that forced the head surges
to throw her up, and swell OF the
sides that made her cork-like Oh the lean
of twenty-foot hill of water. Had she
been of the ordinary tank shape, it must
have been all froth to ten feet above the
mast-coats, with the watch on deck in
the weather-rigging, and the master and
mates keeping lookout in the cabin,
and coming her by the tell-tale.
''For three days we had terrible
weather; then it broke, the wind veered
to due east, and after blowing double
reefed topsail breeze for twenty-four
| MUS. oClOlCb tlN DIV InlO blC nOI lllCGlSb
and blew along steady and bright again
into the trade wind. 1t was a Wednes-
day, the morning watch and l had
charge of the deck. Daybreak found
us under a foretopmast stun sail, the
| sky clear, and the east as green as
moonlight with the dawn. The sea
was calm, the trade clouds rolling in
puf1s of vapor athwart the stars over
head and in the west, and the horizon q
line as black as you could produce by
the sweep of pair of compasses dipped
in India ink
IL stepped over to leeward to have a
look at the sea under the foot of the
mainsail, and Just then the arch of the
sun jutted up and sent long beam of
silver light flashing across the ocean,
an object that appeared white and
glstening in the radiance. 1t bore
about four points on the lee bow. |
fetched the glass, and took look. She
was a vessel, of what rig | could not
distinguish, but apparently under small
sail. put down the glass and waited
bit, and then had another look. l
now fancied | could detect signs of con-
fusion aloft, but of this could not vet
be sure, though the small canvas she
showed made her appearance singular
| considering the fine weather. just
then Captain Blackett came on deck,
and | reported the sail to him. He
pointed the telescope at her, and said:
cit seems a case of distress. Your
| sights better than mine; have you made
out anything resembling u color?"
"'No SIR l replied.
"'Well, we will bear down and see
what's the matter. Keep her awavn
he called out to the young fellow at the
wheel; and at the same time | sung out
to the watch to lay aft and brace the
yards in tribe. This was done, and
the vessel brought about a point on our
lee bow. 1t was not long before we
were able to make her out very plainly
with the glass. 1t was now seen that
she was a small, full-rigged ship of
about eight hundred TONS her three
lower topsails and topmast staysail had
been blown away, and her wheel and
all boats were gone. She had bulwarks,
and lay very deep, as though full of
water. In the lower mizzen rigging
the English ensign had been seized,
union down, and there it blew, flicker
ing like flame, making as strong an
appeal for assistance as ever man
could by waving his hands. Well, we
shortened sail and approached her,
keeping a sharp lookout for anything
that should resemble human being;
there was nothing in that way to be
seen. There was longish deck-house
aft, and the remains of another one for
ward. There was not much swell on,
and she lay pretty quiet, giving herself
a slow slant, now and again, that hove
space of her wet side into the sun
and made her flash out like beacon
"'She looks to be abandoned, sir,
says to the Captain.
"'Why, yes; that's her appearance,
certainly says he. But it's fine
morning; no harm can be done by your
stepping aboard and giving her a brief
overhaul
$50 the bark's maintopsail was laid
to the mast, boat lowered, and three
hands pulled me over to the wreck
Two men clambered over the rail after
me, leaving one in charge of the boat.
We stood a moment looking around.
Her decks were full of ralfe, ropes,
slaves and casks, and the like; the main
matches were of, as if the crew had
/