Wichita eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1886-1890, 1888-07-28
HERO OF A B0WSPRIT.

On April 10, 1877, one of the most ter
rife storms that ever visited the North
Carolina coast began and lasted for three
days, eliminating on the 10Th off Cape
Fear. 1t was fearfully destructive to life
and property, wrecking many ships with
their crews and cargOeS, and burying
them beneath the waves. One large three
masted vessel broke up, and parts of her
drifted into Smithville bay, a prize for
the wreckers, which not only illustrated
the force Of the storm, but was curiosity
In the strength of its structure
''All her bolts, said one who examined
pieces of the wreck, ''are brass, four, six
and even eight feet long; the knees are
solid iron, and the outside planking six
inches through, and of stout pine"
There were two Smithville pilot boats
the Mary X. Sprunt and the Uriah Tim
mons-cruising off the coast at the time
the storm commenced, and finding it i'm
possible to make harbor they were COM
PEELED to stand off and try to weather it
out. The Mary K. Sprunt had a crew of
five men, viz: Christopher Primer,
Robert Walker, Charles Dasher, Jr.,
Thomas Grissom and Lawrence Gillespie
the cook. They were brave and skillful
men, but after a desperate struggle, in
which all that the most skillful seaman
ship could accomplish had been exhausted,
she went down with all on board
On the 2Sth the body of Tom Grissom
was found by the pilot boat II. Wester-
mann floating at sea, about nine miles
out, and the pilots also found the Mary
X. Sprunt lying on the bottom, in eleven
and half fathoms, her white sails, torn
into ribbons, shining up through the blue
depths and undulating with the motion Of
the restless sea.
The Uriah TimEons had crew of four
men--C. c. Morse, Julius Weeks, Joseph
Thompson, Jr., and Joseph Arnold-and
OF these Arnold was the youngest, hardly
20 years of age. Every precaution was
taken upon the approach of the storm,
and, with only enough canvas to steer by,
she faced it. All day and night of the 18th
she leaped and rolled and dived like
cork on the waves, while the storm in
creased in fury every hour. Day dimly
dawned on the 18th over a bowling waste
of waters, whose pillows heaved her sky
ward, leaving great chasms, down whose
sidesShe rushed headlong as if to certain
destruction. A gray mist shrouded sky
and sea, and the storm ftend shrieked with
that unearthly voice which, once heard, is
never forgotten. Covering before the
blast, licked from stem to stern by the
tongue OF the hungry sea, groaning and
sobbing as she strained up the watery
heights or slid down the kissing CULTS, the
little ship drove on. Although carrying
but thirteen yards of canvas, the Jaw of
the boom was eating into the foremost
like a famished animal With the adj
Il Ia,
1t seemed as if the spirit Of an angry god
walked the waters and dashed the ele-
mentS in his wrath \ mountainous
wave, leading the host of pillows, would
rush toward the little vessel, and, top
ping as if to fall upon and crush her,
would lower its crest, and, gliding beneath
her trembling timbers, lift her almost
clear in air and toss her, toy like, to an
other huge billow, while the multitude
nous ocean roared with rage.
The crew of the Timmons, brave and
hardy mariners as they We're, and accus-
toned to storms on the broad water from
childhood, stood appalled, at the surpasS-
ing terrors of this awful scene. LaShed
in the cockpit, with wise like grip upon
the wheel and drenched TO the skin, sat
Julius Weeks, who had been there thir-
teen hours. AT last, toward afternoon,
to the utter dismay of all on board, the
jib halyard parted, and, flying down the
stay, the jib hung, bag like below the
bowsprit, and instantly the sea, like q
ravenous beast, fell upon it and held it
down as if devouring it. The brave boat
struggled hard to lift her bow, thus
weighted, from the waves, and with a
mighty effort succeeded Again the sea
seized and held the bellying jib, and again
the gallant boat, struggled, raised it clear
but with weakening power. The pilots
now realized that, unless Immediately re-
leased from this new and frightful dam
ger, the Timmons could not hold her head
up, but must founder after ii few more
struggles; but, feeling assured that an /
attempt TO reach the jib stay would result /
in certain death as no man could ever
remain on the bowsprit even if he could
reach ii, they We're stricken with despair.
I'VE are lost" exclaimed one; unless
We can cut that jibstay we are certainly
gone A man can't live there, but il is
our only hope"
Who should do the desperate deed'
They hurriedly agreed 10 decide the mat
ter by lot, and We're about TO proceed TO
do so, when Joe Arnold, who was now at
the wheel, shouted.
Hold on, men. You are all married
and have families; l am single man: let
me try 1t, and if l go overload it will be
all right" and, surrendering the wheel
the brave boy drew his sheath knife, and
putting 1t between his teeth started for
ward.
1t was impossible, 70 keep his footing,
and so he crawled cautiously along the
deck there IS no railing to pilot boat,
holding on as best he could His COM
panions watched him with the eagerness
Of men whose only hope OF life hung on
his steadiness OF nerve and physical
If he reached the bowsprit in
safety, the sea would certainly beat him
off, for every time the little craft plunged
The waves seemed 10 leap up to meet. her.
For the first time since childhood fervent
prayers rose TO the lips OF some of those
men who had followed the sea" all their /
lays without thinking of him whose |
presence they now realized as they had
never realized it before, and tears flowed
RELY down their bronzed faces
Joe reached the foremost, and Just then
he Timmons rolled nearly on her beam
.nds. He threw his arm around the mas:
and held on. The storm was now in,
describahly fierce and the sea terrific. As
the vessel slowly recovered herself he
loosened his hold and crawled toward the
bowsprit. He reached it, got astride OF
It, locked his arms around il, drew long
breath, and then, with rush, the Tim
mons buried her head and Joe disappeared
n the seethinG waters
Inc crew held their breath in an agony .
of suspense, while their eyes strained to-
haro the boiling foam which engulfed ,