Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1888-04-29
WHEELING REGISTER, SUNDAY, APRIL 90, 1sss.-s1x PAGES

fear; and presently all thsbarrels and bags
with the mstches burning, were poised in
the places and hanging at the depth we
had fixed upon, and we then returned to
the schooner-the Frenchman breaking
into a run, and tumbling over the rail, in
his slarm, with the dextsrity of n monkey.
Each match was supposed to burn an
hour, 50 that when the several explosions
happened they might all occur as nearly as
possible at once, and we had therefore a
long time to wait. The margin msy look
unreasonable in the face of our dispatch;
but yen will not think it unnecessary
if you consider that our ma
chinery might not have worked very
smooth, and that meanwhile all thst was
lowered was in the way Of exploding. So
iuterminable q period as now followed I do
believe never entered before into, the ex-
periences Of a man. The cold was intense,
and VIZ had to move about; but also were
we repeatedly coming to a halt to look at
our watches and cast our eyes over the ice.
1t was Like standing under a gallows with
the moose around the neck, waiting for the
cart to move of. My own suspense be-
came torture; but 1 commanded my face.
The Frenchman, on the other hand, could
not control the torments of his expectation
and fear.
"Holy Virginp' he would cry, Suppose
we are blown up too; suppose we are en-
quilted iu tine ice; suppose it should be
vomited up in vast blocks, which in falling
upon us must crush Is to pulp and smash
the decks!"
1t was three or four minutes past the
hour, and I was looking breathlessly ut
my watch, when the first of the expio.
sions took place. Before the ear could
well receive the shock Of the blast the
whole of The barrels exploded, along with
some twelve or fourteen parcels. Tassard,
who stood beside me, fell on his face,
and 1 believed he had been killed. A
kind Of twilight was caused by the rise Of
the volumes of white smoke out OF the ice.
The schooner shook with such q %convulsion
that l was persuaded che had been split.
Vast showers of splinters of ice fell as If
from the sky, and rained like arrows
through the smoke; but if there were any
great blocks uphoye they did not touch
the ship. Meanwhile the other parcels were
exploding in their places, sometimes
two End three at q time, sending O sort
Of siekening spasm aud thros through
the fabric of the vessel, and you heard the
most extraordinary grinding noises rising
ont Of the ice all about, as though the
the mighty rupture of the powder cracked
through leagues of the island. Idurst not
look forth till all the powder had burst
lest ] should be struck by some flying
pieces of ice; but unless the schooner was
INJURED below she was as sound as before,
and in exactly the same posture, as if
aioat in harbor, only that of course her
stern lay low with the slope OF her bed.
l called to Tassard, and he lifted his
head.
"Are you huri?" said l.
mo, no." he answered. "'Tis a Span
iard's trick to fling down to q broadside.
Body OF st. Joseph, what a furious explo-
siop!' and SO saying he crawled into the
companion and squatted beside me. "What
has it done for us?"
II don't know yet" said |. "but l be-
lieve the schooner is unipjured. That was
a powerful shockw I cried, as n half dozen
OF bags blew up together in the crsvices
deep down.
The thunder and .tumult of the
rending ice, accompanied by the
heavy explosions Of the gun
powder. so dulled the hearing that it
was difficult to speak. That the mines
had accomplished our end was not yet to
he known; but there could not be the
least doubt that they had not only occa-
stoned tremendous ruptures low down in
the ice, but that the volcanic influence was
extending for beyond its first effects by
making one split produce another, one
weak part give way and create other weak
nesses, and so on, all round about us and
under our keel. as was clearly to be gath
cred by the shivering and spasms of the
schooner, and by the growls, roars, blasts
aud huddie Of terrifying sounds which
arose from the frozen floor.
1t was twenty minutes after the hour at
which thu mines had been framed to ex-
plode when the last parcel burst; but we
waited another quarter of an hour to make
sure that it wa the last, during all which
time the growing and roaring noises deep
down continued, as if there was a battle Of
a thousand lions raging in the vaults and
hollows underneath. The smoke had been
settled away by the wind, and the pros
pect was clear. We ran below to see to
the FIRE and receive five minutes of heat
into our chilled bodies, and then returned
10 view the Gene.
TO DE CONTINUED