Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1885-05-30

fhelr state-rooms, suffering from sea
sickness.
When the storm began promised
myself considerable amusement
Young Leighton, thought /, will b.
very sea.sick, and probably very
much frightened, and a lover and q
dandy, under such circumstances
cannot fail to be supremely ridicu
'lous. Imagine my establishment
when, instead Of doing as / had
planned he would, the young mar
appeared on deck with q yachting
cap pulled firmly down on his head
a thick reefing jack buttoned to his
chin, and his feet incased in pail
Of thick "sea boots" All his Ian
guOr had vanished. Color came in
to his cheek, and fire into his eyes
and he moved about the decks with
the air Of man who had spent his
life on the ocean. In short, he was
completely transformed.
AS Mr.. Smith and I were making
our way towards the smoking room
after dinner, we passed leighton
and saw the old man look after his
would-be -son--in-law with an expires
sion of surprise.
"Why,confonnd it." said he, s'that
yonng dandy is masquerading as a
sailor, is he g-He'H do more than
look the character before he can
make me believe that he knows a
sheet anchor from the topsail Sheet
The next morning we were of
Hatteras. The storm had somewhat
abated, but tremendous sea was
still running, and the wind blew
pretty stif1y. At two o'clock in the
afternoon schooner was sighted
about three points on the starboard
bow. She was hoveto under double
reefed foresaiI and .iib, and had her
ensign flying union down as signal
of distress. We bore away for her,
and, when near enough, our captain
hailed, and asked what was wanted.
We learned that the distressed
schooner was the Fleetwing, from
New York for Savannah, with load
OF cement. She had had her main.
sail blown away, was strained and
leaking badly. For two days the
crew had been without water, and
the provisions were beginning
to run low. The schooner's boats
had been stove or washed overheard,
and the crew begged to be taken off.
The captain of the steamship i'm.
mediately ordered boat to be low
cred away and manned. The first
officer took command of it,and start.
ed on his mission of mercy. Every
passenger who could get on deck
crowded to the rail, and breathlessly
watched the boat battling with the
heavy seas. Time and time again it
seemed as if she would be swamped,
but she rode the wave CALAMITY, and
the sailors with a will in the direction
of the disabled vessel. But it was
next to impossible to get alongside
the schooner in safety in such sea
as was running.
After a while the boat returned,
without reaching the schooner. A
great wave had broken two of the
oars and dashed the first officer
against the side of the boat, break
ing his arm. Another boat was i'm
mediately sent of, in charge of the
second officer. but, after a long and
hard struggle, that, too, returned,
without accomplishing the rescue of
the schoOner's crew.
The suppressed excitement on the
steamship now increased. We could
see the people on the schooner i'm.
plOring us by gestures not to leave
them. 1t was growing toward sun
set. We were rapidly drifting into
shoal water. Whatever was done
for the relief of the schooner's crew
had to be done at once.
Roderick Leighton went to the
who was standing on the
bridge, and said:
"Captain, if you will give me a
boat and a volunteer crew, think, I
can rescue the schooner's crew. /
have had a great deal of experience
in handling a small bOat.n
"Have you ever been sailor ~
asked the captain, looking at him
sharply.
Yes, sir. I have been on the
water more or less ever since / was
old enough to know what a boat
was. Most Of my experience has
been as a yachtsman, / confess, but
[ was once year before the mast,
and hold mates certificate
| found out afterwards that this
was literally true. Leighton was
reared in luxury, but at the age Of
nineteen was left penniless by the
failure and death of his father, a
New England manufacturer. Being
fond of the sea, he shipped before
The mast. got To he mate and in that