Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1892-11-24
Str; nge Sounds Heard in the Dis
tance, a Sound as of Rush
ing Waters.
Two Sailing Vessels Saved from
Ruin by Vivid FLASHES of
Lightning.

Oheicu ne ul6duS Oh uGuSlL 1T The
uL,e, ana Ill ner l took paSSag says
Ii writer i'll the Dertoit Free Press
She Was mot meant TUr pass ~Ager Tai
TIC, and lad 10 accommodations there
tor, but l had known Der commander,
Capt Paine, i'll other years, and lie
Welcomed me cordially ana made lie
comfortable. Toward The night Of the
Fourth of July We had got into the
region OF storms, and shortly after Z
. clock on the evening Of that day thu
wind c;tlne up from the northeast, and
very soon great drops Of rain came
patGering upon the deck.
There's thunder in this said Paine,
who had donned his storm gear.
ii ii WAS 10 be d Thunder storm At
sell l III ant 10 be Il spectator, and i
had come prepared for such emergen-
cies. L went below and dOnn9d a full
oilcloth slit, and, having pulled my
Droad-happed sou'Wester over my broWs
j | returned 10 Lilo deck. IL was now
dark us dark could be. The blacknesS
was So utter that there was relief ii
closing ones eyes At the wheel there
was Il CHASTITY beam from the pinnacle
lamp, which, viewed from Il distance,
only served to render the surrounding
gloom more palpable,
BY the spectral glare of the lamp
could STE the wet spOkeS of the wheel
and a part OF the bodies of the two
men who stood at the helm. When l
j looked away | looked as against Il
= IL Ill NJ Of III
! spars could l detect, and the men who
! stood only a few feet off were hidden
as by an opaque barrier. And the
lain now came down in torrents. The
! brig was heading upon her course,
very near south, with the wind upon
| the larboard quarter. By and by a
| binding flash shot cut from the ebon
vault, and a broad blaze swept through
| the heavens. Far and near / saw the
| wave caps rejecting back the startling
| light, and as the inky veil was closed
again the crash of the thunder came.
! 1t was as though the clouds were great
! mountains, the foundations of which
had been upheaved. For half an hour
| the lightning continued, streaming forth
cessation. the fain meanwhile falling
heavily and the wind hauling to the
southwark.
1t must have been very near another
half hour before the gloom was again
broken by the lightning. I had gone
forward, and was leaning over the
bows watching the phosphorescent
sparkle of the broken water, when a
sharply uttered ''h-st!' from the look
ont aroused me, and, as [ raised my
head, distinctly heard a strange sound
i'm the distance-a sound of rushing
waters.
Capt. Paine was in a moment by
my side | did not know how long he
had been there. We stood by the
weather night head.
''Is this you, captain" I asked.
yes" he answered. He spoke in a
whisper, and his attention was else
where.
do you hear that strange sound?"
said l.
He listened an instant longer, and I
heard him gasp.
''Sound!' he. cried; Its a shfp!-some-
thing!-coming down. upon usr'
The lookout was on the point of cry
ing out but the captain stopped him.
"We must get the men to their sta
tons without alarming them, if we
cam" he said. and then he leaped aft,
shouting as he went.
"A1 hands-all hands for lacking
ship To the braces. every man.
The wind had been gradually chang
ing, and was now somewhat south of
east, so that the brig had but a few
points free. I heard the men hur1ying
to their stations, and I knew that some
IF them We're inclined to press forward
to see what was the matter; but the
commands of the mates, who were
promptly at their posts, restrained
them. Capt. Paine was again by my
side, and we peered off into the dark
ness. The dull roar was plainly heard,
but we could see nothing; we could
even see the head of our own bowsprit
The old sailor groaned in agony.
eff I could only see,'' he muttered.
At that moment, while yet the words
quivercd upon his lips, the lightning
blaZed forth in the heavens and the
sea was Illuminated far and near
Heaven save usr' burst from Paine's
lips, and l echoed the prayer.
Upon our weather bow, and but a
few cables length distant, 1oomed up
the spectral outlines Of the hull and
spars and the bellying canvas of a
heavy ship. She was heading directly
across the line of our course, and we
were dashing toward each other at a
fearful rate. During the brief period
of light the captain had been as one
paralyzed, but when the darkness had
again shut in he started into life.
''Readv aboutr' he Numbered.
And from that instant his orders
We're given so promptly and so plainly
that the men. who had come to realize
that their lives were in the balance.
made no blurder nor mistake. The
brig had a good full upon the start and.
as she had no course set to bother.
she was handled easily. She obeyed
her helm quickly. and vet it seemed
an age ere she came into the wind.
t'Is she coming into stays?'' ground
out the captain. with his hands clinch-
ed and his teeth set like the jaws of
a wise.
AS he spoke we heard the foretop-
sail flap. and in moment more the
staysail had taken the wind on the