The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1885-01-08

Tho shsR abort HnEned at Sea. but tho
eaeSez - et3aE ECros. IsGscred,e =
From the New York Herald of s,.nda

dS~aN -" 'T-OEGtslSo1cpGUsEa
From the New York Herald Of Sunday.
A flush on the face acquired in the
tropics and o seamanly gait in moving
about Yero all that distinguished the
tall, muscularNlooking man who landed
at the Barge Office yesterday morning as
a skipper; but thns he was-Capt. Jerry
Park, of Maine-and the lady and little
boy with him were his wife and child.
The three were fresh from an experience
than which few are moro dreadful, and
the same Capt Park rccited as he sat
yesterday between those two sharers of
at was on the 25th of October last"
said he, "that weighed anchor and left
Sandy Hook behind me. was captain
of the Aiert--an American clipper ship,
and right snug craft at that-with 49,.
900 cases ofaoil ia the bold and eighteen
hands aboard besides myself and family.
We were bashd for Shanghai, Ct.lna,
and had hopes Of q good run, for we
bore away with q fsir wind, and never q
puff OF another kind did we have for
twenty days at least. Then ali Of a sud.
den there came calm, and there the
ship lay like log, with the crew trying
70 whistleup breeze. II was no, use.
Now and then q puG would swell out The
topsails and the ship would crawl along
q bit. But moat of the time there wasn't
O breath Of air stirring. We were in
latitude 80, 40 min. north, and longitude
29o 10 min. west. The ship was in the
doldrums,' and there was no telling
when this dreary quiet Of sea and air
would give place to brisk Bquall. We
kept on the lookout for it, and sure
enough it came. 1t WAS on the 14th Of
November, aud that morning all around
the horizon the sky had looked dirty
and clouds had come together overhead.
~'''''"e STRUCK by LIGHTNING.
"The sun was soun blotted out, the
sea was black as ink, and then down
came the rain. There was no wind as,
yet, and at frat it looked as though we
would get nothing worse than a drcnch.
ing. But an unlocked for danger was
In store for US. The lightning was
! shooting about in the sky and tho thun.
der was rolling. It.was not the red,
naring lightning that sets tho sky on fire,
but wicked looking forked streaks that
! Beenled to be bent on mischief All
hands were on deck and ready TO act on
orders, but keeping in shelter as well as
they could, when all Of o sudden down
went every mothers son of them sprawl
Ing about, and for minute there was q
whIzz 10 the air and o crash overhead,
while shower Of Bplinters came ratllng
down about us. Tho ship had been
struck by lightning. Il Rad .hivered the
foreroyal mast, carried away part Of the
yard and ripped a, lot of canvas out of
the foreroyal. When we got on our feet,
though there seemed to be no other
damage done, and we felt quite safe.
The squall kept on, and no ono etirred
around much for half an hour or so.
Then we had reason to get about lively.
A man came ewiuging up to me with
'Cap'n' there's Ere below. Smokes
comm up the fore hatches.' All fora
cried, and we made for the place where
the smoke was crawling up through the
crevicss and showing itself in spite of
the tarpaulins we had spread over It to
protect the cargo. Some of the men
tried to 60 below and get at the fire. It
couldn't be done. Then I had water
poured down the matches, but as this was
Of no avail, ordered them TO 6e bat,
tened dosni aItsWas rar,terrihle3 position.
There awe were thousand miles from
land In ship burning away under our
feet. But not under our feet for long,
for with an explosion like \ cannon the
matches were blown away and up shot
the red flames as high no the foreyard.
Nothing could stay than. knew that
10000 cases of oil were down there to
feed them, and that thes:Alert y7ss lest.
Without delay I called the crew to clear
away the boats and prepare 10 take our
chances With the sea. It was none too
soon, either. ''0''''"
ABANDONED AT SEA-,
taerhe fire was rushing oft ead the tih+
hera were shrivelling tlika paper In the
flames. The heat was unbearable, and
It was acYTelief tosus when we hadsthes
provisions dEoreA away inSthe three 60atss
and drew of from the ships eide. There
Se Jay in choppy sea With the boats
made fast to ono another land sharp
lookout kept by every sonl aboard for q
SAIL The FIRE aud smoke from the Alert
we knew would mount high in tho air,
and as they we're likely TO draw tho at.
tentioh' of some passing craft, We made
up Our minds to atayl 10 her company %
long as we could. We passed o dreary
night there. The sea was all Redeemed
by the hlass from inc burning or iP, utidd
she remained one huge mass Of flames
till after midnight, when saho, fonnderad
and went dnlan- Then tho daskncaa laeG
,led. ON the water again, and we Icy there
with some of the charred wreck drifting
about, and such forebodings as Heaven
aldh8 knows Stormehtinga us. = We Mere
1000 miles from Cape st. Rogue, and in
that latitude 1t might lake weeka 10
reach it. What -dangera. We would On.
couttea Ehes sHnfbring ts7e would have
"a enssnlHW9 e0uIq opIsE sless 81 1t ERsA
dark outlook, Scan tell you, aud when,
about 8 O'Clock, one of, the men baWled.
"a light ahead j. and. AWAY of in the
gloom We could dee o littlh bright 2speek,,
we felt like hugging the fellow Il wac
steamer's light, and presently we sa1
aer bearing down on us. Aud lhefore
long the French eteamship Comic R Ep;
of Havre, bound for Pernambuco, came
along and picked Va up. She had sleht;
ed the glare, of the burning ship fifty
milea away, and although ID first think.
Ing it come from whaling vessel II was
decided to bear down upon IL to Gee If
assistanee Yaa needed, The captain Wss
very kipd 10 Us and treated la all hand.
somely. We went to PerndmbHco With
him, and from That I came on hero, leaY>
Ing the rest of the men in charge Of the
American consul" a-g,.. .s....A
sTh6 ksert Ewas .eR i 900 tons register.
SheRas owned by hftfie feld q eons, of
Boston, and conlsgned To Verhon II.
Brown q Co., q this City. ii
aW a& aaas Big. WFeeaaatles reaa 'sis iss os!f
IkRas not at the big wrsails sbstaeea
Bill Arp and Iko; hfcC Gov. and hadlheat