Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1891-12-12
A CAPE HORN INCIDENT.

the meridian of the Horn, but on a parallel
more southerly than it is now the custom
of steamships to take in rounding that
stormy, ice grit, desolate and most inhos-
pitable of all headlands
December in those distant regions is
midsummer, and the weather of that
morning was as fair and still as breeze
less April day in this country; but the
swell of the vast tract of ocean ran
easelessly-reminiscent respirations of q
Riantess whose conflict with the heavens is
eternal and whose breathing pauses are
very few and far between indeed Over
this long, dark blue, westerly swell the
great metal fabric went sweeping in long,
floating, launching curtseys, whitening
the water astern of her with mile of milk
white wake.
The frosty sun, whose beams in that sea
have something of the silvery brilliance of
the electric light, flashed a score of con-
stellstions out of the gilt and glass and
brass about the steamers bows and quar-
ters and decks. A number of passengers
were pacing the long hurricane platform.
Far away on the starboard beam, poised
starlike upon the keen blue rim of the
ocean, was an iceberg-a dash of crystal
line light against the airy sky that out
there, low down, wore the delicate hue of
the opal Otherwise the ocean swept
naked to its confines, plain of rich, deep
blue, with the heave of the swell shoulder
ing the morning glory under the sun as it
ran, and making that part of the deep
magnificent with flowing light.
The chief officer was on the bridge; the
first breakfast bell had rung and the cap
tain, smart as a naval officer, in buttons
and lace trimmings, quilted the chartroom
a md nj mad hn,
before going below. This skipper was
man OF eagle sight, and instantly on di-
recting his eyes over the ships bow he ex-
claimed:
What is that black object yonderf"
The chief mate peered, and the captain
leveled a telescope.
"A ships boat" said he, land seemingly
full of people,"
The boat, when sighted, was some three
or four miles distant, and the speed of the
steamer was about thirteen knots. In a
few minutes the alarm in the engine room
rang its reverberatory warning, sending a
little thrill of wonder throughout the ship,
so rarely is that telegraph handled on the
high seas
II count eight men, sir" cried the chief
mate, with a binocular glass at his eye
Again the engine room alarm rang out;
che pulsing that for days had been cease
lessly throbbing through the long fabric
lsnguished, and in a few minutes, to an
other summons of the metal tongue below,
ceased and the great steamer floated along
to her own impetus slowly, and yet more
slowly, till the boat was within the toss of
biscuit off the bow with the passengers
crowding to the side to look, and sailors
and walters and steerage folk blackening
the rail forward
The occupants of the boat consisted of
eight wild, hairy, veritable scarecrows OF
men, dressed in divers fashions-Scotch
caps, yellow sou'westers, sea boots, toll
worn monkey jackets and the like.
Boat ahOyp' hailed the captain as she
slowly washed alongside. What is wrong
with your"
A fellow standing up in the stern sheets
cried back in a strong Yankee accent:
For Gods sake, sir, take us aboard!
Our waters almost given ont, and there's
nothing left to eat"
Look out for the end of line," bawled
the captain. Are you strong enough to
get aboard without help?"
"Ay. sir, we'll manage it."
A rope was thrown, and one after an
other the fellows came swinging and scrap
Ing and scrambling up the clean side of
the steamer. The passengers crowded
around and gazed at them with curiosity
and pity. Their sympathetic eyes seemed
TO find famine painfully expressed in the
leathern countenances that stared back
through mats of hair.
I'VE must let your boat CO." said the
captain.
Cant help it, sir; thankful enough to
be here, | reckon" answered the fellow
who had called from the stern sheets and
who acted as spokesman.
ANYTHING belonging to you to come ont
of herf'
Nothing, by the Etarnall Let her 90,
sir. II sailors sea blessings can freight
craft. she amt going to float long"
The boat was sent adrift, the engine bell
rang out, once more the great mail steamer
was thrashing over the long, tall heave of
the Cape Horn swell.
How came you into this mess7" in
quired the captain.
The man who had before spoken made
answer:
'We're all that's left of the crew of the
Boston bark George Washington. She was
a whaler, a hundred and eighty four days
out. 1t were four days ago. / was the
first to smell fire some while arter O'Clock
in the middle watch"
at wanted ten minutes to six bells" ex-
claimed man, and a general, emphatic,
hairy nod f. lowing the interruption.
~ was the first to smell fire." continued
the other, ".all it what hour We like. |
gave the alarm, and all hands turned to
with hoses and buckets. But there was a
deal of oil in the hold, and the ships
planks was thick with grease besides, and
that gave us no chance. BY 10 O'Clock in
the morning the flames had bursted
through and was shooting up mast high,
and then we calculated it was time to look
to the boats"
The others stood listening with hard,
solid, leathsry faces, generally gazing with
steadfast eyes at the speaker, but some
times Rlancing askant at the captain and
the crowd of others which stood round.
There was q tarnation ugly sea run
ming" the man went on, land the wheel
being desarted the ship had fallen off and
lay in the trough, and the lowering of the
stern boats, whalemen though they was
who had the handling of 'em, cost our
company of twenty eipht souls the loss of