The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1891-10-05
STRANGER tn IN FICTION.
A Truthful Tale That Smacks of the
salt sea Brine"

- AruCnIul Eale ThSt SmaCkS OF the
salt Sea Brlne.''
| From the San Francisco Examiner
Away down in the south harbor district
the big British ship Kilbrannan is buslly
engaged discharging cargo of sulphur at
Fremont street dock.
Among her crew is an apprentice named
William Galloway. He is a brown faced
Scotch laddie who says "mither" for mother,
and everything about him, from the frayed
bottoms Of his jean trousers to the wiry-
looking tufts of hair which peep from be-
neath the front peak of his little fore-and-
arr cap, oetoken the rollicking, happy-go..
lucky nature Of the deep SEQ sailor boy.
There is story connected with young
Galloway and 1t is more wonderful and
thrilling in details than many of the tales
of marine disaster evolved from the brains
OF latter-day writer's of fiction. He was
lost overheard from the Kilbrannan on a
wild winter night, 600 miles south of the
Cape of Good Hope, and his subsequent res
cue at time when search for him wns
about to be abandoned gives color to the old
forecastle legend that there is 'cherub
sitting aloft who looks out for the life of
poor Jack"
1T was o'clock on the evening of Feb.
% last, said First Mate William Coalfeet.
1--WE were ifty-hve days out from Phlla-
delphla, bound for Hiogo, Japan, and when
Capt. McCaum took the sun at noon on
the day mentioned we were in latitude
44Ol south. longitude l44 east. At the
time the accident occurred there was q
strong westerly wind blowing. 1t was
dark and bitter cold and the sea was rum
ming very high.
SHOUTING FAMILY IN THE DARK WATERS.
Galloway was half way up the ratlines,
unlocking q block from the main sheet,
when the vessel gave n lurch and he lost
his hold and fell into the sea. The captain,
who was standing aft, near the wheel, OBJ
served the accident, and threw a life buoy
to the lad as be was being carried past the
stern of the vessel on the top of big wave.
"The ship was brought up in the wind as
quickly as possible and a boat lowered and
| manned. took command of her and away
we went as fast as We could in the direction
we supposed the boy to be. We heard him
shout several times as we were lowering the
boat, but he had yelled himself hoarse and
we had nothing TO guide us as we pulled
airnlesSy about in the heavy sea.
1--WE pulled around for over an hour, and
as we lost sight of the ship several times,
and the night was getting rougher and
thicker, was about TO give up the search
in despair, when suddenly we heard feeble
moan, and, straining our eyes, we deserted
Galloway cllnging to the life buoy in the
trough OF the ssa almost under our bow. We
soon had him on board, and it took some
rigid limbs"
Galloway LETT his work on the forecaste
head, when called by the mate. and told his
fearful experience to the reporter:
SWIMMING FOR MS LIFE.
when l rose TO the surface after falling
The ships lights went away from me like a
flash. 1 heard something splash in the
water beside me-. but 1 could not see what it
was. | knew afterward it was the life buoy
"a Tn
good swimmer, and managed to ride tho big
seas that came along, but it was terribly
cold, and my legs began to feel like lead.
The water was as black as ink, and when
sank ever now and again between two big
seas l thought the big walls OF water would
meet over my head and never let me get TO
the top again.
1T wGs good job for me that the water
was SO black, | think, or l never would
have seen the white life buoy as it came to
me on the crest of a big murky sea. l
reached out and rested my hands on it, and
it turned over quite naturally and fell down
on my shoulders, aud l got it under my
arms and stopped padding. 1t came none
too soon, for l was ii ed out. and from the
waist down l felt like a dead man. I
shouted as long as | could, but my voice
grew husky and I wasn't able to made q
sound above whisper.
"Then l heard big wings tapping over
my head, and | knew that the albatrosses
aud mollyhawks had found me- They
swooped down again and again, and kept
waving my arms, thinking every moment
that one Of them would drive its beak
through my skull
THOUGHTS OF HOME
II lost ell hopes of being saved, and
thought of my mother and sisters in Glas~
gov. 1t seemed to me that had been
hours in the water, and that the end must
soon come. Then suddenly | heard the
splash of oars, and there, right on top of a |
tremendous sea, was the white hull Of the |
mates boat. 1t looked as if it was going to
jump clean over me, and l tried hard TO
shout at them. They heard me, and the
boat dropped down beside n g, and | was |
soon hauled on board. L could not bend
my legs, tut when we reached the ship the |
captain gave me medicine, ami with plenty
of warm blankets and hot coffee | soon be- |
gan to feel myself again. / was only laid |
up for twe1ty~four hours
Galloway was born in Glasgow twenty |
years ago. He is of bright. CHEEKY nature, |
but the recolecticns Of his terrible expert |
ence among the ink-black winter waves
causes him to shudder whenever he relates !
the story.
CLOSE to the circular boundary that separates