The News-Herald. [volume] (Hillsboro, Highland Co., Ohio) 1886-1973, 1892-02-04

cabin room and keeping the stove red
hot, we made out to be comparatively
Baby was sleeping sound
ly, in the middle Of big feather-bed
on the floor, md in his warm nest was
happily oblivious to the tempest and
arctic temperature outside.
z BY and by, without undressing at all
and, in fact, putting on overcoats nnd
wraps, wife and laid down and tried
TO sleep and forget how the gale wns
shrielxing In the black night without
and how our boat was creaking and
straining and tossing on the rough wa
ters.
The wind and the rocking Of our
craft after awhile made us sleepy, and
soon we were slum boring as soundly
as the baby.
was dreaming of shipwrecks and
drowning when suddenly awoke.
1t seemed as If our boat was pitching
harder than ever and being battered
and knocked about frightfully.
The noise of the hitting against the
wharf and the crealsing of the ropes
missed. got on my feet and man
aged to get to the little window and
peer out through the frosted glass.
The city lights had vanished and
nothing but intense blaclsness met my
gaze.
Something was wrong I knew.
Mounting the ladder stairs and OPEN
ing our little hatchway door / looked
out. We had broken loose from the
dock and were flying before the Shrek
ing gale and the huge waves to almost
certain death
Where we were--what to do knew
not quickly reused my wife and
told her of our danger. How brave and
how calm she looked. Her courage
made mine.
Leaving her to bundle things on the
baby and prepare for what was to hap
pen, stuck my head outside again to
try and discover way to safety It
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 Robbins
reef, and beyond that the lights on
Staten Island
If we were not carried out on the
ocean through the Nprrows-if we did
not collide with ship or strike the
reef, we probably wou1d bring up
against some dock on Staten Island
| providing our frail and clumsy craft
| lived to get there.
AS soon as we struck anything, re-
| allied too surely that in moments
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 Prov.
idence for the rest.
The Sally had whirlcd around, and
was rushing stern foremost through
the laundering billows ard hoped
when we struck that end on which
we were would hit first. If it didn't
no use leaping. for we never could all
of us make our way over the icy, slip
perry two foot wide deck on the boats
sides to it's other end.
Passing large ship SO close that
thought our end had come, barely miss
ing the lighthouse reef, we were fast
approa ching Staten Island-and the
|
Narrows.
For a time it looked certain that we
would be swept seaward and surely
perish-thcn we switched around an6
went before the wind straight for the
island docks. Five minutes calcu
lated and our fate for life or deatf
would be sealed.
Getting rope placed our darling
baby, laughing and growing at the ex
citement, on it's feather bed, rolled the
soft bed entirely around it, trusting i
wouldn't smother for awhile, and bount
the precious bundle firmly with tn,
rope. Taking it in my arms, bidding
my brave and quiet wife to hold m,
and follow, gained the stern, over tn,
slippery boats deck.
Thank heaven, we were still sterr
demonstrating straight on dock
One more moment of suspense ant
horrible dread-then with crash tha
smashed the boat under us like an egg
shell we hit the wharf
At the same instant, before the wrecl
could rebound. flung bed and baby OF
the dock. seized my dear wife's hans
and leaped for life,
We landed safely alongside of ou
child-then down under the ragins
waters plunged our good boat, drown
ing the awful cries of the poor mule
left on board.
Cutting the ropes to give air to on
babe, blown along by the blasts be
hind us, we reached land and a hous
and, soon inside, found shelter and
warm welcome.
We also found the Sally after th
storm was over, raised and mended her
and now she Is as good as ever 70
fresh water sailing, which she mean
to stick to for the balance of her days
And this is why am provoked whe
land lubbers try to ridicule her, or he
captain. mate and crew.-H. c. Dodge
in Goodall's Sun.