The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1893-11-18
A STORMY BRIDAL TRIP.
The Captains New Wife Donned Male
Attire and Proved Brave Sailor.

From the Baltimore sun.
New York. Nov 15.-When the United
States cruiser San Francisco reported,
about week ago, its destruction of the
lumber-laden, water-logged schooner
Drisko off the South Atlantic coast, by
the novel method of ramming, it told but
the sequel of a thrilling tale of hardship,
in which woman, and Il bride at that,
bore the rigors of storm and restitution
that nearly proved fatal to able-bodied
seamen.
1t was on Oct s that Capt r. 3. Drisl1o,
from JOnespOrt, Me, taking on cargo at
Charleston, S. c., for Jamaica, planned
to take his newly welded wife on the
voyage for a wedding trip. They sailed
that day with a crew of six men. The
day was bright and the weather indica-
tiOns all that the gallant skipper could
have desired for the comfort of his bride,
but when night came on it brought rain
squalls which developed into a storm that
made necessary battening down of the
matches and reefing of such sails as were
carried TO steady the ship. At midnight
there was a hurricane and the captain
hove to under clOse-reefed spinnaker and
maiusail. The wind continued to increase
in violence and al daybreak the high seas
threatened to swamp the vessel. which
was put about with difficulty and per
mitted to scud under bare poles.
Then the captain went below, and. Civ
ing his wife a suit of his own clothes, di-
rected her to put them on, knowing that
the worst was likely to happen, and that
she would be less hampered by wind and
water If his fears were to be realized.
She had hardly donned her strange cos
tune when wave struck the ship and
threw it around brOadside to the sea,
which washed over the decks and into the
cabin. The captain clambered out on
deck, dragging his wife after him, and
then, tying a rope about her waist, he
made it fast to an iron rail which ran
along the top of the deckhouse. A giant
wave at that moment threw the vessel on
the beams end, and before the vessel
rlghted the captain discovered that his
wife had disappeared. He had allowed
too much slack rope. Tt was still fast.
however, and he was able to drag her
back, bruised and exhausted.
The sailors managed to climb to the
weather rail, and, under directions of the
captain. they cut away the weather rig
ging. At once all the masts snapped and
went by the board, the schooner at the
same time regaining her equilibrium. The
cabins were flooded, however. and all
hands dashed themselves to the top of the
deckhOuse, and there they stayed, with
out food, and buffeted about by the storm
Wulcn continued with una Dated fury I'm Til
the fourth day out, when itquieted down.
Then a sailor, who dived into the cabin,
managed to find can of meat and some
bunting secured in the sail bag was i'm
prOvised into a distress signal
For seven days they waited On the
morning of the 10Th bark was sighted
but soon its disappearing sails showed the
castaways that they were not seen Hope
was waning, when, toward night, the
lighte of steamship were discovered 1t
came near enough to see them II was
the Mexican, Capt. Alexander. from New
Orleans to Liverpool. The shipwreckcd
people were taken aboard and were
hardly more than made comforta bic
when another storm rose, which made
the steamers passage a tempestuous one
of three weeks. She arrived at Liver
pool eleven days overdue
The United States consul, Col. James
Z. Neal, took the rescued in charge, and
they returned to this country on the
Etruria. Before his departure for
his hone, in Maine. TODAY.
Capt. DrskO was seen at the South
Ferry hotel, and told the story as above
related. His wife sat close by, and held
her face very close to book she was read
ing when her husband told of her expert
ence in mems attire.