The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1893-11-03

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FUL SURGING
the captain bade his men to cut away all
her upper works clean to the deck. Over
board into the seething waters went her
stacks, her pilot house, her cabins, and
whirled away. And the naked hull of the
Star, still dragging its three anchors, la
nearer to the immense silhouette of the
hotel, whose hundred windows were now
all afame. The vast timber building seemed
to defy the storm. The wind, roaring
round it's broad verandas, Kissing through
every crevice with the sound of steam,
appeared to waste its rage. And in the
half lull between two terrible gusts there
came to the captains ears a sound that
seemed strange in that night Of multi
tudinous terrors-a sound of music.
Almost every evening throughout the
season there had been dancing at the great
hall. There was dancing that night also,
so the music and the mirth went on. They
made Joy for themselves-those elegant
guests-they tested and slipped rich wines,
and they pledged and hoped and loved and
promised, with never a thought of the NOR
row, on the night Of the 10th of August,
1856. Night wore On. Still the shining
floor palpitated to the feet of the dancers,
still the piahoforte pealed, and still the vio-
Inns sang.
Some one shriekcd in the midst of the
revels-some girl who found her pretty
slippers wet. What could it be9 Thin
streams of water were spreading over the
level planking-curling about the feet of
the dancers. What could it bep All the
building shook now. Every beam uttered
it's groan. What could it be? There'was
a clamor, a panic, a rush to the windy
night. Infinite darkness above and be-
yond, but the lantern beams danced far out
over an unbroken circle of heaving and
swirling black water. Stealthily, swiftly
the measureless sea food was rising.
For a moment there was a CHASTITY hush Of
voices. Then rose afrightful cry-the hoarse,
h~ideous, understandable cry Of hopeless fear
the despairing animal cry man utters when
suddenly brought face to face with moth
ingness. And then-then came thunder
ing through the blackness the giant swells,
boom OH booml One crash. The huge
frame building rocks like u cradle-see-
saws, crackles. What are human shrieks
nowS The tornado IL shrieking. Another
Chandeliers splinter, lights are dashed out,
a sweeping cataract hurls in. The immense
hall rises, oscillates, twirls as upon IA pivot,
crepltates, into rum. Cfasn again!
The swirling wreck dissolves into the wsl-
lowing Of another monster billow M y
hundred cottages o%verturn, spin in sudden
eddies, culver. disjoint aud melt into the
seething waters.
So the hurricane passed, tearing off the
heads Of prodigious waves to hurl them n
hundred feet in the air, hsVping up the
ocean against the land, uthSrhing the
woods. Bay and passes were swollen to
abysses, rivers regorged, and the tide
rushed unresisting from the gulf, tearing
and swallowing the land III its course. and
blowing out deep sen chapaels and rending
islands In twain, and ever bearing With It
through the night nm enormous vortex of
WI, ok and vast wan drift of corpses.
tIiut the Star remained. And Cxptain
Smith, with u long. good rope about his
waist, dashed again and agaih into that
awful surging tn snatch victims from death,
clutching at passing hands. heads, gar
ments In the cataract sweep OF the sess,
saving, aiding, cheering until his strength
failed him In the unequal struggle at last
and his mem drew him aboard senseirxs.
with some beautiful half drowned girl
safe In his arms. And the Stas sssid