Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1885-06-21

The QlfeCtlOb VI hfo b'""Df ~A fN~~b
nized curious. mirage-like effect-a
sort Of dint in the sharp circle Of the
horizon like chip out Of the edge Of
plate. -, -,
81 had hardly had time to notice this
when the captain dropped his glass and
turned sharply to the mate with the
question
".Is the wreck clear
pretty we'll, sir said the mate;
nothing over the side that can foul the
screw
"sThen tell Mr.. Armstrong to 60
ahead full speed, and send all hands
aloft: shorten sail. Don't stop to furl
or cIew up. sir. Cut everything adrift,
fore and aft
" And before the mate had lime for
a word he had sprung aft, twitched the
wheel out Of the quartermaster's han Is,
and put the helm hard over. The ship
came slowly up to the wind, more
quickly as the remaining canvas fell
under the blows Of fifty sharp knives,
and the screw began to revolve at full
speed. In very short time we were
heading right back to the northward
under bare poles.
"In the mean time the mirage-like
dint in the horizon had widened and was
widening rapidly. 1t had already
spread beyond the steamer Of which |
spoke just now, and which, though still
heading under full steam at right angles
to our course, seemed yet to have
drifted bodily some miles nearer to us,
and had look of being what sailors
call down by the stern looked from
her again to that ominous depressiOnfn
the horizon II was spreading still,
had reached to ourselves, and as il did
so the leaping motion of the waves
ceased, giving place to a smooth broad
swirl right across our track.
'There was no questioning now
no need to whisper or to point. The
white faces that clustered thickly ate2t
the taff-rail, gazing in speechless horror
down that steadily-narrowing and deep
ening valley, were gazing straight into
the jaws of death. And for some
time-minutes, hours, seconds, can
not tell you which-they gazed on
in silence, too awe-stricken to utter
q sound. Then suddenly the steam
began to roar out through the es-
cape-pipe. and the noise seemed to
break the spell. Yes" he went on in
a low. dreamy tone, half answering to
the sudden movement with which Car
rie Dayenant hid her face in her hands.
as though to shut out some actual scene
of horror-"yes, it was terrible
sight for the time. 1t might have
haunted me, | think, if there had been
nothing worse
The wly-risingmoon broke through
a rift in the heavy veil of cloud and
cleaned on the girls face Of horror
and establishment as she looked won
deringly up with the startled eXclama-
ton:
Worse?"
Her husband put his arm round her
and drew her closer to him, while Sta
vert continued, though with evident
effort
1--WE were losing ground; that was
clear. The Titan was not full-pow-
cred steamer, only sailing ship with
an auxiliary screw; not capable OF
doing more than five or six knots an
hour at her best, and now deeply laden.
Presently the engineer forced his way
aft through the crowd Of frightened
passengers and made some suggestions
to the captain, Of which ! only
caught the words safety valve The
captain shook his head, but the en-
gineer urged his request, jerking his
thumb emphatically in the direction Of
the whirlpool, and saying energetically,
That sort of thing can't so OIL forever,
you know, skipper. Must let up some
time. One extra minute might do us,
you know. if we only could get it. =
well, well, Armstrong was the an
swer, have it your own way. 1t cant
do much harm anyhow And before
he had finished speaking the engi-
neer was gone, and in few more min
utes the roar Of escaping steam ceased
and the laboring screw revolved
more rapidly. The ship gathered
way. and for the moment a thrill
of hope shot through the breasts
of that pale. horror-stricken throng.
The captain had laid aside his glass, and
was standing intently observing the
horizon through his sextant. Very few
indeed among that surging, frightened
crowd could have even guessed the
meaning of his employment; but all
instinctively watched him with a dim
consciousness that he was somehow
reading their fate. Presently he laid
the instrument quietly down and once
more shook his head.
"As he did so the cries and wailngs.
which for few moments had been
stilled, broke out afresh. But at this
moment the mate in his turn forced his
way to the captains side, and, touch.
ing his arm, drew his attention to the
other steamer. We had none of us
even thought Of her for a long time,
and to our surprise she was now al.
most cl-se aboard of US. Needless tC
say that she, like ourselves, was
straining every nerve. The smoke was
pouring out Of her two great red fun.
nels, the steam roaring from her es.
cape-ppeS, and she was tearing through
the smooth, swirling water at the rate
of three feet to our one.
go She'll scrape clear, sir, by
Heaven > cried the mate, halfgrudging
half sympathetic.
1.-The captain nodded; and for few
moments our people almost forgot Their
own danger as they watched the pro
gress Of their unknown companion il
peril.
"She was well abreast Of us now
and being no longer OH an inner circle
Of the whirlpool, had ceased to drift
toward us, when suddenly there was O
cry and confusion on board of her,
and the flashing screw under her cOun,
ter ceased TO revolve. There was a CRY
OF horror from both ships as the
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