The Neihart herald. [volume] (Neihart, Mont.) 1890-1901, 1894-07-21
HOW GOT COMMAND.

IL was uOrnlng III the mldd OF
September in the north Atlantic. the
latitude about 33 degrees north and
the longitude about 20 degrees west
Half a gale Of wind was blowing; the
seas were running in tall, dark greer
ridges, with a c~easeless melting OF
their heads into thunderous flashes
of snowlike whiteness.
Strong as the sea ran there was not
yet weight enough in the gale tc
heave a ship to, and ours-the Lans.
down, OF 1000 tons, of which !, Will.
liam Carew, was then the second
mate-was storming before the wind
homeward bound over the swelling
and bursting surge at 10 knots an
hour under reefed topsails and fore
course, with a frequent courtesy of
e bows that lifted the water to the
level of the cat heads.
Captain Wilkins, the master, walk
ed the weather side of the boon. 7
Kept myself warm by trudging
athwartships. The main deck was
black and cleaning with the fving
spray.
On a sudden a seaman in the fore
shrouds hailed the poop, and pointing
over the lee bow hoarsely bawled out
some words which l could not dis
t1ngulsh. l went to the rail to look
Captain Wilkins also crossed tbe
deck, and IN a moment we saw the
u OF a large ship looming in the
spray thickened distance ahead.
Weapproached herso rapidly there
was no need of a glass to see her con
dition.
She was painted black, but her
clean, rudy metal sheathipg gave
her the look of a new ship. All
above the foremost was gone, but the
foreyard still stood crossed, with frag
ments of white cloth streaming from
III ike the teeth of an old mutilated
comb.
Her malnmast and maintopmast
were standing, the main and topsail
yards across, and the remains of the
malntopsail logged the gale from the
bare bolt rope. All but about Is feet
or mlzzenmast was gone4 The stump
stood up Ike a long fang, Jagged and
naked.
The vessel was rolling wildly. She
lay IN the trough, and though she rose
to the sea with some suggestion of
buoyancy she would stoop her rails
IN amazing rolls to starboard and
port, to port and starboard, "dishing"
the water, till you saw the bright
green flood rush with the stoop of
her to the opposite bulwark, where,
with the fury of it's discharge, it
flashed up and blew away in clouds
OF dazzling spume.
There was a long deckhouse aft.
The stump of the mizzenmast was
right through it, and on top
Of that house, holding ON by the rail
at the edge of it, were eight men as |
counted them.
AS we approached, two of the men
exposed between them a small Eng
llsh ensign, SO contriving to hold it
as to let us see that thew
"OoAo luc jack 10 Dc uOWn.
No need, poor creatures, to signal
their distress. They had not held
the nag a couple of minutes when it
blew out of their hands and swept
Ike a CLEAN of red fire into the
smother to leeward.
She has no boats" shouted Cap
ain Wilkins to me. But no boat
Would 1--we III this sea. Yet those poor
must be rescued. Cali all
lands!"
He went to the wheel, and 1, not
Immediately guessing his intentions.
to the boatswain to summon
he whole of the on deck.
Now followed one of the most per-
ect bits OF seamanship it was ever
ny fortune to witness. Our helm
vas shifted and the sails trimmed to
the ships head on a line with ,
he stern of the wreck. /
Captain Wilkins stood near the :
wheel, coming the vessel. He :
a speaking trumpet. His !.
yes were cool, his manner composed. L
lis firm lips We're slightly parted.
Is the ship roared down upon the b
'reck, piling the foam to the spirit Z
yard, the captain, after speaking t
word to the two helmsmen, took a f
to the rail and lifted the trumpet t
0 his mouth. While we thundered ii
asst the rolling, groaning, streaming, v
fabric, he shouted: t
keep up your hearts, my ladsl I c
m coming back for you. Watch
our chance and jump aboard of us n
we pass" n
The next moment the wreck was Il
n Our quarter, but the men had 81
card, and we knew by the shout D.
ley raised that they understood him, tt
Ihere was small chance Of 'stay- al
g" in such a sea as that. We b
wore" reefed the mainsail, boarded
tack and thrashed to windward. tt
len putting our helm over we a.
unded for a second run down to o.
q wreck. La
The men had got off the deckhouse nj
. and we're standing on the taffrail 81
ady for the jump. This was the as
slant to test whatever of courage,
Ill and resolution Captain Wilkins 10
'ssessed. al
The men who We're to be rescued &C
fiji