Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1886-12-28
A TRUE STORY OF THE SEA.
How Two Mayors OF New York Es-
capped from Shipwreck.
From Harner's Weekl


In his speech at Cooper Union, Oct. %.
Mr.. Abram s. Hewitt, then candidate
for Mayor, now Mayor-elect, gave a
sketch OF his own life as an answer to
some attacks made upon him as a '.rich
man" In the course OF these remarks
he SAID:
81 became nearly blind and was COM
PEELED to pass year in Europe, for which
paid out the earnings which had laid
up from the lessons had given. On my
way home another accident occurred
the ship on which | was went to the bot.
tom, and was saved by another acci-
dent in one OF the boats of that ship in
company with a man who has been
Mayor of this city, who was and is my
friend and brother, and will be to the
end of my life. landed in midwinter In
borrowed suit OF sailors clothes-not a
thing of my own-and had three silver
dollars in my pocket, which constituted
my entire worldly wealth. L was % years
of age"
Let the Captain OF the rescuing ship
tell the story, as he did a few wears ago
to little circle of friends in New York
club:
.'ln 1914 was commanding the ship
Atalanta, and In the month ofDecember
of that year was making voyage from
Liverpool to New York. On the 18th l
was crossing the Gulf stream, and had
got we'll over it when, near evening, |
saw q ship under full sail several miles
to windward, and evidently heading for
New York, like myself. My barometer
had been falling rapidly, and as / always
regarded it with great care and obeyed its
orders, | shortened sail. But l noticed
that the stranger kept everything spread,
and when night CAM on and hid her from
sight she was far cff on the horizon, and
didn't appear to have taken In stitch Of
canvas. During the night it came on to
blow heavily-a regular cyclone, in fact
and you may be sure / was glad l had
taken in sail. 1t only lasted a couple of
hours or so, but was very rough as long
as it was on US.
sEAbout 8 in the forenoon the watch re.
ported pieces of wreck floating on the
water, and an hour later we sighted a
boat and bore down for her. 1t was as
had feared; the stranger had foundered
in the gale, and this was one OF her boats.
''She proved to be, or to have been, the
American ship Albanian. Capt. Hitch
cock, from Leghorn to New York, and be-
sides her officers and crew she had two
passengers in the cabin. She was under
full sail when the wind struck her, and in
very short time she was an unseaworthy
wreck. She had two boats, one stanch
lifeboat and the other an old and rotten
longDOat. Lots were drawn for places
and the llfeboat fell to the first officer,
while the longboat went TO the Captain.
The two cabin passengers went to the
lopgboat, and also nine of the crew. 1t
was the liteboat that / picked up, with
the first officer in command, and he said
they left the ship at in the morning, and
lost sight OF the long0oat soon after. She
was nearer the ship than they, as the Cap
tain had been the last to leave her.
s'The weather was cold, and they suf-
fered considerably from their cramped
positions, but in little while after COM
ing on board they were warmed up and
all right. Nothing could be seen of the
long boat, and 1t was not certain whether
she was still afloat. determined to save
her il possible to DO 1T. and the great
question was to determine what course to
steer to find her. l reasoned that Capt.
Hitchcock would try to get out OF the
Cult stream as soon as he could, In order
to find smoother water, and after care
fully studying the situation l changed
nv course in accordance with this
theory. | sent men aloft to keep sharp
lookout, and report the least sign of q
boat, and to watch for anything that
would Indicate she had gone down and
was past all help.
moon came, and then l O'Clock. and
then 2, and no signs of the boat. / went
to the cabin with my first officer and the
officer of the Albanian and we held a
council. One of them thought | ought to
run on another course, and he gave his
reasons for 1t, and then The other, who
had been waverinC on the subject, joined
him. | persisted In my belief. and stood
alone in it. Somehow / could rot see
their reasons as they did. and if the
Captain of the Alabam an had done what
/ should do under similar circumstances,
he would be exactly in the track was
running.
''Tne afternoon went on, and about an
hour before sunset ] went into the cross
trees to have look on my own account.
| swept the horizon with my glass over
and over again, but saw nothing, and felt
what a terrible responsibility rested on
me and what would be said of me for
holding my course against the advice of
the others If should not find the boat.
''Just as the sun was within a hand
spikes length of the horizon / saw
speck on the crest Of wave. 1t went
down as the wave fell, and l believe my
heart stopped beating till the speck came
up again and showed itself. There 1t was,
ard no mistake, and it was exactly
dead ahead as near as you could draw
line.
81 hailed the deck, and sent the first Of
ucer 10 take the wheel. JOfO Dim uOI 10
vary the breadth OF a hair from the course
we were running. Then ] came down,
and sent q man up to take my place.
"'Have you seen anytbingP everybody
asked as reached the deck.
Nothing I'm certain of answered.
But we may have developments present.
ly.' don't know If my heart was beat
ing then, but presume it was.
''ln little while-it may have been
quarter OF an hour, and just as the sun
was dipping into the horizon-the man in
the rigging called out, Sail hop
sew mere awayY asked.
dead ahead, sir. think It's the
boat
my heart went up in my mouth, but
tried to appear as cool as an iceberg. or
course everybody else was all excite
ment. and that was the more reason why
should not be. Besides, l was Captain,
and nobody else was, as had shown
them by sticking to my course.
The night came on clear and beauti-
tul and we kept straight on. We lost
sight of the boat as the daylight faded,
but in half an hour or so we saw her
again, and we still had her right in line.
AS We neared her l kept the ship up lit
Tile so as to bring the boat under our lee,
ana put men in the fore chains and along
the sides with plenty OF lines, and made
all possible preparations to make last.
knew the men in the boat would be so
Il w.rte Il hat fh.FNy W.