Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1891-03-04

was an experienced swimmer, but
had passed, as l judged, nearly half
the distance to the shore wnen death.
like GOODNESS and numbness came
creeping over me. All the life l had
left seemed centred in nv head, which
felt like ball of fire. l found that I
was turning round and round in the
water, now catching glimpses of the
burning ship, to which even yet few
human beings were clinging, and now
on the beach. Could l ever reach it;
" as At worth while to struggle any
longer? Every movement caused in.
tense pain in my chest and lungs. II
s""med 7n easy n die now.
ceased all efforts, and raised nv
eyes for last look at the sky. 1 was
struck by peculiar golden haze of the
atmosphere, and the air seemed filed
with human forms lowering over the
drowning. The air was filed with
them, and close beside me recognized
my father, brother, and other friends
who had died many years before.
They called me by my name. They
pressed closely around me, telling me
to strugglespn and they would aid me
that my work was not done-that
could not be spared vet.
A little strength came back to me.
1 remembered that l must be more than
half way TO the shore. The water
could not be over five feet deep. I let
myself down and felt the sand under
me. Aided by my spirit friends, whose
hands and presence were as real TO me
as any human touch, L crept on nv
hands and knees on the sand for some
distance, rising often to breathe. Be-
coming too weak for this, with my
heavy head constantly falling back
ward, l sank to the bottom, and drew
my body with my arms nearer aud
nearer TO the shore, rising to the sur
face as often as necessary. A man
was lying on the beach, one of the few
who ever reached it. When he saw
me feebly struggling he crept down to
the waters edge, and, reaching out
his hands, tried 70 aid me. I slowly
crept up little way out Of the water,
but he was SO weak that, falling
backward, l would lose my hold and
sink again.
AT last l was lying on the dry sand.
How good it seemed to lie there, IL
only never need move again. My
companion spoke roughly yet kindly
to me, telling me it was sure death to
remain there. refused to move, but,
being much stronger, he compelled me
TO get up, and, half supporting me in
his arms, dragged me unwillingly
along. a farmer met US, and almost
carried me across the fields TO
a low two-roomed log cabin. In the
smaller room, containing two beds, l
was at last permitted to lie down. The
leng, black neck Of bottle was in
serted between my lips, and l drank
and drank until it was gently removed.
The draught warmed me.
/ alternated between consciousness
and unconsciousness, but remembered
| much that passed about me. A large
| man with q tall hat, black satin vest,
and heavy gold chain, came In and lay
down on the other bed. He certainly
had not been in the water, and won-
dered If he had been saved In a boat.
A man in the next room was exclaim-
ing mournfully:
"A1ine Gott! Mine Gott! Mine
monish 10 all gone. Mine monish is
all gone. Mine wife Is gone, mine son
is gone. o mine Gott, my monish Is
all gone!"
Again and again that mournful wall
went up. Then heard the tall man
call out wrathfully:
"Won't some one kill that blasted
! Dutchman?"
Then I dozed off again. When l
awoke more people were coming In,
bearing q woman, and they were say
ing she was the only woman saved.
heard them say that eight men swan
ashore, and twenty were saved in a
boat. Only twenty-eight saved out of
over four hundred! Toward evening
they put US all in heavy lumber wag-
said, to "Lloyd's Tavern, seven miles
away" Jolting along over rough
road, the pain in my chest and limbs
became unbearable, and l remembered
nothing more.
DAYS afterward I awoke from what
seemed long sleep, 1 found myself
lying on bed in strange room alone.
Tne sound of voices came in through
the open window and from the halls,
where people were constantly passing to
and fro. They were talking Of great
disaster, of dead bodies lying in heaps
on the sand waiting to be claimed, and
others being buried in trench.
There was something about county
lines, of coroners quarrelling over
fees, of thieves In boats at night
stripping the drowned bodies and tear
ing rings from fingers and ears.
Those monotonous voices were forever
talking about that one thing.
Well, what If they are dead? The
dead were at rest. What had to do
with that shipwreck? Why did not
some one come to me? What was !
doing here in this strange roomg
Why was so stiff and sore, SO full Of
pain, 50 weak I could not move? l
fell asleep again, and when | awoke
still the voices were talking about poor
drowned bodies, thieves, coroners and
boats; and then came q dim recollec-
ton that / had known something
about that shipwreck. 1t all came
back to me clear and distinct.
Soon afterward a man came with
broth and nourishing food, of which
ate with relish, while he answered
my questions. This was Saturday,
and had left Buffalo on the Sunday
preceding. Lloyd's Tavern was
fifteen miles from the city Of Cleve-
land. must get up. How could lie
here? must getinto the air. must
get home. Home? Why, at home
doubtless they mourned me as dead:
had been dead for days to them. l
begged the man to bring me some
clothes. He brought me some old
garments much too large for me, with