Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1885-09-14
CAST UP BY THE SEA.
An Astonishing Sequel to Charleston's
CNclOne.

NO such sensation has occurred on
James island since the Battle OF Seces-
sionville. says the Nelos and Courier, as
that which was created one day last week
by the return of Henry Smalls. Smalls
was one of the crew of three colored
men who left Frampton's place in a
small boat on the morning OF the cyclone
and who We're never seen alive again.
The boat was seen to capsize, and four or
i've days arterward- the bodies OF TWO
OF the men, Tom Robinson and
James Gibbes, foated ashore, one on
James island and one in the city.
The boat was never seen again and
the general suppostiOn was that Smalls,
the third man, had been drowned and his
| body carried out to sea. SO general was
that belief that smals' wife gave away
bis clothing and other personal effects,
which We're Of no use to her or not con-
vertible into cash, and dOnned widows
weeds. Smalls was known among the
| brethren and sisters as one Of the un-
godly, and the elders at the various re-
ligious meetings preached homilies upon
the deceased aud pointed to his terrible
tate as warning 10 those who were not
''een de church" as a horrible instance Of
sinner hurled into the tOrments of
| birthstone and hell fire, with all his sins
upon his head.
cut on in the blossoms of his sin,
UnhOusePd, disappointed, unanePd,
! No reasoning made. but sent to his account
with all his lmperfectons on his head"
The negroes in the neighbOrhOOd swOre
! that they had frequently seen his ghost,
and many of them whose houses Smalls
had been in the habit Of freQuenting, re-
| fused TO stay in their dwellings at night,
alleging that Smals' "sperrIt'' was walk
ing.
The sensation which was created by
| Shalls' return in the flesh may be more
easily imagined than described. The
! poor man was half starved and IN rags,
and is said to have looked like an EnOch
| Arden or a Robinson CrusOe done up in
/ black. Fortunately Mrs. Smalls' period
| OF mourning had not been sufficiently long
| to warrant her In initiating Mrs. Arden of
! TennysOn's pathetic poem, and there was,
/ therefore, nothing in the way CT happy
reunion after Smalls had succeeded in
| convincing his sorrowing spouse That he
was present in the flesh as we'll as In the
! spirit.
/ Then this man in his own rough way
related as wonderful a story OF his escape
as ever was penned by novelist.
After leaving the land at Frampton's.
he said, the boat was blown OUT Of the
creek-it was after the wind had shifted
Z
was caught in a tide near Plum island.
In moment the boat was capsized and
swallowed up by the sea. which turned it
over and over like a spinning top.
The two other men. he supposed,
we're drowned then. Smalls,
| however, was good swimmer
and managed to get a hold on the boat, to
which he chung for dear life, and with
which he was driven out to sea. Those
who had the chance OF seeing the harbor
! on the morning of the storm will remem-
| Der that the sea, even in the bay, was run
ming mountains high. How Smalis man
| aged TO live through his fearful voyage is
a mystery which no human can solve.
He says ne lost his grip on the boat a half
dozen times before he reached the bar,
| but he always managed 10 "bOb up Sc
renely from below" aud "catch on" again.
Down the bay he was swept, past Fort
| Johnson, past Fort Sumter, past the
/ island, still clinging to the keel Of the
! boat, and still living. The wreck
and the man were swept over
! Drunken Dick shoals, and in this boiling,
seething hell Of waters Smalls was once
more wrenched away from the bottom of
his boat. sit seem lack l nebber ben
| gwine stop gOln' down, boss" said
he, describing the incident. 81 jes keep
gwine down and down tell l hin
tink dis is dead niger, shuah. But
! bymby | climb up again, and when | git
! pom top de water, my God l see de boat
way off yOnder. Den l say, Harry, ole
boy, you's got to git up an git to dat
boat, or else 20 Hannah is a wilder; an
! ] jes put out foh it. 1t bin a hard row to
hoe, but ketch UNI agn, and | heng on
ter um wild my tingernail an tOenail an
my eyelid an my feet, am l nebber leggo
agln, bless God"
1t seems almost incredible that a half
| drowned man, as Smalls must have been,
| could have accomplished this, but he did
it, and la his own terse language henever
did "leggo agin." The boat drifted out
to sea, the man still clinging on to it.
| Night came on and Still the upturned
boat, with single human being cliuging
to its keel, was bufeted about on the
ocean, tossed hither and thither at the
mercy OF the angry waves.
AL length having been bnffeted about
for over sixteen hours, Smalls heard the
sound Of the surf beating upon the shore.
Being sea islander, the sound was IA
miIiar TO HIM, ana he was able to form a
pretty correct idea of the distance to the
shore. When he thought he was within
100 yards OF the beach he cast himself
loose from the frail bark and made for the
shore. After another desperate struggle
with death he was finally thrown up on
land, and nearly dead as he
was. managed TO stagQer up
beyond high water mark and throw him
self upon the ground, when sleep at once
overcame him. When be awoke the next
morning he said he didn't have the slight
est 4dea Of where he was. He saw some
palmetto trees. and, taking the shore.
started to explore the island, as be took
the land To be. After travelling some dis
lance he saw couple Of goats, aud then
there arose from his lungs such shout
as only a starving negro can produce.
The shout was answered and the mira
cuiously saved mariner was soon sitting
in 'leetle ole log cabin eating bacon and
hominy and relating his adventures. He
had been cast upon BULBS bay point %
miles or more from where he started
His host supplied him with what little
clothing he bad to spare, and after rest
Ing a day or two recovered his strength.
Smalls started on foot for Charleston,
reaching there on Friday. and making his
way at once TO his home on James island,
after accomplishing one OF the most
wonderful voyages, perhaps, that has
ever been made.
Local PersOnAI.
4 q 81 tka IL.