The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1891-03-12
STRUCK BY A METEOR.
How Schooner Was Wrecked
Off Madagascar.
Fate Of the First oficer-The Captains Reso-
luton Saves His Life-Floating on Spar.
Picked Up by Passing Vessel.

"Can You tell me what causes the lights so
often seen ON the yard-arms of vessels at
sea?''
What lights do you mean ?" said Captain
Williams. an old salt, now here on visit to
his daughter. "Do you mean what we call
Jack O. Lanterns? No, 1 can't; and
don't think any sailor can. 1 have seen
them scores of times and never bothered my
head about them.
Il saw something once in the Red Sea,
however. that beat your Jack O. Lanterns
all hollow. was in command of little
schooner then and had been up to Alden
with supplies for the troops there and was
going back to Cape Town in ballast. We
had fine trip till we got down into the
Straits of Madagascar, and then it began to
blow like the old Harry. The schooner was
stripped down to single storm stay-satl
and for over six hours lay with the sea going
clean over her. l was about to order the
say-sail hauled down when, with report
like cannon, it was blown out of the bolt
ropes and disappeared like a white cloud,
far to leeward. After that the vessel rode
easier and did not ship so much water.
A PECULIAR ATMOSPHERE.
what struck me as peculiar was the fact
Oudt w Hllt the SldSS MGUI away uuhu VIC
fir seemed hot and dry and we could hardly
breathe The gals lasted five days, and
then it died out We had been blown far
out of our course and the clouds were so
thick could not make an observation or
find out where we were. When night came
1t was so dark you could not see your hand
before your face
''In the early part of the night was below,
but went on deck about midnight There
was not breath OF wind when l took my
watch, so | sat on the hatch aft and began
to I'LL my pipe. All at once the air seemed
filled with fire, and the next Instant some
thing struck the schooner. For few mo-
ments knew nothing, and when | regained
my senses | was in the water, which seemed
to boil and foam like pot over big fire.
AFLoAT ON A SPAR.
"Just then my head struck Something
which | instinctively caught hold Of. 1t was
part OF the foremost. and | chung to il for
life. Soon | heard some one calling ont, and
| found that the second mate had also got
hold of the floating mast. The crosstrees
kept the stick from rolling and we held on
till daylight, when we succeeded in making
ourselves more secure.
But we we're In bad fix, without food or
water, drifting we knew not where. Both
of us, therefore, realized that in few days
at latest our end would come unless succOr
reached us.
THE ToRTUREs OF THIRST.
All Gidb udl llt sun Dtdl uUh ii VII uS'
took off my shirt and put it over my head to
guard against sunstroke, bu; the second
mate kept dipping his head into the water,
and, of, course, soon began complaining of
thirst.
might came ard cur suffering grew
worse and we prayed for daylight Ii came
at last, and then | found that the mate was
a raving maniac in consequence of the salt
water lie had drank through the night. His
cries ana means were pitiful and several
times he spoke of his wife and mother. Sud-
denly he east off the rope which held him to
the spar, and giving one wild shout jumped
into the sea.
SHIP AHoY!"
THE day wore on and tried not to think,
/ was weak and dying with thirst, but kept
from drinking the salt water. At last the
stars came out and | began to wonder how
often / should see them again. Then | saw
what | took to be a star down on the horizon
and ii seemed to me to move. | watched 1t
for some time, when to my great JOY saw
another light green one. Then knew my
star was a steamers headlight.
al waited until the vessel was close to me
and then put all my remaining strength into
a wild cry for help. Soon | saw the vessel
stop and heard voices calling 10 me, but
could make no reply
SAVED AT LAST.
after that / lost consciousness and knew
nothing till / came TO myself on board Il
French brig. the La Gloria, bound to Cape
Town.
SIT took me nearly three months to regain
my strength, and for two years | stayed in
Cape Town with my brother before [ went
to sea again.
What struck the vessel? That could
not say, unless as some of the scientific men
say, it was falling meteor. The rest of
the crew, nine III number, were either killed
when the meteor struck the vessel or