The National tribune., 1890-07-17

But it would not We saw vessel of shal
lower draft than ours pass with the pilot-boat
through the breakers to the haven of rest be
yond, while our ship following the example o
dozen Others, who also sank too deep in the
water, turned herself in long circle and
pointed her wave-beaten nose toward the shores
of Sunny Spain, distant fully 1000 leagues oi
tossing water, She ran out to sea till midnight
and then turning, ran back toward the inlet
till morning. Daylight found us again very
near the spot where the pilot-boat had met us
Thanks 10 exhaustion and fatigue we had
managed TO sleep considerably during the night
| though the great waves butletcd our ship im-
| ceSsantly. i never became so weary of any
thing in my whole life. ] felt that / would ask
no other Heaven than TO be somewhere where
the waves did not roll nor the deck beneath
/ my feet plunge and writhe.
But the growing day gave us little encour-
agement Old Boreas stormed and clustered
/ as II his rage was enkindled alresh and the
| two awful days wo had were only preface to
bis real fiendishness.
Again we boisted the signal for a pilot, well
! knowing all the time that it was even more
useless than it had been the day before.
! Nearly score of great ships, some laden
! with men, some with stores, aud some with
/ horses, tossed on the surgng waves about us,
! and occasionally some Captain, grown desperate
/ uuder the scourging of wind and wave, would
! decide TO take his chances of carrying his
vessel over the shallow bar which closed the
/ mouth Of the inlet. Some we're successful, and
made the tcmpestuous mile with no worse ex-
/ perience than a severe humping as the hollow
/ OF the wave let their hulls come down on the
! unyielding sand. But one great stcamer-the
! New NOTk-was not so fortunate. She WIS
! laden with stores of tho greatest Importance
ammunition for the huge ship guns, tents.
! rifles, clothing, etc. Before she reached tho
/ inlet she ran hard on the ground and the
l,uf tfV,r l,n.c cfs.rs, II,r
crew raised the signal Of dstrcss-a flag with
the Union d0wn-aud Immediately the whole
feet bcstirTgd TO give relief, but nothing could
be done. For another vessel to go near her
would be TO simply share her fate and small
boats could not live in the mad rush and whirl
of waters.
SO we watched her with throbbing hearts
through the day, saw the crew cut away the
foremast and then the manmast in vain hope
of helping her We saw her boats, her bull
warks. and her smokcstack yield to the waves.
In spite of the shaking up being worse than
ever the awful sea sickness began TO wear of,
and no longer yearned for quiet grave be-
meath weeping willow. ] gotawiul hungry, but
the sight and smell OF the food that we had was
enough to turn my stomach and bring a
lapse. Job led US all in recuperation, and was
rapidly becoming his old self
j saw him coming along the deck with n look
in his eyes that meant mischief He had some
thing in his hand, wrapt up in piece Of news
paper. Following his eyes / saw Ian Green,
seated in a sheltered part OF the deck, trying
TO tempt his rebellioas stomach with a lunch
Of some OF the most appotizing things he could
find. lie had SOME crackers, a piece of cheese.
and a halfdozen sardiucs he had procured
from some source, and was nibbling daiutily
at them, if very uncertain what reception
they would meet with from his sensitive cpl
gastrium.
Job slept suddenly in front of him, and Un-
wrapping tie paper, laid down on his lunch
hunk of the coarsest greasiest, rankest pork
that he could hud.
There Ian, he said, Swallow big chunk
o that. tn do you more good than anything
else. It's something that'll stick TO your ribs
Had Lan been suddenly condemned 10 burn
ing at the stake his face could not have looked
worse. lie spraug up 20 the side Of the vessel
and made another mighty effort 10 throw up
his very lungs. The sight was too much for
the ticklish condition OF our internal economy
and breath later we were all alongside Of
him, trying 70 see which would hrst succeed IN
turning ourselves wrOngside out. Only jobs
stomach remained true to him, and he leaned
up against the capstan and laughed until the
tears came in his eyes But retributiOn over
took the rascal. Just then the ship buried her
nose ia an enormous wave, and young Niagara
poured over the bow that Thought would sink
rs. Ii swept Job from his feet, and he came
bObbiBg down 10 where sc were like a sawlog
on a mill-race We could not resist the tempta-
ton 70 give him kick or two as he went by,
sputtering and ciutehing al everything within
reach. Our hold on the taGrail kept Us on our
own feet
The wind lulled down during the night. and
the next morning the sun came out bright aud
warm. How very good 10 seemed. New life
came into every heart. We got out our soalse
clothes aud blankets, aud hung them up in the
rigging 10 dry. The matches were opened 10
let the glad sunlight pour as FAR possible into
the fOul-smeliiBg depths below deck. Waves
still rolled tremendously, but with the sun
shining aud tie winds subdued to a breeze
they were minor evil.
We looked for he 'NewYork." The waves had
made wild work with her during the night, aud
she was a sorry spectacle, but her hull and the
greater part Of her upper work was still intact
and her crew appeared Or the deck. Presently
We saw two men lower boat amid immense
djflICultics get into il, and start to row 10 the
nearest vessel. The sides aud rigging of the
other vessels still outside became black with, or
rather blac with, men watching their progress
and cheering them. They battled with tho
waves herOiczlly, and several times il seemed
that they had gone 30 the bottom, but after d
minute Of suspense their little craft would re-
appear climbing the side Of a wave, and then
se would all hurrah Al last they reached the
ship, and after bobbing up and down by the
huge side, were taken aboard, amid our cheers
Shortly after there was a movement on the
decks. They're lanchin' their surf boats;
they're goin' to try TO git the rest of'm or
explained the sailors near US
So it proved Thousands Of ns watched al-
most breathlesgly, as they got tie great, clumsy
looking suTfboats into the water, manned them
with str0ng-armcd sailors and made their way
over tie waves % the doomed ship. One by
one tie crew, 50 weak and limp from their
struggle that they could scarcely walk, much
less climb, was handed aboard the plunging
boats, and the reception Of the last WAS an
n0unced by thc sailors in the boats swinging
thcir caps and cheering. which was the signal
for 4" three times three" from us watchers
." Great BuHy Fisty :" said job, with shining
eyes, how ] would We liked 10 We been with
them sailors"
Colonel" said the Captain Of our ship,
speaking 10 Col. Satterlee, I'm going 10 try
and take this vessel oysr the bar. The pilot
says the chances are against me, but I'm going
10 take EN-. I'll have 20 ask you to form your
men and get 'em in the middle Of the shin on
all the decks, and keep EN- there, while we're
going through. Don't let any Of 'em run 10
the sides no matter what happens, for ipll
hinder the steering and may lose the vessel"
Col. Satterlee had the officers call sounded.
aud when tho Captains and LeuteDantg gath
cred around him lac gave them the instructions
There are four decks in the ship, and we
formed in line in the ccnters Of these. We
could see nothing, and the suspense was trying.
There we're a few minutes Of preparation and
then the bells changed out " Go aheadD From
where VIC stood / could sec the engineer prasp
the lever and pull it down. The engines gave