The McCook tribune. (McCook, Neb.) 1886-1936, 1894-03-16

-
Of me- as / thought they couldn't zee
me in the darkness.
"The ship drew nearer and nearer, the
captain keeping me on the starboard
hand. All the men had gathered at the
starboard rail, and as the ship passed me
they hove lines and buoys to me and
shouted to me to keep up heart. ! was
once within half a fathom of the star
board rail when a sea swept me forward
and clear around the bow on the port
side. ! was away astern in the darkness
before the ship could be stopped, and /
almost lost hope again. But / kept sing
ing ont and could hear the voice of the
captain and the cheers of the men COM
ing down on the wind.
1.-THE captain couldn't see me, but he
took my bearings from the sound of my
voice by a star. and coming around he
steamed down toward me, and going
around me came up on my starboard. /
was full of salt water and so played out
and cold that ! hadn't much strength
left when ! saw all the men gathered
along the port rail waiting to save me.
The mate threw a life buoy and a line,
and { caught it and put it on. I caught
another line, too. fearing the first one
might be carried away, and that's all /
remember clearly until / heard all the
men cheering. Up to her ! thought !
was still in the sea-"
The captain was in his cabin taking
his tea, Is he puts it, when a man rushed
to the top of the companion way and
shouted, Man overheard, sirf" The
captain had just poised a piece of meat
on his fork and was about to put it in
his mouth. Some shippers might have
serenely finished the meal. But Captain
Innes got up the companion way and on
deck as if his own son were the man
who was overheard. He dimly saw the
boatswain sweeping astern. As he passed
the engine room on his way to the bridge
he shouted to the engineer, "Stand by
to stop those engines"
Then he flew to the bridge and laid his
right hand on the telegraph"
stop and reverse" were flashed to the
engine room, and the captains voice
rang out, "All hands to starboard with
lines and buoysf' All hands were there
e. before the summons came.
"Our only hope in saving him lay in
picking him up with the ship" said the
captain, ''for no boat could live in the
sea that was running. / have seldom
seen anything like it. The gale was so
high that it combed down the crests, and
all the water we shipped was solid green.
When / backed the ship down to the
bo's'n, | saw him struggling bravely in
the seas. He had the life buoy that the
second officer threw to him under his
arms, and his body was well out of wa
ter. | determined to save him if he
could hold out until could fetch him
alongside. We missed him the first time,
and he was carried forward around the
bow to the port side. He kept up a lusty
shouting, and we answered back.
1--WE were going ahead a bit, when he
was whirled around to starboard, and as
the night had well set in, and / could not
see half a ships length away, we soon
lost him. But I turned on the bridge
and got the bearing of his voice by a
star, and l kept that star in sight when l
put the helm hard a-starboard n bore
down in the direction of the star. We
had lost his voice altogether, but as we
steamed toward the star we heard it
family over the rush of the wind and the
swash of the seas. We caught sight of
him too late to pick him up as we
steamed past, so we came up with the
wind again, with the bo's'n on our port
hand.
I'VE steamed slowly, SO the men
ranged along the port rail, each with a
line or a buoy, had a chance at him. l
knew by the cheer that went up that he
was saved, and I felt like cheering my
self. He was just half an hour in the
water, and if he hadn't been a plucky
man he would be there now. The poor
fellow didn't know he was safe for a min
ute or so after he was hauled aboard. He
clung to the rail SO tightly that the men
had to break his grip. He shook with
the cold like a leaf. / took him below
and gave him three glasses of brandy
and some hot coffee. Then the steward
rubbed him down with whisky, and he
wal good for work next morning."-Ex-
change.