Western liberal. (Lordsburg, N.M.) 1887-1919, 1890-08-08

they did not do until the vessel got over
the bar and just outside the '~'station
boat. as che pilot boat which waits to
receive pilots from outward bound ves-
sells is called.
The tugboat had left, sail had been
made on the brig. and she began to
gather way under a heavy northerly
breeze.
The weather at this time. about 4 p.
M, looked very ~unpropitious and lower
ing. and the brig had hove to for the
yawl from the station boat to take the
pilot of when. as the main topsail was
fat back against the mast, the forward
yards braced the other way, a squall
from north-northeast struck the vessel
and nearly threw her on her beam ends.
There was no time to be lost. She was
rapidly gathering sternway, and was in
imminent danger.
The pilot forgot his station boat in the
immediate peril, shouted 10 the man at
the wheel to shift his helm so as to bring
the brig around on her keel, and then
gave the orders TO swing the %mainyard,
lower the topsail yards down on the
caps, haul out the reef tackles, to haul
up the mainsail and f~oresail, run down
the jib and clew down the head of the
spanker SO as to get the brig under easy
working sail.
She careencd over until her lee Soup
pers were under water, and the wind
blew so hard that the topsGils would not
run down. nor tie jib obey the force
upon the downhaul.
In "a f.Vr pnfpttt,s tl,n .vhola For, ,r No
ture had changed. A binding snow
storm obscured the jersey shore outside
the Hook as completely as n fog, and YES
sells to windward were only dimly out
lined through the biting flakes.
Where had the pilot boat gone?
Nobody on board Tire brig had stopped
to ask, for night was setting down rap
idly on the waters aud the storm was
raging with all its might, the wind veer-
ing and varying every half hourbetgeen
north and east-northeast, so that the
brig, which had not got into ''ship-
shape" with its spare spars, water casks
and chain cable loose ON deck, adding to
the difficulties Of the situation and the
momentarily increasing dangers, was al
most unmanageable.
The crew, though good seamen, no
doubt, with the exception of the three
men from the Sailors Home, did not
know each other, and, naturally, did not
work well together, and the officers had
no knowledge of the capacities of their
men. so that they could not order them
about with surety.
Lay aloft and double reef the foretop-
Ill - eI,r,s,I fla GootoI, ,.Dt,f, ,.tfnr
as first officer for the pilot, who had now
taken the wheel. fearful lest the brig
should go on the shore under her lee,
over which the rollers were laundering
and leaping scarcely a cables length
/, away.
: As this order was given another squat
struck tie brig, and she heeled over as
! if she would certainly capsi2e. But the
I pilot swept her to windward, shivcrct
] her forcyard and brought her upsliakine
y and trembling like a scared bird in tn,
e trough of the sea, while all hands, cook
captain, boys and steward. tried to cleN
down the topsail yards, haul out til,
D reef tackles, and spill the wind out Of
the sails by hauling taut the buntlines.
j up. now, men, shouted the captain
and reef the maintopsail. You car
e manage that easiest. Conserving TIA,
~foretopsail while it * aback. 20 he shoutcC
to the second mate, ''and haul The hea,
D of the spanker u to keep her steady.
Efforts. with more or less success
were made to obey all these orders. Blu
Z the foretopsail split as soon as the since.
( was started, and the jib, which coult
not be pulled down the stay, was in rib
j bons.
u Still the f%oretopmast staysail, tn,
spanker and the %maintopsail held on
" while the brig plunged and laborcd anC
snorted in the sea like a terrified horse
y The men MOUNTED to the topsail yard
II The first man outside the liIt to tn.
e weather reef earring was Antonio.
g "LuR up, and shake her! Light II t.
y windward!' he shouted to the deck an,
to the men inside him IN the yard. Evel
as he spoke the brig ''broached to-" tn
! heavy sail tapped, and. as it filled for
, ward again with the gale, it tore Antoni
y from the yard as he held On to the leac.
> and hurled him far ahead into the sea
'e lie disappeared forever.
, His requiem was the faint alarm
MAN o~verboardr' unheard on deck, an
e the thunderous explosion of the topsa.
Il itself, which was blown clean out OF tn
d bolt ropes by another squall which struc
"a the now seemingly doomed vessel.
u Come down from aloft! Come down.
y shricked the captain and pilot to the ur
&c fortunate men ON the topsail yard, whic
d was being whipped and lashed by tn
strips of the torn canvas of the burste
sail.
d The poor fellows tried to do so. Thos
q from the weather side succeeded. Onl
y one of those on the lee yardarm reache
q the deck in safety. Two had been Gu
&c and slashed by the strips-of wet, froze
canvas and literally beaten OFF the var
= into the dark, seething waters c%areerin
&c to the Jersey beach a few hundred yaro
y away.
., These two were Elliott and Reed!
~ Before 10 o'clock that night the win
went down. Next morning the bri
- cast anchor in the Horseshoe.
PC But the three sailors who two night
d before had prayed with, parted an
'u promised Ia return with many curi0s IL