The Dallas daily herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1887, 1885-01-05
THE LAST OF CHIP.

a<no.ic Description of the Storm That
sank the Jeannette's Second Cutter.
f.rCorald o'clock it was blowing liv-
10 gale, and it seemed impossible that
- could struggle longer in such sea.
be danger to the whale-boat was i'm
81 nent, since in trying to slacken speed
81 as to keep, as ordered, in the wake
~ the frst cutter, the swifter waves
|ibrged ahead and preached clear over
Inc stern, threatening to over
Nbelm us. Fine man@uvering
1svith helm and SAIL WAS out OF
.the question, though at the suggestion
Eof some OF the men, it was attempted
ponce or twice with almost fatal results;
and il was while | was endeavoring to
deaden our speed by hauling the boat
closer to The wind that we ran far past
the first cutter and well up on her
weather bow. 1t now looked as though
we could not possibly regain our posi-
lion without heaving to; when at this
iuncture De Long signalled me to APP
proach, probably within hail. Should
/ run down toward him, /
should certainly shoot far ahead,
so there was but one thing
10 90. ndHlGlSy W lOWtT JHe SAIL anu re-
ouce it below close reef-several men
accomplishing this by gathering it in at
the root, and holding it firmly with
their hands against the fury of the wind
aud the thrashing Of the boat. 1t was
trick ! HAD practiced in bad weather
ever since we reached open water, and
one that had answered admirably. But
now in Stacking our speed the waves
came tumbling and filed the boats.
This, for the time being, naturally
alarmed the men, who, clinging
tenaciOusly to the foot of the sail,
suddenly found themselves stepped
10 their hips in icy water. They would
as promptly release their grip, and then
such tumult of Tapping sail pound
ing boat and demOralized baggage
would ensue as might startle old Tom
Bovine himself. After several of these
mishaps, succeeded by vehement bail
ing with the buckets and pans, and no
little growing on the part of the crew,
I preceived that we had drifted almost
TO within hail of De Long, who was ge.-
ticulating and shouting something TO
me altogether inaudablB above the roar
OF the elements. Just then monstrous
sea came combing onward and deluged
both Of us, but chiefly the whale
b0at, which nearly filled. 1t started
the wind to De Long that must run or
swamp. He appeared to realize the
peril of our situation at once: for the
next instant, as. the sea swept over and
around us, he waved his arm in an en-
ergetic manner, motioning me onward,
or from him, and at the same time ha :
looed some message, which was lost in
the noise OF the gale. However, | felt
that we understood each other; that if |
would save my boat and crew | must
run for it; that to lay alongside of De
Long meant quick destruction; and that
il either of the open and overladen boats
should swamp or roll over, the other
could not possibly rescue the unfortu-
nate crew.
So when De Long waved me permits
sion to leave him, hoisted sail, shook
out one reef, and as we gathered way
the boat shot forward like an arrow and
the spray flew about us like feathers.
Heretofore we had been running dead
before the wind on our southwest course
for the land, but the heavy sea and the
lively motion of the boat caused the sail
10 jibe and fill on the other tack, where
upon we would breach to and ship wa
ter. For this reason l hauled nip the
boat several points or closer to the
wind, and our condition at once i'm
i
resolved to concern myself directly
with the safety Of my own boat; so that
when one of the men said that De Long
was signaling us, | told him he must
he wrong, and further directed that no
one should see any signals now, that
we were cast upon our own resources.
The whale-boat was leaping forward
at spanking rate and fast distancing
the ilrst cutter, when, hearing another
of the crew eXclaim that De Long was
signaling Chipp, turned around and
looked back over my left shoulder
toward where l expected the second cut
ter would be. For an instant she was
not to be seen, but presently / saw her
tar of in the dim twilight rise full
before the wind on the crest of
q wave, and then sink briefly out
Of sight. Once more she appeared; an
immense sea enveloped her; she
preached to; ! could discern a man
striving to free the sail where IL had
damned against the mast; she plunged
again from view; and though wave after
wave arose and fell, | saw nothing but
the foam and seething white caps of the
cold, dark sea. When last seen, the sec.
ond cutter was about one thousand
yards astern of us, the first cutter prob
ably midway between, and there is no
doubt in my mind that she then foun-
dered. A conversation with the only
TWO surviving members of the first cut
ter (Nindermann and NOrOs) has con.
hrmed me in this belief; for they wit
messed the scene as | have described IT,
and state that IL was the general opinion
of DE Longs crew that had shared the
same fate simultaneously with Chip
Melville Book.