Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1888-05-31


plationl
Every cabin had its port, and there were
ports in the vessels side opposite but on re-
Election considered that the cabin would be
the warmer for their remaining closed, and
so came away and entered the great cabin
afresh, bent on exploring the forward part.
Unjust tell you that the mainmast, pierre
ing the upper deck, camc down close against
the bulkhead that formed the forward wall
OF the cabin, and ON approaching this parti-
tion, tho daylight being broad enough now
that the hatch lay open on top, remarked
sliding door on the larboard sidc of the mast.
l put my shoulder TO it and very easily ran
it along its grooves, and then found myself
in the way of direct communication with
all the fore portion of the schooner The ar
rangement indeed was so odd that | sus-
pected a piratical device IN this uncommon
method of opening out at viii the whole
range of deck The air here was us vile as
in the cabins, and l had to wait n bit
On entering discovered a little compart-
ment with racks on either hand filed with
small arms | afterward counted lis muskets,
blunderbusses and fusils, all of an antique
kind, while the sides of the vessel were hung
with pistols great and little, boarding pixies,
cutlasses, hangers and other sorts OF sword
This armory was a sight to set me walking
very cautiously, for it was not likely that
powder should be wanting in a ship thus
equipped; and where was it stoweds
There was another sliding door in the for
ward partition; i. stood open, and passed
through it into what Immediately saw was
the cook house. turned the lantern about
and discovered every convenience for dress
ing food. The furnaces were of brick and
the oven was great one-great, l mean, for
the size of the vessel. There were pots, pans
and kettles in plenty, a dresser with drawers,
dishes of tin and earthenware, a Dutch clock
lin short, such an equipment of Kitchen fur
niture as you would not expect to find in the
galley of an Indiaman built to carry two or
three hundred passengers About half
chaldron of small coal lay hoaped in a wooden
angular fonce fitted to the ships side, for the
sight of which l thanked God. l held the
lantern to the furnace, and observed a
crooked chimney rising TO the deck and pass
ing through it. The mouth or head of it was
no doubt covered by the Snow, for l had not
noticed any such object in the survey / had
taken of the vessel above. Strange, thought,
that those men should have frozen to death
with the material in tho ship for keeping n
fire going. But then my whole discovery
which defy the utmost imagination and ex-
perience of man to explain them. Enough
that here was a schooner which had been in
serred in a sepulcher of ice, as might ra-
ionany conclude, for near half century;
;hat there were dead men in her, who looked
70 have been frozen to death; that she was
apparently stored with miscellaneous booty;
that she was powerfully armed for craft of
her size, and hal manifestly gone crowded
with men. All this was plain, and say it
was enough for me.
Before could make a fire the chimney
must be cleared. Among the furniture in the
arms room were number OF spade headed
spears-the spade as wide as the length of a
mans thumb and about foot long, mounted
on light, thin wood. Armed with one of
these weapons, passed into the cabin to pro-
coed OH deck.
speedily sped the chimney, which showed
q head of two feet above the deck, and made
short work of the snow that was frozen in it,
as nothing could have been filter to cut ice
with than the spade shaped weapon carried.
This done, returned to the cook room, and
with butchers ak that hung against the
bulkhead knocked away one of the boards
that confined the coal, split it into small
pieces and in q short time had kindled good
fire. When | was thoroughly warm and COM
forted took the lantern and went aft to the
stewards room and brought thence a cheese,
ham, some biscuit and one of the jars of
spirits, all of which | carried to the cook
room and placed the whole of them in the
oven. | was extremely hungry and thirsty,
and the warmth aud cheerfulness of the fire
set me yearning for a hot meal But how was
| to make me a bowl without fresh water? /
went on deck and scratched up some snow,
but the salt in it gave it q sickly taste, and
was not only certain it would spoil and make
disgusting whatever l mixed it with or
cooked in it, but it stood as drink TO dis
order my stomach and bring ON an illness.
So, thought l to myself, there must be
fresh water about-casks enough in the
hold, dare say; but the hold was not to
be entered and explored without labor and
difficulty, and l was weary and famiShed,
and in no temper for hard work.
In all ships it is the custom TO carry one or
more casks called scuttlebutts on deck, into
which fresh water is pumped for the use of
the crew. l stepped along, looking earnestly
at the several shapes of guns, coils of rigging,
hatchways, and the like upon which the
snow lay thick and solid but perceived moth
ing that answered to the shape of cask At
last | came to the well in the head, passed the
forecastle deck, and, on looking down, spied,
among other shapes three buiged and bulky
forms. | seemed by instinct to know that
these were the scuttlehutts, and went for the
chopper with which | returned and got into
this hollow, that was four or five feet deep.
The snow had the hardness of iron; il took
me quarter of an hour OF severe labor to
make sure of the character of the bulky thing
l wrought at, and then it proved to be a
cask Whatever might be its contents it was
not empty, but l was pretty nigh spent by
the time had knocked off the iron bands
and beaten out slaves enough to enable me to
get at the frozen body within. There were
three-quarters of cask full. 1t was spark
Ling clear ice, and, chipping off a piece and
sucking it, found it to be worry sweet fresh
water. Thus was my labor rewarded
cut off as much as, when dissolved, would
make couple of gallons, and returned to the
cook room.
The fire burned brightly, and its rudy
glow was sweet as human companionship. |
put the ice into n saucepan and set it upon
the fire, and then pulling the cheese and ham
out of the oven found them warm and
thawcd On smelling at the mouth of the
jar, discovered its contents TO be brandy
Only about an inch deep of it was melted.
poured IlllS INTO a UOOE n SUD.
and finer drop of spirits never swallowed
in all my life; its elegant perfume proved it
amazingly choice and old / fetched lemon
and soma sugar, and speedily prepared
small smoking bowl of punch. The ham cut
readily; l fried couple of stout rashers, and
fell to the heartiest and most delicious repast
/ ever sat down to. At any time there is
something fragrant and appetizing in the
smell of fried ham; conceive, then, the relish
that the appetite of a starved, half frozen,
shipwrccked man would find in It'll The
cheese was extremely good, and was as sound
as if it had been made a week ago. Indeed,
the preventative virtues of the cold struck
me with establishment. Here was / making
fine meal off stores which, in all probability,
had lain in this ship fifty years, and they ate
as choiccly as like food of a similar quality
ashore. Possibly some of these days science
may devise means for keeping the stores Of
ship frozen, which would be as great
blessing as could befall the mariner, and
sure remedy for the scurvy; for then as much
fresh meat might be carried as salt, besides
other articles of perishable kind.
Continued.
Dry goods clerk Ito lady looking at
mourning goods)-That is an excel
lent piece of goods, madam. Lady
VIII it do up nicely? Clerk-O, yes,