The Ohio Democrat. (Logan, O. [Ohio]) 1886-1906, 1892-08-06
THE CASTAWAYS.
Eight Shipwrecked Mariners and
Their Unvarnished Tale.

Their Unvarnished Tale.
On December morning, in the year
1888, mail steamer, homeward bound
from a New Zealand port, was ap-
preaching the meridian of the Horn,
but on parallel more southerly than
it is now the custom of steamships to
take in rounding that stormy, ice-girt,
desolate and most inhospitable of all
headlands.
December in those distant regions is
midsummer, and the weather of that
morning was as fair and still as a
breezeless April day in this country,
but the swell of tn vast tract of ocean
ran ceaselessly-reminiscent respira-
tions of giantess whose conflict with
the heavens is eternal, 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, whitening the
water astern of her with mile of
wake.
The chief officer was on the bridge;
the first breakfast bell had rung and
the captain, smart as a naval officer in
buttons and lace trimmings, quilted the
chart room and joined the mate to take
alook around before going below. This
skipper was man of eagle sight, and
instantly on directing his eyes over the
ships bow he exclaimed
"What is that black object yonder?''
rNh,, zoe 30
tain leveled telescope.
"a ships boat" said he, land seem
ingly full of people,"
The boat, when sighted, was some
three or four miles distant, and the
speed of the steamship was about thir.
teen knots In few minutes the
alarm in the engine room rang its re-
verberatory warning, sending little
thrill of wonder throughout the ship SO
rarely is that telegraph handled on the
high seas.
81 count eight men, SIR" cried the
chief mate, with a binocular glass at his
eye.
Again the engine-room alarm rang
out; the pulsing that for days had been
ceaselessly throbbing through the long
fabric languished, and in a few min.
utes to another summons of the metal
tongue below ceased, and the great
steamship floated along to her own i'm
petus slowly till the boat was within
the toss of biscuit off the bow, with
the passengers crowding to the side,
and sailors and walters and steerage
folk blackening the rail forward.
The occupants of the boat consisted
of eight wild, hairy, veritable scare
crows of men, dressed in divers fash
ions-Scotch caps, yellow souwesters
sea boots, toilworn monkey jackets
and the like.
Boat ahoy" hailed the captain, a:
she slowly washed alongside. ''What il
wrong with you?"
A fellow standing up in the sterr
sheets cried back in strong Yanket
accent
For Gods sake, sir, take us aboard
Our waters almost given out, and there
nothing left to eat"
Look out for the end of line,
bawled the captain. "Are you strong
enough to get aboard without help?"
AYE, sir, We'll manage it."
A rope wps thrown, and one after an
other the fellows came swinging ant
scraping and scrambling up the cleal
side of the steamship. The passen
gers crowded around and gazed a
them with curiosity and pity. Thei
sympathetic eyes seemed to find famin,
painfully expressed in the leather
| countenances that stared back through
mats of hair.
"We must let your boat CO." said tn
captain
Cant help it, sir; thankful enough
to be here, l reckon" answered tn,
fellow who had called from the sterl
sheets and who acted as spokesman.
Anything belonging to you to COM
out?"
Nothing, by the etarnal. Let he
go, sir. If sailors sea blessings cal
freight craft she amt going to floa
long"
The boat was sent adrift, the engin
bell rang out, once more the great mai
steamer was thrashing over the long
tall heave of Cape Horn swell.
How came you into this mess?" in
quired the captain.
The man who had spoken befor
made answer:
"We're all that's left of the crew O
the Boston bark George Washington
She was whaler, one hundred an
eighty-four days out. 1t were fou
days ago. was the first to smell fire
some while arter two o'clock, in tn
middle watch"
1T wanted ten minutes to six bells,
exclaimed man, and general, en-
phatic, hairy nod followed the inter
ruption.
81 was the first to smell fire." cor
tinued the other, "call it what hour y
like. gave the alarm and all hand
turned to with hoses and buckets. Bu
there was deal of oil in the hold, an
the ships planks was thick with greas
besides, and that gave us no chance
BY ten o'clock in the morning th
flames had bursted through and wa
shooting mp mast high. and then "