The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1893-08-26

kept it floating. I was almost exhausted
when | reached it. My brother threw
his arms around my neck and hauled me
in well, George, he said, we are all
right. Keep up good heart Those
were the last words Horace ever spoke to
me. AS soon as he saw | was all right
and strong enough to hold on to the
sides of the dory and keep from being
pitched out he swam over to the other
dory not thirty feet away, where the
captain and Fred Mcintyre were. That
dory had not been smashed, and when
Horace got in with the other men and
sat down the water rose up to their
necks
Right alongside of me Charley Ridley
! was floating, holding on to swordfish1
cask with both hands. By the time l
noticed him all the wreckage had disap-
peared except what was keeping us five
afioat
| don't know how long it was after the
schooner had sunk AS Charley Ridley
foated near me he was very pale
He was weak and sick, and he gagged
as the waves washed over him.
"'George, he said, we've all got to go
sometime
eyes, said, that's so, Charley
"Then he threw up both hands and fell
back. He never came up. looked
round for my brother and the captain
and Fred Mcintyre. They were gone
too.n
1t was a long time before the fisherman
continued his story. His head bent for
ward and his strong, bronzed features
were distorted.
"By piece of good luck he added,
"Charley Ridley's cask foated over to me
pulled it into the dory and made it fast
to thwart by hitching on part OF the
thirty fathoms of sword fish line that
were on it.
"Iwas afraid the seas might pound the
dory apart, for it was really broken into
four pieces, so I dived overheard, went
under the boat with the line in highland
and brought it up on the other side.
"Then made it fast to thwart and
dived overheard and passed it under the
dory again. In this way l lashed the
pieces of the boat together and fastened
it to the cask This made it more buoy
ant, and when it was all fixed and
climbed in and sat up found that was
breast high out of the water.
.But the waves kept breaking over my
head. Every slap of sea that came hit
me in the face and chest and knocked
the wind out of me. l hung on to the
cask and wrapped my arms and legs
around it. 1t was dark when 1 had
everything fixed.
I don't know / was cold and 80 drenched
could hardly breathe at first, but be-
fore morning the seas began to moderate.
When day light came the waves were
still running high but they were not
king SO much.
CAS- soon as it was light enough saw
something that frightened me. First
one and then another fin cut the water
until there were four big blue dog sharks
circling around the dorE I Thought
every minute they were going to rush me.
IF they had done SO that would have
ended it. I think that the six or eight
feet Of swordfish line that foated along.
whipped around in the water and some
times they came up to it slowly and
darted away. They swan round me all
day. Sometimes they came within three
feet of me. I sat still and watched
them.
Il kept looking out for a. ship, for !
and at three clock in the afternoon I
saw loaded, black tramp steamer COM
ing up from the leeward, eastward
bound Maybe she was half mile off
when I..hailed her, and she turned to-
ward me.
sShe came SO close I could see the
officer on the bridge and the men running
forward to look at me. She could not
have been quarter of a mile away when
she turned and went back on her course
and steamed away to the eastward
shouted and shrieked until was hoarse,
but the steamer went on.
"I did not see the Egglestone Abbey
until after six O'Clock that evening.
noticed she was heading for me- I
hailed her as loud as | could. Then I
waved my arms and fell back"
"Yes, George" remarked Captain
Edwin B. Barnett, of the ship that
rescued the fisherman. II don't think
you'd have lasted much longer, after
floating thirty-three hours.
"We were twenty-four miles south
southeast of South Shoal Lightship,n the
captain continued to me, when Chief
Mate John Beynon on the bridge passed
word to me that he could see wreckage.
came up and told him to head the ship
toward it. Just as got the glasses to
my eyes Upton threw up his arms. We
and two sailors put off In a boat and got
him."
When Upton reached the Egglestone
Abbey he managed to climb up the rope
ladder that hung from her rail. Three
men caught him as he swung himself
over the. side But for their help he
would have fallen.
They carried him to the captains
cabin, where Captain Barnett admins
tered brandy and beef tea. 1t was five
hours before the rescued man could eat.
Then he got back little strength and
told his story.
His legs were frightfully swollen and
it was not until yesterday that he was
able to put on a very large pair of slip
pers.