Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1892-11-26
ST., ng9 Sounds Heard in the Dis
tamce, a Sound as of Rush
ing Waters.
Two Sailing Vessels Saved from
Ruin by Vivid Flashes Of
Lightning.

/
Baltimore, was the only yess i which
! ouered me means OF transit ut the
! time, and in her l took passag, says
Il writer in the Dertoit Free Press.
| She was not meant for pass niger traf-
! tic, and had no accommodations there
Tor, but / had known her commander,
| Capt Paine, in other years, and lie
| Welcomed me cordially and made me
! comfortable. Toward The uight Df the
! Fourth of July we had got into the
region Of storms, and shortly after
clock on the evening of that day the
wind came up from the northeast, and
| very soon great drops Of rain came
pattering upon the deck.
There's thunder la this, said Paine
! who had donned his storm gear
! If it was 10 be Il thunder storm at
sea | meant to be a spectator, and /
had come prepared for such emergen-
cies. | went below and donned a full
! oilcloth suit and, having pulled my
| broad-happed sou'wester over my browS
| returned to the deck. 1t was now
dark as dark could be. The blaclness
was 50 utter that there was relief in
! closing on $ eyes. At the wheel there
was a CHASTITY beam from the pinnacle
lamp which, viewed from distance,
only served to render the surrounding
gloom more palpable.
BY the spectral glare Of the lamp |
could the wet spobes of the wheel
and par oil the bodies Of the tive
men who stood at the helm. When /
looked away looked rs against a
black wall Not a trace of our tail
| spars could / detect, and the men who
stood only a few feet Off We're hidden
| rs by m opaque barli T. And the
| rain now came down in torrents. The
brig was heading upon her course,
very near south with the wind upon
! the larbolrd quarter BY and by q
| binding flash shot cut from the ebon
vault, and n broad blaze swept through
! the heavens. Far and near | saw the
wave caps fecting back the startling
! hzht. and is the inky veil was closed
again tn crash of the thunder cWn".
1t was as though the clouds wer great
| mountains, liie lVuil'lhil" vi NAA''il
had been uphcaved For half an hour
| the lightning continued, streaming forth
at brief Intervals, and then there watts
| a cessation, the rain meanwhile falling
heavily and the wind hauling to the
southwark
1t must have been V Try near another
| half hour before the gloom was again
| broken by the lightning, | had gone
forward. and was leaning over the
/ bows watching the phOsphoraSceut
sparkle Of the broken water, whn q
/ sharply uttered 'h-str' from the look
ont aroused me. ard, as l raised my
head. distinctly heard a strange sound
in the dstance-a sound Of rushing
/ waters.
Capt. Paine was in a moment by
my side l did not know how long he
| had been Their We stood by the
weather night head.
"Is this you, captain" | asked.
Eyes" he answered. He spoke IN a
whisper, and his attention was else
/ whore.
DO you hear that strange sound?'
/ said 1.
He listened an instant longer, and I
heard him gasp.
sound he cried; ITS a ship!-some-
| thing!-coming down upon u.s.
The lookout was on the point Of cry
ing out but the captain stopped him
"We must get the men to their sta
lions without alarming them, If we
can" he said. and then he lcaped aft
/ shouting a. he went.
IAN hands-an hands for lacking
shipl 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. / heard the men hur1ying
/ to their stations, and I knew that some
If them were 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 of into the dark
ness. The dun roar was plainly heard.
4 ont we could see nothing; we could
even see the head OF o-r own bowsprit
i The old sailor groaned in agony.
IF l could only see" he muttered.
/ At that moment, while yet the words
uulvercd upon his lips, the lightning
bla2ed forth In the heavens and the
sea was Illuminated far and near.
Heaven save u.s. burst from Paine's
rps, and I echoed the prayer
Upon our weather bow, and but n
few cables length distant, loomed un
the spectral outlines Of the hull and
spars and the BELIEVING canvas of a
hcnvv shin. She was heading directly
across tho line Of our course. and w
were dashing toward each other Mt q
fearful rate. During the briaf period
Of light the captaiu had been rs one
paralyzed. buc when the darkness had
again shut I'm ne started into life.
Ready ahoutr' he Numbered
And from that instant his orders