The Olneyville tribune. (Providence, R.I.) 1893-189?, 1893-10-14
A SAILOR NAMED SAVAGE.
He Lived n Man and Died the Death OF
Hero.


the Saracen was hard one.
The Saracen was "a fine steam
packet Of the early days, which car
Tied the mail between New York and
Liverpool. She took first and second
cabin passengers, immigrants and a
general cargo. 1t was my first ey-
pericnce as "A sailor, and confess that
it did not come up TO my cXpccta-
tiOns.
Every one seemed 10 take the
greatest pleasure In abusing me and
making my life miserable generally.
was kicked and ordered about (. ON
morning until night. Every menial
service that could be thought OF i
was made TO do
Ny greatest tormentOr was the
second mate, man named Doug lass.
He was a good sailor. but by nature
he was brute, coward, and bully.
When we arrived at LIVERPOOL my
work from experience had become
easier, and, as the men were fully en-
plOyed on other matters than bother
ing me, began TO take some sort OF
interest in life.
One OF the crew, dcSerting. was re-
placed by a man named Savage, who
was "A big, powerful fellow. with an
honest, upright face that attracted
everybody who met him.
Somehow nc took "A fancy To me
and after that nobody but the second
mate Lver abused me, and by dint Of
cauticn / managed to avoid him very
successfully.
We soon had our cargo below the
hatchers and after dropping down
the stream the tender brought off the
passengers and we got under way,
homcward bound.
We had an ordinary, uneventful
passage until we arrived off the
Grand banks, where we ran into a
dense fog and the weather beca ne
colder. The fog was so thick that IL
seemed ~ II we were alling in the
clouds cnd the moisture dropped
from aloft like rain
A restless and oppressive feeling
seemed To I'LL the air, and the passcn-
gers and crew paced silently up and
down the decks, pausing every now
and then as If they had heard some
strange sound.
Why we should have been SO pf-
fectcd is more that | can explain.
/ was standing on deck and Savage
was passing me, when he stopped
and said: IL think there are bergs
around. Don't you feel it getting
COLDER"
had felt IL, and was asking him
questions about bcrgs, when the look
outs boJh cried, 'Starb0ard, sir! Ice
ahead"
Before the ship could answer her
hclin, | saw an immense shape OF
white towering high above Us, and
the next minute we crashed into "A
solid mass Of ice, which looked Ike
mountain.
The shock was terrific aud dis.
lodged "A huge fragment. which fell
crashing through our decks, a2d we
heard the rush OF the water, as the
vessel began TO Ill and sink with in
credible rapidity.
AS soon as they could collect them
selves every one rushed TO the boats.
Savage and managed 10 crowd into
the second cutter. She was soon
lowered away, and we showed of and
lay To a little distance from the ship.
We were packed in so tightly that
il was next to impossible To even
turn around and the gunwales were
barely awash. / found that Mr..
Douglass had charge OF the boat, and
my heart sank with fear.
We saw two other boats get away
before the Saracen, throwing her
stern high in the air, and, amid "A
great rush OF water, sank from our
sight.
One OF the other boats was caught
in the vortex and swampcd, throwing
the occupants into the water The
suction drew our boat i'm among
them. Those who could grasped our
gunwales and endeavored 10 climb
aboard. but Mr.. Douglass drove them
back with blows from the tiller, and
cursing Us for or clumSiness bade us
get out the oars
The boat was so greatly crowded
that this was difficult To accomplish,
but after a good deal Of troublc we
managed to ship them, and had al
ready Jaken stroke when the gun.
vale was grasped by woman hold
ing a child in her arms.
Mr.. Douglass. with IN oath. hit
her with the tiller, but although she
groaned from the pain, she still hung
on with Il grip like death.
He raise the tiller to hit her again
when Savage stood up from his oar,
saying: "iiold on. sir! she can have
my place" and without another word
he slid overheard and had moved tn ,
woman in among us, before we had
recovered from our aStonShment.
AS he SWAN away l callel him TO
come back, but he only turned and
waved his hand. and while we were
gazing after him he disappeared in
the fog.
The sea remained calm and the
next morning we were picked up by
the bark Mohasset and landed in
philadelphia