Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1885-11-15


During the night the doctor and Pierre
IN their rooms AFT, and Point Pescade and
Matitou in their cabin forward. could
sleep without Oelng Inconvenience by the
movement OF the vessel which rolled a
little ike all fast boats. But although
sleep aid not fail the two friends, the doc
tor and Pierre bad too much anxiety TO
take any rest. In the morning when the
passengers went on deck more than
hundred and twenty miles had beed run
IN the twelve hours since they had left
Autekirrta The wind was in the same
direction with a tendency to freshen. The
sun had risen on stormy horizon, and
everything betOkened a coming strife with
the elements.
Point Pescade and Cape Nation
wished the doctor and Pierre good morn
ing.
"Thank YOU, my friends" said the
doctor. did YOU sleep we'll in your
buuksT"
Like dormice with an easy consciencer
answered Point Pescade.
And has Cape Matifou had his first
breakfast?7
Eyes, doctor, tureen OF black coffee,
and four pounds Ofsea biscuit
Hum A little hard, that biscuit?'
bah. For man that used TO chew
pehbles-between mis- mealsr'
Cape MatifOu slowly nodded his huge
head IN sign OF approval OF his friends
replies.
The FerratO by the DOCTORS express or
ders was now driving along at her utmost
speed. and sending of from her prov two
long columns of foam. TO hurry on was
only prudent. Already Capt. Kostrik
after consulting the doctor had begun to
think OF putting for shelter into Malta,
whose lights were sighted about O'Clock
in the evening. The state of the weather
was most threatening. Notwithstanding
the westerly breeze, which freshened as
the sun went down, the clouds mounted
higher and higher, and gradually over
spread three-quarters Of the sky Along
the sea-line was a band of liyid grey,
deepening in its density and becoming
black as ink when the suns RAYS shot
from behind its jagged edges. Now and
then the silent flashes tore asunder the
clOud-bank whose upper edge rounded of
Into heavy vOlutes and joined on to the
masses above. At the same time, as If
they were struggling with the wind from
the west and the wind from the east that
they mad not yet felt. but whose existence
was shown by the disturbed state OF the
sea, the waves increased as they met the
grOund-swell, and breakin9u up cOntusedly
began to come rolling on to the deck.
About o'clock the darkness had COM
pletely covered the cloudy vault. and the
thunder grOwled, and the lightning
wildly flashed in the gloom.
"Better keep an o1ing' said the doctor
to the captain.
"Yes!" answered Capt. KOstrik. "In
the Mediterranean it is either one thing or
the other! East and west strive which
shall have US, and the storm coming in TO
help, | am afraid the first Will get the
worst Of il. The sea VIII become very
rough of Coco or Malta, ana it may
hinder US a good deal. l don't propose to
run in to Valetta, but to linda shelter till
daylight under the western coast Of either
OF the islands.
"DO as you think best" was the reply.
The steam yacht was then about thirty
miles to the westward of Malta. On the
island OF Coco little to the northwest
of Malta, aud separated from it only
by two narrow channels formed by a
central islet, there is a lighthouse Of
the first rank with a range OF twenty
seven miles.
In less than an hour, Notwithstanding
the rOughness of the sea the EerratO was
within range of the light. After taking
its bearings with care and running o.
wards the land tor some time, the captain
considered he was sufficiently near to re-
main III HuGllCE A0t a Nv uUuAos Alt lltAE-
fore reduced his speed so as to avoid all
chance of accident to the hulk or ma
chinery. About half an hour afterwards,
however, the Coco light suddenly van
ished.
The storm was then at its height. A
warm rain fell in sheets. The mass of
cloud on the horizon, now driven into rib
bOns by the wind, flew overhead at a ter
rIble pace. Between the rifts the stars
peeped forth for second or two, and then
as suddenly disappeared, and the ends Of
the tatters dragging in The sea swept over
It's surface ike streamers of Grape. The
triple flashes struck the waves at their
three points, sometimes completely en-
velOping the Yacht, and the claps Of thun-
der ceaselessly shook the air, The state of
affairs had been difficult; it rapidly be-
came alarming.
capt. Kostrik, knowing that he ought
to be at least twenty miles within the
range Of the Coco light, dare not approach
the land. lie even feared that it was the
height OF the cliffs which had shut out the
light, and if so he was extremely near. To
run aground on the isolated rocks border
ing the foot Of the cliffs was to risk i'm
mediate destruction.
About half-past nine the captain re-
solved to lay-to and keep the screw at half
speed. He dId not stop entirely, for he
wanted to keep the ship under the control
Of her rudder.
For three hours she lay head to wind.
About midnight things grew worse. As
often happens in storms, the strife be-
tween the opposing winds from the east
and west suddenly ceased. The wind
went round 20 the point from which il
had been blowing during the day.
"a light on the stareOard bow Z"
shouted one Of the quartermasters who
was on the lookout by the bOwsprit.
PUT the helm hard down." shouted
Capt. kOstrlk, who wished to keep of the
shore.
He also had seen the light. Its inter-
mittent flashes showed him IL was Coco.
There was only just time Tor him to run
of in the opposite direction, the wind
breaking out with such intense fury. The
FerratO was not ten miles from the
point on which the light had so suddenly
appeared.
Orders to 90 full speed were tele.
graphed down 10 the engineer; but sud-
denly the engiae slowed, and then ceased
TO work.
The doctor, Pierre, and all those on deck
feared some serious complication. An
accident mad IN tact happened. The
valve Of the air pump ceased 10 act, the
condenser failed, and after two or three
loud reports, as if an explosion had
taken place in the stern, the screw stop
ped dead.
Under such circumstances the accident
was irrepurable. The pump would have
% be dismanlled, and that would take
many hours. In less than twenty minutes