The Ohio Democrat. (Logan, O. [Ohio]) 1886-1906, 1891-04-11
ALMOST A MIRACLE.
A Sailors Terrible Struggle with tho BTcr
clieaa Wavca.

Rather less than twenty years ago
there lived in Oregon City a coterie OF
young men who were distinguished for
their excellence in athletic sports, in
which they took pleasure and pride.
The acknowledged leader of this band
of athletes was tall, well-formed and
splendidly developed youth, the nobility
Of whose physique had been enhanced
by every Siud of manly exercise. He
was pre-eminent in the arts of swim
ming and boating and was never so
happy as when in or on the water
Upon the arrival of the time when il
became necessary for him to choose an
occupation, true to his first love he
elected to follow the sea, and accord
ingly shipped before the mast on mer.
chant vessel. In this capacity the next
four years of his life were passed. and
at the end of the period he became
thoroughly convinced that sailors life
was no sinecure. He stuck to the ship,
however, and his natural ability pro-
curing him promotion he rose step by
step until he became first officer.
About year ago the clipper ship
Elizabeth sailed through the Golden
Gate, and her register bore the name of
W. c. Barclay, first mate Omitting
the events of the voyage, the ships re.
turn and her subsequent loss on the
Tennessee rocks one Saturday night,
the thread of the narrative may be
gathered up on the forward part of the
deck after the ship was broken in twain,
when in the bow little group of men
surrounded the first officer, who had re-
moved his boots in partial preparation
for the unknown developments of the
disaster.
Almost before he had time to think OF
the future or to appreciate the perils
of the situation, a huge wave swept all
into the wild waste of waters below,
and Barclay sank under the pillows.
! Upon reaching the surface again he
struck out from the doomed vessel with
all the power and skill of his boyhood
| days. Throughout his terrible battle
with the waves which followed, the in.
trepid sailor continued cool and wary.
and his first thought was, as he relates
his awful experience, to avoid the dan.
gerous network of rigging in the vicinity
of the doomed vessel.
Accordingly he swan about forty
yards to the northward, when he seized
a floating plank and headed for the
shore, which could be plainly seen ap.
parantly 200 yards away from the strug.
Cling seaman fighting for his life with
the angry water. In another moment
solid green wall of water lowered
over him. crushed him and drove him
down into the depths, where the under.
tow dragged him still further down and
held him. By sheer muscular feeling he
fought his way slowly to the surface,
where floating spar struck him sharp.
ly on the forehead.
With breath of air his caution re.
| turned, and removing his vest he hello
| that garment in one hand as a shield
| for his face and head Not many sec.
onds had passed when another giant
wave, pitiless in its dark green robe.
again drove him toward the bottom, anG
the undercurrent seized him in a tight
embrace as before. With another strug.
| gle he emerged from beneath the waves,
only to be dashed again below. After
every ascension Mr.. Barclay, with lit.
tie difficulty, laid hold of pieces of float.
| ing wood and endeavored to rid himself
of his involuntary salt draughts and tc
regain his breath. These respites were
momentary, and ere he could swim
more than few yards a monster billow
would send him downward again.
! So he labored on-swimming, sinking.
gasping, struggling, fighting against
what seemed to be his fate. He dare
not dive beneath the breakers for fear
of striking some floating wreckage.
| His fight was not alone with his arm, but
also with his brain, against the com.
bined forces of sea and storm, and il
seemed impossible for him to conquer
in the unequal combat. AS he neared
the shore his danger was increased in.
stead of diminished. His enemies found
other allies in the towering rocks, and
in the treacherous powders beneath
the waves
lie turned about and approached the
rocks feet foremost. He was dashed
against them and one foot was cut and
bruised by the sharp stone, and then he
was carried back, but not far, when a
ne was whirled about by powerful
whirlpool. He seemed to be many
fathoms down. The waters were dark
and dreadful. A feeling of hopelessness
came over him, and for the first time he
felt that his hour had come. A feeling
of unutterable horror came over him.
lie felt powerless to continue the strug-
gle for life and he abandoned himself
to his fate.
Then occurred a miracle. In some
fortuitous manner floating timber had
been cast into the same waters. In this
timber was nail, and as the man and
timber We're whirled about the nail
caught the soft flesh in the mans arm
and as the buoyant wood rose to the
surface it dragged upward the almost
exhausted mate of the Elizabeth. He
was fortunate to seize hold of portion
Of the wrecked ship wedged between
two rocks, and struggled to avoid being
drawn under the wrecksge piled upon
the shore. His legs had become be.
numbed, and seemed temporarily par
alyzed, but by an almost superhuman
effort he managed to drag himself up
on the slippery rock.
1t was slow and laborious work, and
Mr.. Barclay was twenty minutes in
crawling half as many feet. but he finally
reached spot above the water where,
half dead with cold, exposure and ex-
haustion, he could rest and regain his
strength. The waves and floating tim
bers had torn his clothing into shreds,
and the wind was bitterly cold. He