Shepherdstown register. [volume] (Shepherdstown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1849-1955, 1885-07-17

! uOuOle-reeleu lOresall anu JlO, anu nau
her ensign flying union down as sig
nal 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 Sa-
vannah, with a load Of cement. She
had had her mainsail 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 immsdi-
stely ordered boat 10 be lowered away
and manned. The first officer took COM
mand of it, AMI started on his mission
Of mercy. Every passenger who could
get on deck crowded TO the rail, and
breathless 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 gall
lantly, and the sailors pulled with a
will in the direction Of the disabled YES
sci. 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, with
out reaching the schooner. A great
wave had broken two Of the oars and
dashed the irst officer against the side
of the boat, breaking his arm. Another
boat was Immediately sent off, in charge
of the second officer, but, after n long
and hard struggle, that, too, returned,
without accomplishing the rescue Of
the schoOner'S crew.
The suppressed excitement on the
steamship now became intense. We
could see the people on the schooner
imploring us by gestures not to .eave
them. 1t was growing toward sunset.
We were rapidly drifting into shoal
water. Whatever was done for the re-
lief of the schooner's crew had to be
done at once.
Roderick Leighton went to the cap
tain, who was standing on the bridge,
and said
Captain, if you will give me boat
and a volunteer crew. think | can res
cue the schooner's crew. have had a
great deal of experience in handling a
small boat"
"Have you ever been sailor?" asked
the captain looking at him sharply.
"Yes, sir, have been OH the water
more or less ever since | was old
enough to know what boat was. Most
of my experience has been as a yacht
man, confess, but was once year
before the mast, and hold a mates GER
! tificate."
| found out afterwards that this was
literally true. Leighton was reared in
luxury, but at the age Of nineteen years
was left penniless by the failure and
death of his father, a New England
manufacturer. Being fond Of sea, he
shipped before the mast, got to be mate,
and in that capacity made a trip around
the Horn. Then he forsook the sea for
journalism.
"well," said the captain, after min
ute, "try it,"
Turning to the sailors, Leighton called
out:
"Here, you men! Which Of you will
90 with me to the rescue of the schoon-
er's crew?
Nearly every sailor on board sprang
forward and said: 81 will, SIR"
In few minutes he had selected a
crew, boat had been lowered and
manned, and Leighton began his terri
bic struggle with the waves.
Among the passengers who crowded
to the rail to watch the boat was Mary
Smith, her face pale rs the sea-foam
and her lips trembling.
As the boat pulled away from the
steamers side, Leighton looked up and
saw a white face looking down at him.
With as much grace as the knights Of
old saluted the ladies of their choice and
entered the lists for love and glory, did
Roderick Leighton lift his cap and bow
to the pale girl clinging TO the rail.
The volunteer crew pulled with a
will. leighton steercd the boat with
remarkable dexterity, and slowly but
surely it approached the distressed
schooner. Now the boat would be poised
on the top of Sbam-crested wave, now
lost TO sight in dark hollow Of the sea.
Sometimes wave would break oyer the
top Of the boat hiding it in a smother
OF foam and cloud Of spray. Time
and time again We thought the boa,
was capsized, but each time it came TO
view again, and then we could see
Leighton half standing, half kneeling
in the stern sheets graspiDg the tiller
with grip Of iron and carefully watch
ing the waves that came laundering
towards him. After while-it seemed
ages to us-the boat was as near the
schooner AS it was safe to get in the
heavy sea then running, and sailor
stood up in the bows and began 10 throw
life buoys to the men on the vessel
Some went wide Of the mark, but other
reached the decks of the schooner. As
soon as a lfe-buoy was got aboard th'
vessel, some of the crew tied it on and
plunged into the sea, when he was pick
ed up by the boat.
There were twelve men on TIN
schooner, and finally they were all 60
safely aboard the rescuing boat, which