Fairhaven herald. [volume] (Fairhaven, Wash.) 1890-????, 1892-03-31
STORIES OF THE SEA.
A REMARKABLE COLLISION AND A
PRESERVING RESCUE.

, Sight of "A FIag-A Gallant Deed.
Let people who think there are no Yankee
/ sailors in these days 20 down to Fred Col.
colts, In South street. 1t is true that one
Will find very few Yankees who are sailing
before the mast, but the Yankee captain.
ana the Yankee first mate, and the Yankee
second mate, and the Yankee who used to
be one or the other but has since obtained
a soft berth ON shore gather at Colcott's
TO spin sea twisters fit to make the lands
man gasp.
! Ever know Captain Lawson-E. J. Law
SOM hes IN the carpet department of one
of those big Brooklyn stores now" said
one oil the story spinning crew yesterday.
! Twenty odd years ago he was one of a
crew Of the brigantine Hattie Bishop. Can
tain Weber. She sailed out of Portland
one day with plaster for New York on
Cape Cod it came on to blow hard, and the
fog was that thick you couldn't see three
ships lengths away. So they headed her
OIL shore across the Georges where they
came so near running down a fisherman
that 1t made goose pimples rise all over
/ them, and then, with only balance reefed
malnsall, lower tOpsail and two staysails
/ to keep her going they held on very com
fortably until after 10 o'clock.
Lawson had the wheel that trick, and it
was the second mates watch. Lawson had
been there half an hour when the second
mate saw a light to windward. and the
next minute great British bark, running,
light and free, doomed out of the foe
headed right across the bows of the little I
brig. Captain Weber ordered the wheel
up, and up it went while the bark's wheel /
was put down, but in a minute more Can |
tain Weber saw that it was too late,
CAPTAIN LAwsoN's EXPERIENCE.
"'Well, here we go, boysp said he. and
then before any one could say another word
the bark rose over one wave, the brig over
another, and sinking down in the trough
between the two vessels came together
broadsde on, with tremendous crash.
The blow broke off the stanchions all along
the weather side Of the brig and Knocked
the men Of the watch below from their
befths, but by some miracle neither
mast nor yard was injured. As the watch
below came tumbling up on deck the next
wave lifted aud parted the two vessels,
but they crashed together a second time
Immediately after, and then within min
ute third time. Then the two forged
apart the bark carrying the briggs anchor
which had in some way caught ia her .
chains, and hauling out twenty-five faith.
oms Of the chain cable before the stock
broke.
Then there was a skurrving about To
see what damage had been done. A few
minutes later, as the brig pumped her
nose into the sea, man was washed away.
and Lawson heard cries for help alongside. e
None could be rendered, but the mans leg v
caught on a drifting rope and he cHmbed f
On board. Then, to the astonishment Of i
every one, both the brig and the bark were 5
found tight as bottle. Tt Is probably the 4 s
lnly case on record where two vessels col. L
ided in gale of wind and yet neither YES G
eel was seriously hurt" v
There is flag in the possession Of a a
sailors wife living out on Long Island C
aid another Of the party, that was once Il
he ensign of the brig City Mole of Port ]
and, Captain Hugh Sinnett The flag
vas given TO the lady as a token of appre.
'ation of what you may call the gallant
let of her husband. Pm sorry I've forgot. f
en- his name. a
"The City Mole sailed from Savannah v
me day in September with hard pine for h
'orto Rico. She had eight men all told a
N board. The second day out she tool, a b
yclone and got into such rough sea that CT
here was no keeping the solid water of Il
er deck. First wave came over and "
rushed in the BOBBY hatch. The next
umped the flying jibboom out of her, the g
pre- aud main topmasts broke short off. b
he canvas was blown away, and there she HI
'as, as unmanageable as a raft, and the il
'aSer pouring INTO the hull at every roll Il
THOUGHTFUL CAPTAIN. pl
"Of course she was waterloqped within fc
an an hour, and the waves were making "a
clean sweep. Boats, the galley, spare 81
Dars, water barrels and everything NOV
BILE about deck went overheard. while the
fterhouse was cleaned out, but the roof
smained solid, and there the crew foppd 1t
sfuge. All of them but the captain at pl
nee dashed themselves fast because the of
aves at intervals made breach clear dI
cross the roof The captain did so. too in
tier awhile. He had fallen asleep through "
when wave caught him and =
way he went. Waking suddenly, he made
grasp at the housetop and drove a ring
7it clear through his right hand. His
)ay swung around over the side into the
a, but the bolt sticking through his hand
cid fast, as did the nerves and muscles of
lie hand, and his life was saved
For three days the crew Law on the
)usetop almost helpless Fortunately.
le ships flag was saved, and this was set
mon down, on scantling nailed to the
'use, On the evening Of the third day
tile brig belonging on Long Island came
ong, and the distress signal was seen
he water around was strewn with lumber
AT had been knocked out Of the broken
Ill., but the Long Islander got close TO
e wreck and shouted that he would
land by until morning. The sea was
III TOO high and the night too near for a
scue
The crew had, before this brig an
JARED, become hopeless, and one man had
me crazy, for they had had neither food
IT drink since the disaster Now all but
e insane man were greatly revived. and
e night was passed in comparatively
'od cheer. You can imagine, then. how
ey telt when morning came and the Long
lander nowhere in sight.
However, that skipper was a genuine
J D HHHn loo