The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1888-04-13

there's nothing like your signature on .
mountain 10 be remembered by.
At this instant we were startled by Q wild
and fearful shout on deck. II sounded high
above the sweeping and seething OF the wind
and the Kissing OF the lashed waters, and IL
penetratod tho planks with a note that gave
II an inexpressible character OF anguish.
"a man washed overboardIs bawled tile
carpenter, springing to his feet
"NoIa cried /, for my younger and shrewder
ear had caught a note In the cry that per-
suaded me 10 was not as the carpenter said;
the ladder and gained the deck.
The moment I was In the gale the same
aifrighted cry rang down along the wind
from Some man forward: "For Gods sake,
tumble up before we are upon itln
"What do you seer roared, sending my
voice, trumpet fashion, through my hands;
for as TO my own and tho sight of Capt Rosy
and the carpenter, why, 1t was like being
struck blind to come ON u sudden out Of the
lighted cabin into the black night
Any reply that might have been attempted
was choked out by the dive of tho briggs
her forecastle and came washing aft like
milk in the darkness, till 1t was up to our
knees.
"See thereI" suddenly reared the carpenter.
"Where, man--wherei' bawletl tho captain.
But in this brief time my sight had grown
used to tho night, and saw the object before
the carpenter could answer. 1t lay ON our
leo beam, but how far or no man could have
k.lI ~, hafh a
the darkness and hung out dim complexion
of light, or rather OF pallitness, that was not
light-not to be described by the pen. IL
was like small hill OF snow, and looked as
snow does, or the foam of the sea in darkness.
sinking.
''Icel" I shouted to the captain.
81 see it,n he answered. ave must drive
her cleer at all risks
There was no need to call the men To the
second cry that had been raised by one
among them, VINO had como out of the fore
castle and seen the berg, they had tu.nhle,l
up as sailors viii when they jump for their
lives; and now they came staggering, splash
ing, crawling aft to us, for the lamp in TIC
cabin made q sheen in the COMPANION hatch.
and they could see US as we stood there
"Men," cried Capt. Rosy, ''yoaaer's a
gravestone for our carcasses if we arc no:
lively Cast the helm ;ISiriftln five :: -,
by a tiller). 'Two hands stand by be-,
ward, some of ye, and loose the foresss. .s,i.s.
and show tie head of itl'
The fellows hung in the wind. l couli No
wonder. Tho bov5prit had been spru:, "a.
the jibbooEl was wrenched from the car, l.
the fall of the topgallaptmISs; it st:il lGf3
to bear the weight Of the heavy s1r- II
yard, and the drag of the st2ysaI as.
carry the spar overheard with the me-: II ~
it. Yet it was our best chance; tho one 3 -
most speedily released and hoisted--tsc one
that would pay the briggs head OF C,iic,ez::,
and the only fragment that promised - II a.
"JumpIn reared the captain, in n passion
of hurry "Great thunderi It's close . .. II
You'll leave me no sea room for veoring Il
you delay an instant"
''Follow me who will" 1 cried or ''anti
others stand by ready to hoist away"
Thus speaking-for there seemed I , ~
mind surer promise of death IL h,..:-.G H..
at this supreme moment, t,lln il , 81. !
such risks as laying out Oh tho bows =.
nified-I mudc for the Ice OF the We, -.
bulwarks and blindly hauled myaeli :ol ,..ri
by such pins and gear as came to nay -. H.
A man might spend his life on Che occ.;a II =.
never have to deal with such passage as.
this.
I got ON to the bowsprit, nearly st;:let l..
the showering of the secs, holding a opCg
knife between my teeth, half G..God b TIE
prodigious motion of the Lg,.t In. :, w.l,cA It
this extreme end of her was 10 DO felt TO tic
full height of its extravaganza. At eve :
plunge l expected to be buried, and every
moment l was prepared to be torn from Iay
hold
to let go with my hands, pai!cl tn Z life
from my teeth, and, feeling for the ,iskets
or lines which bound the sail to tho 8 .lr, !
cut and hacked as fast as | could Ply my
arms In fash the gale, whipping into a
liberated fold of the canvas, blew TIC whole
sail out; the bowsprit reeled aad duivcrcd
under me; danced off it with Incredible
dispatch, shouting to the men to hoist afay
The head of the staysail mounted il G.rlltler,
and the Stating of its folds and tho tllrashing
of its sheet was like the rattling of heavy
field pieces whisked at full gallop over a
stony road.
"High enoughI" I bawled, guessing enough
was shown, for could not see. 'Get drag
upon the sheet, lads, and then aft with you
for your livesIn
Scarce had let forth my breath in this
cry when hoard the blast as of gun, and
knew by that the sail was gone; an instant
after wash came a mountainous sea sheer
over the weather bulwarks fair betwixt the
fore and main rigging; but happily, standing
near tho fore shrouds, was holding on with
both hands to the topsail halyards while call
ing to the men, SO that, being under the rail
which broke the blow Of the sea, and holding
ON too, no mischief befel me-only that fol
about twenty seconds stood in horrible
fury and smother Of frothing water, hearing
nothing, seeing nothing, with every faculty
in me so numbed and dulled by the wet, cold,
and horror of our situation, that know not
whether in that space Of time was in the
least degree sensible Of what had happened
or what might befall
The water leaving the deck, / rallied,
though half drowned, and staggered aft, and
found the helm deserted, nor could see any
signs of my companions I rushed to the
tiller, and putting my whole weight and force
to 1t, drove it up to windward and secured it
by turn Of its own roap; for ice or no ice
and for the moment was so blinded by the
wet that could not see the berg-my mad
and out of the trough, advised by every in
stinct In me that such another surge as that
which had rolled over her must send her to
the bottom in less time than it would take a
man to cry ooh GodT"
A figure came out Of the blackness on the
lee side Of the deck
"Who is thatg" said he. 1t was Capt Rosy.
answered.
"What, Rodneyl-aliveg" cried he. 81
think have been struck insensible."
Two more figures came crawling aft; then
two more. They were the carpenter and
three seamen.
I cried out, "Who was at the helm when
that sea was shipped?"
A man answered, ''Me, Thomas Jobling.n
where's your mattel" l asked; and it
seemed to me that was the only man who
had his senses full Just then.
He was washed forward along with me,n
he replied
Now fifth man Joined us; but before I
could question him as to the others, the cap
tain, with scream like ON epileptic's cry,
shrieked, sits all over with us! We are
upon it'll"
Hooked and perceived the iceberg to be
within musket shot, whence it was clear
that it had been closer to us when first
sighted than the blackness Of the night would
suffer us to distinguish. In a time like this
at sea events throng so fast they come in y
heap, and even IL the intelligence were not
COMPOUNDED by the uproar and peril-if, In
deed, it were as placid as in any time of per
feet security-it could not possibly take note
Of one-tenth that happens