Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1886-07-22
Gales aud Skstthes.
A MAN OVERHEARD.
By AN OLD MARINER.

The truth of my story can prove by
the captain and crew of the ship Lotus.
sailing out of Liverpool was fore
mast hand aboard, and along in the sixties
we made voyage around Cape Horn and
up the CHILEAN coast to Valparaiso That's
long stretch from Liverpool, but all
went well, and when we had rounded the
Horn we had not yet lost so much as
square foot of SAIL nor had sickness nor
death come aboard We were as was
afterward told me, about thirtv-fve miles
TO the west of Chlee Island, which is
about half way from the Horn to Valpa-
raiso, when the wind failed us one morn
ing. and we lay rising and falling on
sea as smooth as your hand. To the
southwest, as heard the mate say. after
he had been aloft with the glass, he had
made out what he took to be dismasted
hulk, but as she was so far away the cap
tain received the report with little or no
interest.
The calm lasted until about o'clock in
the afternoon, when an ox-eye came off
the land and gave US a sudden and yigor-
Gus shaking up. We weren't exactly
caught mapping, but yet there was a good
deal to be done aloft. and | was on the
foretopgallant yard when a tremendous
lurch of the ship, aided by some carless-
ness of my own. sent me flying to lee
ward. | went clear of the ship by many
feet, and if there was an alarm raised,
which did not hear, there was no posi-.
BILE show tor help in such confusion as
that. 1t seemed as if went down for
full halt mile, and was near gone when
| broke water. The squal had kicked up
a heavy sea. and was half smothered for
the first five minutes.
At that time l was about as vigorous a
man as you might meet with in the mer-
chant service, and moreover, | was an ex-
cellent swimmer. From the moment of
getting my head above water was de-
termined to save myself. This may seem
strange to you. tor knew pretty well
where we were as went off the yard, and
knew that wind and wave were now
setting me out into the broad Pacific The
squall darkened the heavens until it
seemed as if night had come. | suppose
it was over with in halt an hour, but it
was followed by rain, and the only sight
! got OF the ship was as she drove away
phantom like, into the north.
| had the sense to take things coolly,
and the only struggle | made was to keep
my head above water. A change of wind
followed the squall. 1t must have come
on to blow from the north, though had
lost my compass points and knew the
change only from sailors instinct 1t
was only after had been in the water
for an hour that hope began to die
out. l had an idea. you know, that
the ship would return for me,
though. as | told you while ago,
it was hardly to be expected. | knew
that another hour would finish me, and
was trying to convince myself that
might as well give up then and there and
have it over with, when peculiar sound
made me turn on my face and lift my head
| The sound was the beating of the waves
against some floating object. Aye. gents,
much in the crash of the waves as those
of landsman can in the voices of his fell
lows. knew that there was some float
| ing object near nue.. knew it was not
| ship, nor a ships boat nor mast. 1t
WAS right there before me as | raised nv
head. and with few strong strokes | was
alongside. What was it? Neither more
nor less than one of the patent lite pre-
servers carried aboard men-of war. and so
arranged that the launching of it strikes
! light. In case 3 poor fellow goes over
board at night the light guides him to the
buoy, and he can hang to it by the beckets
provided, until the same light guides a
boats crew to rescue him. This buoy. or
preserver, as | afterward learned, bore
the lettering: