Crawford avalanche., 1891-08-13

log the sens, Wuicu every minute "ctc
growing more furious. and swinging her
skin around TO meet them head-to. The
sun had set. and in the gloom which be-
gan to gather over the noisy water she
could sec the rock and the lighthouse
not far away looming darkly through
the spray. Two or three more shipments
OF water over the low quarter and then
the girl was in the shelter OF the rock.
Springing lightly from the bow and
carrying the painter with her she ran up
TO the windlass and drew her boat high
out of the water and secured IL as firmly
rs she could. The sea had already com
menced to boom against the rock, and
at each shock columns Of spray we're
flung up TO half tho height OF the tower
on the windward side. The evening
was made so dark by the storm that
Gypsy knew the light should be lighted
at once; moreover, she could just see
about half mile to windward ship
whose course lay along by the island.
She tripped lightly up the tower, the
wind shrieking by the building. and in a
few moments the ruddy light CLEANED
deepened. the ship, showing her lights,
passed safely by the ledge under close
reefed sails and Gypsy felt herself all
alone in the midst of this wilderness of
raging sea. When the great iron weight
was wound up and the lantern panes
wiped, she set the fans Of the balance
wheel to regulate the revolution of the
flashes and went down to the basement
of the tower. There she laid upon the
table some cold lake fowl, bread and
butter, and then brewed herself cup
of fragrant coffee.
Before supper was ended she knew the
maddened waters had burst over the rock
and were striking the tower, for she
could feel it quiver. She sat there for
nearly two hours reading book, but the
fury of the gale increased constantly and
the tower shook So violently under the
pounding of the laundering sea that she
grew alarmed. and closing her book
took her brass lamp and went up to the
lantern tn look out to sea. She stood
upon the trimming path or grated iron
footway that ran around inside the Ian
tern. The piercing light shining upon
the sea revealed such a state of tumult
that her heart almost stopped beating.
The waves rolled and foamed and smoked,
one after another, moving in ranks
toward the little rock like some terrible
army. AS each one struck it flung up
its long arms of cold, white spray, as if
grabbing at the tower, then it rccoiied
haol<~Ard, e--~---r'.a~er--,~ho-ro -rotreuts
before making spring and reared up
again, each time going higher and draw
ing nearer to the top OF the tower. Hour
after hour she sat there, spell-bound
with terror, and the ravfng ocean seemed
constantly to rise higher and to draw
nearer to her. Birds, driven from their
nook by the gale, rose upon thc, hc,murky
tempest, flying headlong toward the
streaming light. striking the lantern
with sharp blows and falling backward
stunned or dead. Other birds flew more
cautiously toward the lantern and came
peering through the pane with wild,
affrighted eyes, gently fiutering their
wings.
She had not now the courage to go
down to the basement, but remained
there on the trimming path actually fas-
cinated by the rampant sea. Higher and
higher rose the waves till now they
began to surge against the waist of the
tower, aud hogsheads ofwater were flung
against the lantern. Under some of the
onsets the building quivered from top
to bottom, and sometimes fairly reeIed.
The maciner of steel and brass clat-
tired under heavy shock, and under
the smaller ones rang like number of
little bells. She stood there with her
face as white as one of the foamy waves,
her hands against the heavy steel bars,
looking seaward, and not moving except
/ L. a - -
the burnt oil from brimming save-all.
She remained In the lantern till probably
an hour before dawn; then the gale
swelled into greater fury, and the storm
went bowling and believing past, as if
10000 condensed spirits had burst loose
and went floating by on the hurricane.
The swells grew longer sud seemed to
roll from the very bottom, aud they ran
nimbly and noiselessly up the rock, up
the tower, and flung their cold, white
arms with swishy yet thunderous sound
completely around the lantern. almost
throwing the heavy machinery from its
TaHeet 40 syHEx ysalEltY ouTt hen Jess abe satip
drift she uttered great cry, "Oh, God,
deliver me-" for she saw mighty wave
| towering nearly twice rs high as any OF
the rest. rolling. foaming and storming
at its crest. moving toward the rock. AS
it drew nearer it grew larger and larger,
and when it had reached within twenty
feet of the lighthouse it seemed as il the
whole lake had gathered itself up for
one onslaught upon the rock. She had
very little time to wait. for the awful
invader combed and curled several feet
above her head. and then fell with
crash OF terrible thunder upon the tower.
Then the light seemed to go out of her
eyes, and she felt as one does in some
turbulent dream; she could not tell how
anything happened; but the cold lake
water gurgling at her lips brought her to
consciousness. The tower was in the
sea.
It had broken away close 20 the base,
the posts breaking of short aud leaving
part OF the floor still fastened to the rock.
The upper part OF the tower being heavy
owing to the machinery and the heavy
metal work Of the lantern-wben it fell
over into the sen the top sank pcrpen-
dicularly into the water, the base remain
ing uppermost, and two of the floor
beams still lay across it with some of the
flooring.
As for the brave girl, she never knew
how It came to pass, but in some provi-
dental way she foated upward from the
lantern to the base, and when conscious
ness returned found herself in the midst
of the wild sea with a large .beamsat her
elbow. This she at once seized with
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