Sullivan republican. [volume] (Laporte, Pa.) 1883-1896, 1892-01-15
from the northwest and every day get.

t1nG worse.
The cold was intense, the mercury
going to fifteen and twenty degrees be-
low zero.
Forty degrees below in the Western
States was hot along side of it, for the
damp, chilling air of the coast eats right
into the vitals and freezes the very mar
row in the bones.
Keeping warm was out of the ques-
ton. If we could keep alive was enough
to be thankful for.
The ever increaying and colder grow
ing gales lad ragged for a week without
lull, andl the fearfully angry waves in
the bay were leaping mountains high
and causing destruction and wreck all
around.
Old sailors who had lived at sea for
years said they never saw the ocean any
worse. Ships were dragging their an
chors and dashing ashore by dozens and
many lives were nightly lost in vain
efforts to save the vessels.
had stout and extra lines from our
fresh water boat to its dock, but in spite
of them our frail and unworthy craft
was wrenched and tossed till began to
feel we had no business to risk staying
aboard while the storm lasted.
My wife wouldn't listen to our leav
ing tie only home we had, and vowed if
l talked of deserting The Sally again she
would head a mutiny to prevent it. So
both of us, being only fresh water sail
ors and knowing but little of the force
of a salt water storm, settled down to
remain aboard in spite of the warnings
given us by men on the dock.
1t was on the fifth night of the awful
and almost unprecedented gale and the
chilling cold was at its lowest point. By
stufiing all the crevices of our little cabin
room and keeping the stove red hot we
made out to be comparatively comfort
able. Baby was sleeping soundly in the
middle of big feather bed on the floor
and in lis warm nest was happily OBJ
livious to the tempest and arctic tempera-
ture outside.
BY and by without undressing at all
and in fact putting on overcoats and
wraps wife and laid down and tried to
sleep and forget how the gale was shrek
ing in the black night without and how
our boat was creaking and straining and
tossing on the rough waters.
The wind and the rocking of our craft
after while made us sleepy and soon
we were sIumbering as soundly as the
baby.
was dreaming of shipwrecks and
drowning when suddenly awoke.
1t seemed as if our boat was pitching
harder thah ever and being battered and
knocked about frightfully.
The noise of the hitting against the
wharf and the creaking of ropes l missed.
l got on my feet and managed to get to
the little window and peer through the
frosted glass.
The city lights had vanished and moth
ing but intense blackness met my gaze.
Something was wrong l knew. Mount
ing the LADDER stairs and opening our
little hatchway door l looked out. We
had broken loose from the dock and
were flying before the shrieking gale and
tie huge waves to almost certain death.
Where we werc-what to do | knew
not. Iquckly reused my wife and told
her of our danger. How brave and how
calm she looked. Her courage made
mine.
Leaving her to bu ndle things on the
baby and prepare for what was to hap.
pen, stuck my head outside again to
try and discover way to safety if there
was one.
We were drifting rapidly across the
bay, and SO far, luckily, had not struck
an anchored vessel.
Behind us | could see the distant and
disappearing lights of New York City.
In front the lighthouse on Robin S
Reef. and beyond that the lights on Staten
Island.
If we were not carried out on the
ocean through the Narrows-if we did
not collide with ship or strike the reef,
we probably would bring up against
some dock on Staten Island-providing
our frail and clumsy craft lived to get
there.
As soon as we struck anything,
realized too surely that in momen is
time after the crash we must founder and
die.
Our only chance, then, was to be
ready to leap, if possible on the object
we should dash against, and trust Provi-
dence for the rest.
The Sally had whirled around, and
was rushing stern foremost through the
laundering pillows, and hoped when
we struck that end on which we were
would hit first. If it didn't, no use leap
ing, for we never could all of us make
our way over the icy, slippery two foot
wide deck on the boats side to its other
end.
Passing large ship SO close that
thought our end had come, barely
missing the lighthouse reef, we were
fast approaching Staten Island-and the
Narrows.
For time it looked certain that we
would be swept seaward and surely per-
ish-then we switched around and went