Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1892-07-16
YET she Is but a woman stilI,
ON THE OCEAN WAVE.


! 1888 writes w. Clark Russell in Wit and
| Wisdom, mail steamer homeward bound
! from New Zealand port. WAS approach h
ing the meridian of the Horn, but on a
| parallel more southerly than it is now the
custom IF steamships to take in rounding
that stormy, ice grit desolate, and most
lnbospitable of all headlands.
December III nose distant regions is
mid summer, and the weather Of that
morning was as fair and still as a breeze.
less April day in this country. But the
swell of the vast tract of ocean ran cease
Iiessly-remintscent respirations of
Qi5ntess whose conflict with the heavens
is external 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 courtesies whit
eniGV the water astern Of her with a mile
Of wake.
The frosty sun, whose beams in that sea
/ have something of the silyery brilIiance of
the electric light flashed scora of c0nstel-
| latiOns out OF the gilt and glass and brass
about the steamships bows and quarters
and decks \ number Of passengers were
pacing the long hurricane platform Far
away on the s.arboard beam, poised star.
/ ike upon the keen blue run of the ocean,
was an iceberg dash of crystalline light
against the airy sky that out there, low
down, wore the delicate hue Of an opal.
/ Otherwise the ocean swept naked to its
confines plain of rich deep blue, with
/ the heaye Of the swell shoudering the
morning glossy under the sun as it ran and
making that part Of the deep magnificent
with light.
The chief officer was on the bridge; the
| Grst breakfast bell had rung and the cap.
| tain. smart as a naval officer, IN buttons
add lace trimmings, quilted the chart room
aae Joined the mate to take a look around
before going below. This skipper was a
man of eagle sight and instantly, on di-
Iectng his eyes over the ships bow he
exclaimed;
"What is that black object yonder?"
The chief mate peered and the captain
! leveled a telescope.
"a ships boat, said he, and seeming
/ " full OF people.
The boat, when sighted, was some three
or four miles distant, and the speed of the
I steamship was about thirteen knots. la a
few minutes the alarm IN the engine room
rang It's reyerber1tory warning, sending "a
little thrill Of wonder thr0L guOut tae snip,
so rarely is that telegraph handled on the
| high seas.
= ! count eight men, sir, cried the
chief mate, with a binoeuar glass at his
eye.
Again the engine room alarm rang out;
the pusing that for days had been Geese
lessly tbrobbinQ through the long fa.ric
/ langulshed, and in a few minutes, TO an
other summon of the metal tongue
below, ceased, and the great steamship
a0a ed along to her own impetus slowly
till the boat was within the toss of a bis
cult off the bow, with the passenger
crowdmg to the side, AMI sailors and wait
ers and Storage fox backening the rail
forward.
The occ lpants OF the boat consisted Of
crows cf men, yellow sou westers, sea
boots, to1l-worn monkey jackets, and the
like.
BOAT ahoy!" hailed the captain, as she
slowly washed alongside. What Is wrong
with you?"
A fellow standing up in the stern
sheets cried back in a stern Yankee ac-
cent:
For God sake, sir, take US aboard Our
water s almost given out, and there moth
ing left TO eat.
"LooL out for the end Of a line, " bawl-
ed tie captain. Are you strong enough TO
get aboard without help2"
"Aye, sir, we'll manage 1t.
A rope was thrown, and one after an
other the fellows came swinging, and
scraping and scrambling up the
clean side Of the steamship. The passen-
gers crowded around and gazed al
them with curiosity and pity. Their
sympathetic eyes seemed to lind famine
painfully expressed in the leathern count.
| anauces that stared back through mats Of
hair
We must let your boat CO. said the
Cant help it, sir thankful enough to
! b, here, reckon, answered the
fellow who had called from the stern
sheets aud who acted as spokesman.
Anything belonging to you to come
out?"
Nothing, by the Eternal! Let her 20,
sir. If sailors sea blessings can fright q
Graf, She ain t going to float long
/ ne Oodi was sent dNAAttF NiAG tI4 Z AihE '-iI
sang out, one more the great hail steamer
was thrashinQ over the long, all heaye OF
Cape horn swell.
How came you into this mess2' in
qnired the captain.
The man who had before spoken made
answer:
Were all that's left Of the crew Of the
Boston bark George Washington. She was
a whaei, ia days out. 1t were four
DAYS ago. / Wa the first 10 smell fire,
some while arter 2 O'Clock, In the middle
watch :" !,
1T wanted ten minutes to six bells,
exclaimed man, and general,
emphatic, hairy nod followed the inter
vuptlon.
II vas the 6rst to spell FIRE, continued
he other, scali it what hour you like.
gave the alarm and all hands turned tc
with hoses and buckets. Bot there was q
deal o. oil in the hold, ana the ship
planks was thick with grease besides
I and that give us n5 chance. BY 10 o'clocE