Wood River times. [volume] (Hailey, Idaho) 1882-1915, 1893-11-08
a SAILCR NAMED SAVAGE.
He Lived q Man and Died the Death Of q
Hero.

packet of the early days. which car
ried the mail between New York ant
Liverpool. She took first and second
cabin passengers, immigrants and q
general cargo 1t was my first ex
periencc as sailor, and l confess thai
1t did not come up to my expccta
tions
Every one seemed to take the
greatest pleasure in abusing me and
making my life miserable generally.
was kicked and ordered about +. ON
morning until night Every mental
Sc vice that could be thought Of 1
was made to do
My greatest tOrmentOr was the
second mate, man named Douglass
He was good sailor, but by nature
he was a brute, a coward, and a 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 inc. began to take some sort OF
interest in life.
One of the crew, DESERVING, was re-
placed by q man named Savage, who
was Il big, powerful fellow. with an
honest, upright face that attracted
everybody who met him.
Somehow he took a fancy to me
and after that nobody but the second
mate ever abused me, and by dint of
caution I 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,
homeward bound.
We had an ordinary, uneventful
passage until we arrived off the
Grand banks, where we ran into
dense fog and the weather became
colder. The fog was so thick that it
seemed "a il we were sailing in the
cloud, and the moisture dropped
from aioft like rain.
A restless and oppressive feeling
seemed to fill the air, and the passen-
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 al
fected is more that can explain
l was standing GU deck and Savage
was passing me, when he stopped
and said: II think there are bergs
around. Don't you feel it getting
COLDER"
had felt it, and was asking him
questions about bergs. when the look
outs both cried, "Starboard, sir! Ice
aheadn'
Before the ship could answer her
helm, saw an immense shape of
white towering high above us, and
the next minute we crashed into a
solid mass of ice, which looked like a
mountain.
The shock was terrific and dis
lodged a huge fragment, which fell
crashing through our decks, a2d we
heard the rush OF the water, as the /!
vessel began to I'LL and sink with in. !
credible rapidity.
AS soon as they could collect them
selves every one rushed to the boats
Savage and managed to crowd into
the second cutter She was soon
lowered away, and we shuveu off and
lay to a little distance from the shin
We were packed in so tightly that
it was next to impossible to even
turn around, and the gunwa!es were
barely awash. I 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 caupht
in the vortex and swamped, throwing
the occupants into the water The
suction drew our boat in among
them. Those who could grasped our
gunwales and endeavored to climb
aboard, but Mr.. Douglass drove them
back with blows from the tilIer, and
cursing Us for oar clumsiness babe MS
get cut the oars.
The boat was so greatly crowded
that this was difficult to ACCOMPLISH
but after good deal of trouble we
managed 10 ship them, and had al.
ready taken stroke when the gun.
vale was grasped by a woman hold.
ing child in her arms.
Mr.. Douglass. with an oath. hi,
her with the tiller, but, although she
from the pain, she still hung
on with grip like death.
He raise the tiller to hit her again
when Savage stood up from his oar
saying: "Hold on. sir! she can have
my place." and without another word
he slid overheard, and had moved tn =,
in among US, before we had
recovered from our astonishment.
AS he swan away l calIel him tn
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 tho {
next morning we were picked I'M hv {
The bark Mohasset and landed in {
Philadelphia {
Savage was never heard of again I
lie must have persisted. but he died a {
nero and like many others who have I
performed the noblest deeds that man c