Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1893-09-28
CHAPTER VIII.
SHIPWRECKED,

"a little more breeze to-day said
Capt. Bodfsh, one morning alter the
vessel had been becalmed for nearly a
week. ''The air gives signs of a com
ing storm, and when it does come may
the good Lord keep and preserve U.S."
Even as the captain spoke trace of
a dark cloud was diml y vivible away to
the west. To the captains experienced
eye the tufts of uncarded wool, so slow
ly moving along in the direction of the
vessel, SO near the blue sky and yet SO
close to the green ocean, meant that
the calm had ended and that storm
was beginning.
The rapidly given orders of the cap
tain were quickly obeyed and the gall
liant crew made the preparations posi-
BILE for the good ship to receive the
gale and ride through it. The winds
came as though they had used the days
of calm to gather force from all the
ocean and all the sky, and in their
madness they seemed to see on all the
broad expanse of surging waves but one
frail ship to wrestle with, and that one
they wrecked as il it had been made of
paper and manned by little children.
Every mast and every spar, and every
stitch OF canvas, and every soul Oh
board, save five, were swept into the
sea. The life boats were torn to pieces
as though made of cloth.
When the storm ceased and the sun
appeared, all that was left of the Lucky
Star was hull, dismantled, dismasted,
rudderless, and water soaked. The
captain and the two clerks, Louis and
Charles. had dashed themselves to a
capstan which protruded a few inches
above the shattered deck, and when
the storm was over they were still
dashed there and still living.
Two deck hands had tied themselves
to one of the ponderous anchors which
hung over the ships side, and they,
too, were saved-fve souls in all-fve
human beings on wreck, and, as far
as they knew, without food or water,
or even hope Of rescue from a grave
the sea: and. in fact, with nothing but
life left them. What was that worth?
On being released, after the storm
had somewhat abated, the men coun-
seled together as to what was best to
be done. 1t was evident that the hull
would go to pieces should there come
another storm or should the wind con-
tinue blowing for any great length of
time as it was blowing then.
Even while the conversation was go
ing on, the ship swayed to and fro as if
making a desperate effort to keep it's
place on the water.
Suddenly it broke apart and all that
was left of the ship went down beneath
the waves, except a portion of it's prov,
to which the shipwrecked band chung
as their last hope of rescue.
When the hull parted, boxes, bar
rels, packages of various sorts, and
pieces of the wreck, came to the sur
face, and, as they fioated by, the men
boldly risked their lives t0secure some
of the debris. Providence helped
them, and before nightfal they had
stored on their frail craft two barrels
of water, tierce of rice and a cask of
brandy. The prov they were on was
a compartment by itself, and again,
providentially. the severed end was
not stove in Or damaged, and to all APP
pearances, was water tight and might
float until storm should wreck it.
There was no fire nor any way to
provide one. The rice. soaked in
used sparingly. The brandy was dealt
out DIS medicine. For days and nights
the craft foated.
one DAY they sighted land, and when
they were close enough they saw rocks
upon which their strange craft must
surely drift-for they had no means of
controlling itand they would be lost
within sight of land
Instead, however, of floating directly
upon the rocks, as was expected, there
came wind from beyond the cliffs
and surged the craft along the
shore and away from the rocks.
until rounding point, the cliffs
abruptly ended, and then the breeze
from the sea drove the boat ashore
and beached it where the water was
but few feet feen