Macon beacon. [volume] (Macon, Miss.) 1859-1995, 1891-10-24
THE MAD MARINE.
Strange, Sad Story Of a Wreck and
It's Ghastly Occupant.
Left on Deck by q Sudden squall the Tn.
fortunate Sailor Goes Crszy and
Refusing Aid seeks Death
la the Waves

"sail ho'n
"Where away
Two points Of the ~weather-bow.
sir
Gan you make her out?
mo, sir
"Repor. 70 the captain, orderly.
said the officer Of the deck - the ma
rine stationed al the cabin doyr. tazt
sail has been reported from al1tt two
points Of the vez.aer-t0is, INT thu.
the lookout cannot make her out ret
Meantime a little group II oEeers
had gathered at, and the men On the
~forecas,le had crowded close ~ the
~weather-raiL and ali ezgsr,r canned
the horizon, for d sail in ma, pgr,.yu
Of the western OCEAN was 10 common
thing 20 See.
II was q dull, Threatening zttsrnogn
In June, and the sloop u wa CrgTder
was bowling along close hauled u the
port tack. about two hundrss mi!es b.
the westward Of the Azores.
Hail the lookout again aid ,bs
captain, 'ft he can make Anything out
OF her now
ut looks like a wreck ~. came
back the answer from the t0p.al ra,d
Now we could plainly make her out
a. She syashed and wallewel IN the
waves. She had been barz-r.yyed Dy,
the iorenast had carried away elose -
the deck. while the b%oYsprlt and head.
booms, held By a tangled mass ~ yay.
ging, trailed from her low The NJ
per mast Of the main and mizz.n wer.
also gone, and the only remnant, u :
sail that could BE seen were the 80.
tered rags that streamsd from The main
tpsail yard-arn2
She was very deep ia the water. and
now and then, a. she fetched . hesyy
lurch, a ca would plunge arm. her
deck aud gush and guryie from the
Euppers- and the only sign y. lie MA
the sea birds tina. frightened from
their perch upon the ~yesse!'s mas,s
circlsd round and round and with .b-iIl
cries uttered their ditpleas1re.
The Croyden vas h0re :, a shqr dis
tsbce 10 lesgzrd, and a ma. al 9 dr. .
patched ~ the deserted yessel The
Of-cer In charge va ordered " make I
athorough search, and " gain all The
information possibie concsrniny he,.
and II he should find that the shiD mad
been abandoned, a. seem.d probable.
he was " blow her up with the to,.
pedoes furnished ~ the b,a, "a In he,
present condition she wa a danger q,
navigation.
Keep a good lookout for your ~
call" shouted the captain, a. the boa.
showed on, "fV Il lookk a. II We mivht
have sotne bad weather before long
IL WA a hard pull W reach the wreck
and a difficult matter 70 byard her, hut
by careful management the bat was
shot under the counter, and one Of the
crew. selling a ropes end that hung
over the side, quickly raised himself
upon her deck, and then throwing a
line To those In the boat she was soon
secured and one by one the men clam.
bered over the stern.
A Scene Of dcsolation met our ewes.
Forward. the forecastIe house had
been swept away and one Of the
anchors, torn adrift from its Hastings,
had pounded an ugly hole in her bow.
Aft the waves had smashed In the
cabin bulkhead and broke into frag-
ments the cabin fittings. while over
head the splintered wreck Of masts,
held by rigging whitened by the
spray, thrashed to and fro with every
roll Of the ship.
Across the stern In furnished gilt let
ters was her name. "Henrietta-" She
was undertaken, and that was why
she was still sfoat But why and
when was she absndonedY The only
pir"cs we could search for any clew
- a. the mystery was under the top
forecastls and in the wreck Of
he Gu In. for down below everything
was awash. We could find nothing in
he cabin to show that II had once
been the abode Of human beings but .
'orp and w~ater-soakcd pesjscket under
j pile Of debris In one corner. II was
gruesome thing TO handle. this dis
'arded garment Of " absent owner.
me pockets were searched. but the
.nly thing they contained WITS . dat
Of wood q foot long, perhaps, and
3 ~ eight inches widc. Bat on thiA