The Roanoke times. [volume] (Roanoke, Va.) 1890-1895, 1892-08-11

4
exclaimed man, and general, en-.
phatic, hairy nod followed the inter.
ruption.
81 was tho first to smell fire." con.
tinued the othor, "call it what hour We
like. gave the alarm and all hands
turned to with hoses and buckets. But
there was deal of oil in the hold, and
the ships planlzs was thick with grease
besides, and that gave us no chance.
BY ten o'clock in the morning the
flames had bursted through and was
shooting up mast high, and then we
calculated it was time to look to tie
boats"
The others stood listening with hard,
solid, leathery faces, generally gazing
with steadfast eyes at the speaker, but
sometimes glancing askant at the cap
tain and the crowd of others which
stood around.
There WIS tarnation ugly SEQ run.
ming" the man went on, land, the
wheel being desarted. the ship had
fallen Off and lay in the trough, and the
lowering of the stern boats, whalemen
though they was who had the handling
OF 'em, cost our company of twenty.
eight souls the loss Of all hands, sa wing
them as stand afore ye."
"A bad job! A measly, cruel, bad
'1oo!' here broke in a longjawed man,
whose brow and eyes were almost con.
icealed by quantity of coarse rcd hair.
well, us eight men got away in the
boat" proceeded the spokesman,
bringing along with us nothin but
small bag of bread and about six gal.
Ions of fresh water. We've been wash.
ing about since Tuesday, and now, the
Lord be praised. here we be, with q
chance OF getting something to eat
and, what's more pleasureable still to
our feelings the opportunity of COM
fortably turning in"
a murmur of pity ran among the pas
senSers, several of whom were ladies,
and there was more than one somewhat
loud whisper to the effect that the cap
tain ought really to send the poor crea-
lures forward at once to get some
breakfast instead of holding them
starving and dry with thirst to talk.
The eagle-eyed skipper, however,
asked several questions before dis.
missing them.
Since, then, by their own comics.
sion, the fire gave them plenty time
to escape from the bark, how was it
they had left her so ill-provisioned as
they represented?"
This was most satisfactorily account.
ed for. Other inquiries of like nature
were responded to with alncrity and in.
telligence. Every sentence that one or
another of them let fall was cor.
roborated by the rest. Their tale of
suffering, indeed, in the open boat
was almost narrowing, and the cap.
tain. with the first note of sympathy
that his voice had taken, ordered them
TO go forward, adding that after good
hot meal had been served them thew
might turn in and sleep for the rest OF
the day wherever they could make
q bed.
At the breakfast in the saloon moth.
Ing was talked about but the American
whaler that had been consumed by fire.
the dreadful drowning of some two
thirds of her crew and the miraculous
deliverance of the survivors from the
indispensable perils and horrors of nm
open boat in the solitude of the
stormiest part Of ocean the wide world
over. A benevolent gentleman pro-
posed subscription. Before the
luncheon bell was rung n sum of thirty
pounds sterling had been collected.
The incident was break in the mo-
notony, and when the eight men reap
Peared on deck during the afternoon
they were promptly approached by the
passengers, who obliged them to recite
again and yet again their melancholy
story OF maritime disaster.
On the morning of the third day fol-
lowing the date of this rescue a ship
was sighted almost directly in line
with the vessels course AS she was
neared she was seen to be rugged with
stump or Cape Horn topgallant masts;
she was also under very easy canvas,
which gave her a very short-handcd
look in that quiet seal Great wooden
davits overhung her sides, from which
dangled n number of boats She pre-
sented very grimy, worn aspect, and
had manifestly kept the sea for months.
1t was observed by the chief officer,
standing on the bridge of the steamer,
That the eight rescued men, who were
looking at the sail ahead, along with
some OF the crew and Storage passen-
gers, disclosed several symptoms of
uneasiness and even of agitation. Sud-
denly the stripes and stars, with the
stars inverted. were run aloft to the
peak ends signal of distress. The
engines were slowed and the steamers
head put SO as to pass the vessel within
easy mailing distance. A man aboard
the bark stood in the mizzen rigging.
Steamer ahoy!" he roared
"Hellop
II have lost boat and eight of my
men. Have you seen anything Of her2"
The captain, who had gained the
bridge, lifted his hand.
"Bar X ahOv" he cr;ad .s1vho< h.>,