The Ohio Democrat. (Logan, O. [Ohio]) 1886-1906, 1890-03-15


seas in close succession came rolling In
toward us. The boat safely surmounted
the first, which broke just astern, and
we were pulling to meet the following
one, when the stroke oar snapped in
two, throwing the rowers into confusion,
and deadening the boats headway. Be-
foro they could recover, the sea, break
ing at that instant, caught the boat
under the bow, swinging her violently
around broadside to, overwhelming and
capsizing her, and spilling us all out
into the water.
1t was all done in n moment and bo-
fore could fully realize the situation,
l was rolled over and over by the rush
ing waters, and buried in the seething,
foaming mass until l thought that l
should never find my way back to the
surface again. / remember that, in my
bowilderment did not know in what
direction the surface lay, and probably
would have drowned right then and
there, had not my arm, as / was swept
along, scraped upon the firm sandy bot
tom, when planting my feet upon it, 1
gave strong push and rose with a
| bound to the top of the water. AS soon
as could get my eyes open and look
around, saw IL boat, bottom up, about
thirty feet from me, with several men
around her, while others were struggling
in tho midst of the scattered oars, water
casks and other loose floating articles
which had escaped from the boat.
A man near me calling for assistance,
pushed an oar to him, which he
grasped, and then, seeing that he was
now able to care for himself, swan to
tho boat, intending to get on top of her
astride the keel. Upon reaching her, l
found that she was held in one position
by her anchor which had dropped out
and caught in the bottom when she was
overturned. There were four or five of
the men, Tom among them, hanging on
to the boat, and l shouted to them to try
and cut the anchor-rope so that Rshe
might drift into smoother water, and
also to get hold of the painter and lead
it along aft over the bottom of the boat
so that we might have something to
hold on by.
Meanwhile, the seas dashed over the
entire length of the boat, sweeping me
off several times and washing me astern,
so that, owing to the current caused by
the tide running in, it was with the ut
most difficulty that / could regain my
precarious hold upon the boat. Finally
perceiving that was fast losing my
strength, | abandoned all effort to cling
to the boat and drifted away with the
tide, only exerting myself sufficiently
to keep my head above water. Just
then Tom, who was an excellent swim
mer, came near me and called out:
Are you all right? Can you take
care of yourself?"
"Yes, guess can keep afoat," re-
piled.
"very well, I'll stay by you in case
you should want help" Tom said, and
then drifted ,'olg with me. At his
suggestion 1 commenced to pull off my
clothes to relieve myself of their addi-
tional weight, when suddenly / felt
rushing and swirling of the waters
around me, then heard brief, agonized,
cry, and turning quickly, saw the hugo
dorsal fin with the white streak across
it where my bullet had creased it, and
the mottled back of the "Old Commo-
dore" vanishing beneath the waves
L
terror and apprehension. / was almost
paralyzed with fear. Whose was the
cry had heard? l looked around for
Tom, but could not see him.
TOM Toni" shouted, but received
no response. An intense feeling of lone
illness oppressed me. Slowly it dawned
upon me that Tom had left me forever
1t was his last cry that had heard. His
prophecy had come true. The sold
Commodore had at last "got the man
he was waiting for" At first my grief
overcame me to the exclusion of all
other feelings. Then gradually l was
brought back to realizing sense of my
own situation. What would become of
me? Suppose the shark should return
for another victim. The suspense was
terrible, and wonder that in my despair
| made any further efforts for my own
safety.
What happened afterward, or how
long was in the water, l know not. l
have faint recollection of crawling up
on sandy beach above the water-line,
and then | lost consciousness. When /
recovered my senses / was lying in my
berth, on board of the vessel, on my
face, with my back so burned and blis-
tered by the sun that / was unable to
lie in any other position for days. 1
learned that the accident had been OBJ
served from the vessel, and the gig i'm
mediately sent in, which picked up the
cutter with three men clinging to her,
and then pulling up the channel in
search of the others. had found mo lying
insensible upon the beach at the south
point of the inlet, completely divested
of clothing, and exposed to the scorch-
ing rays of the sun. The bodies of the
five other men were never recovered.
In view of the sad circumstances at
tending the death of poor Tom, is it any
wonder that my antipathy to sharks is
so great that never lose an opportunity
to destroy one whenever it occurs?
Poor Tom! Unselfish and self-sacri-
ficing, his last thought had been for my
safety. +. III. Newcomb, in
n. Y. Ledger.
AN HISTORIC INCIDENT.