The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1892-10-07
THE CASTAWAYS.
Eight Shipwrecked Mariners and
Their Unvarnished Tale.

On a December morning, in the year
1883, mail steamer. homeward bound
from "A New Zealand port, was ap-
proaching the meridian of the Horn.
but on a parallel more Southerly than
1t is now the custom of steamships to
take in rounding that stormy, iccgirt,
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
breezeless April day in this country,
bat the swell of tn vast tract of ocean
ran ceaselessly-remin respira-
tions of 4 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
skipper was a man Of eagle sight. and
instantly on directing his eyes over the
ships bow he exclaimed:
What is that black object yonder?'
The chief mate peered and the cap
tain leveled a telescope.
"A ships boat" said he, "and 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 q little
thrill of wonder throughout the ship SO
rarely is that telegraph handled on the
high seas.
Il 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 hoated along to her own i'm
petus slowly till the boat was within
the toss of biscuit off the bow, with
tue pdSScIlRtIS CTo"ulIiR VI INC Slut,
and sailors and walters and stcerage
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 sou'westers,
sea boots, toil-worn monkey jackets,
and the like.
Boat ahoy"' hailed the captain. as
she slowly washed alongside. What is
wrong with you?"
A fellow standing up in the stern
sheets cried back in strong Yankee
accent:
For Gods sake, sir, take us aboard,
Our waters almost given out and there's ;
nothing left to eat"
Look out for the end of 4 line, a"
baxled the captain. Are you strong
enough to get aboard without help?'
Aye. sir, wen manage it"
A rope was thrown. and one after an
other the fellows came swinging and
scraping and scrambling up the clean
side of the steamship. The passen-
gers crowded around and gaZed at
them with curiosity and pity. Their
sympathetic eyes seemed to find famine
painfully expressed in the leathern
countenances that stared back through
mats of hair.
We must let your boat CO." sail the
captain.
Cant help it, sir; tina nkful enough
to be here, | reckon" answered the
fellow who had called from the stern
sheets and who acted as spokesman.
Anything belonging to you to come
,out?''
Nothing, by the etarnal. Let her
go, sir. If sailors sea blessings can
freight craft she amt going to float
long"
The boat was sent adrift, the engine
bell rang out, once more the great mail
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 before
made answer:
We're all that's left of the crew of
the Boston bark George Washington.
She was a whaler, one hundred and
eighty-four days out. II were four
days ago | was the first to smell fire.
some while arter two o'clock, in the
middle watch"
1T wanted ten minutes to six bells, j"
exclaimed a man, and general, en-
phatic, hairy nod followed the inter
ruption.
Il was the first to smell fire." con-
tinued the other, ''call il what honr We