The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1886-12-08
A SCRAP OF HISTORY.

In his speech at Cooper Union, Get.
90, MIR. Hewitt, then candidate fol
Mayor, now Mayo elect, gave a sketch OF
his own life as all answer to some attacks
made upon him as "rich man." In the
course of the remarks he said: 81 be-
came nearly blind, and was compelled
to pass year in Europe, for which !
paid out of the earnings which had laid
up from the lessons l had given. On my
way home another accident occurred
the ship on which l was went to the
bottom, and 1 was saved by another acci-
dent in one of the boats of that ship in
company with man who has been
Mayor If this city, who Was and is
my friend and brother, and will be to the
end of my Ii e. landed in midwintcr
In borrowed suit of sailors clothes
not thing of my own-and had three
silver dollars in my pocket, which con.
stituted my entire worldly wealth. I
was twenty-five years ef age
Let the captain of the rcscuing ship
tell the story as he did few years ago to
. little circle of friends in a New York
club:
'In 1914 was commanding the ship
Atlanta, and in the month of December
OF that year was making voyage from
Liverpool to New York. On the 11th l
was crossing the Gulf Stream, and had
got well over it, when, near evening, I
saw ship under full sail several miles to
windward, and evidently heading for
New York, like myself. My barometer
had been falling rapidly, and as i always
re ,arded it with great care and obeyed
its orders, took warning and sh ortened
sail. Eut noticed that the stranger kept
everything spread, and when night came
on aud hid her from sight she was far of
on the horizon, and diln't appear to have
taken in stitch of canvas. During the
night it came on to blow heavily-a reg
ular cyclone, in fact-aud you may be
sure was glad had taken in sail. 1t
only lasted couple of hours or so, but
was very rough as long as it was on US.
".About nine in tie forenoon the watch
reported pieces of wreck floating on the
water, and an hour later we sighted boat
and bore down for her. 1t was as I had
feared: The stranger had foundercd in
the gale, and this was one of her boats.
"Shc proved to be, or to have been,
the American ship Albanian, Captain
Hitchc ock, from Leghorn to New York,
and beside her officers aud crew she had
two passengers in the cabin. She was
under full sail W hen the wind struck her,
and in very short time she was an un-
seaworthy wreck. She two boats,
one stanch li!c-boat and the other an
old and rotten long boat. Lots were
drawn for places, and the life.boat fell to
the first officer, while the long boat went
to the Captain. The two cabin assen-
gers went to the long boat, and also n ne
Of the crew 1t was the lfe-boat that |
picked up, with the first officer in COM
mand, and he said they left the ship at
2 in the mo: ming, and lost sight of the
long. boat soon after. She was nearer
the ship than they, as tie Captain had
been the last to leave her.
The weather was cold, and they suf
fered considerably fiom their cramped
positions, but in little while after COM
ing on board they were warmed up and
atl right. Nothing could be seen OF the
long-boat, and it was not C, rtain whether
she was still alloat. I determined to
save her if possible to do it, and the
great question was to determine what
course to steer to find her. reasoned
that Captain Hitchcock would try to get
out of the Gulf Stream IS soon as h,
could, in order to find smoother water,
and after carefully study the situation
oh, in arnpr1 wifi h
this theory. I sent men aloft to keep q
sharp lookout, and report the lea,t sign
of a boat, and to watch tor anything
that would Indicate she had gone down
and was past all help.
''Noon came, and then one o'clock,
and then two, and no signs of the boat.
went to the cabin with my first officer
and the officer of the Alabamian, and we
held council. One of them thought I
ought to run on another course, and he
gave his reasons for it. and then the
other, who had been wavcring on the
subj ct joined him. 1 persisted in my
belief, and stood alone in t. Somehow
could not s"e their reasons as they did,
and l had firm conviction that was
right. and if the captain of the Alaba-
mian had done what should do under
similar circumstances, he would be ex-
acty in the track was running.
"The afternoon went on, and about an
hour before sunset went into the cross
trees to have look on my own account.
swept the horison with my glass over
and over again, but saw nothing, aud felt
what a terrible re pons bill y rested on
me. and what would be sad of me for
holding my course against tie advice OF
the others, if I shou d not find the boat.
"Just as the sun was within hand
spikes length of the hori on I saw a
speck on the crest of wave. 1t went
down as the wave fell, and I believe my
heart stopped beating till the speck came
up again and showed itself. There il
was and no mis- axe, aid it was actly
dead ahead as near as you could draw g
line.
'I hailed the deck, and sent the first
officer to take the wheel. told him no,
to vary the breadth of a hair frcm the
course we were running. Then came
down, and sent man up t. take my
place.
"sHave you seen anything2' ecery
body asked as reached the deck.
"'Nothing I'm certain of, answered
'Eut we may have developments pres.
emily. l don't know if my heart wa:
beating then, but presume it was.
In a little while-it may have been 6
Quarter of an hour, and just as the suu
was dipping into the horizon-the mar
in the rigging called out: Sail ho!