Waterbury evening Democrat., 1894-09-19
THE CRADLE OF THE DEAD.
A Gruesomc Description of a Dereiict seel
 at Sea


 A Gruesomc Description of a DereIiet Seen
 at Sea
 In the vast expanse of ocean lying be- twesn Cape Horn and the Cape of Good Hope-an expansc so vast that a mighty continent could be heavcd up and make but an island for the mariner to sight the sun came up ono morning to cast Its golden rays full upon a ship lying fair across our course to the northeast and only a mile away. One glance at her told the story-the saddcst story the sea gives up. She was n dcrclict, an abandoned ship Tho sailor who discovered her and hailed the quarter deck sunk his voice to q whIs- per as he spoke to the man beside him Every man dropped his work to look across the waters nt tho loncliest and most grew some of all sights to bc encountered at sea Ten minutes later WIG had run down to her and laid tho yards aback, and from our decks every man had Q close yiew-a small but full riggcd ship, every sail blown to tatters and the tatters streaming out like bands of funeral moss in the morning breeze. The fore topgallant mast had not been carried away. but hung by its rig ging and swaycd to and fro with many a dismal creak as tho dcrelict lifted and fell. The bowsprit was broken of, and the tan gle was under her bows, while a great space of the bulwarks along her port side was gone clean down to tho deck, and the once bright yards and masts were spotted as if moss hnd taken root. As she lifted on a sea and rolled slowly away from us we saw that her bottom was covered with barnacles and grass, and close under her counter, as If chained captive, lay m cn0r nous shark.
 Ut is Q death shipl'' whispered the men to each other as they saw the shark.
 You'll find dead men aboard of her, {" said the captain as he ordered the mate to man a boat and overhaul the stranger.
 We pulled quickly across the interven- ing space and boarded at the bows From the decks of our own craft VIC had heard the crcaking and groaning and rubbing of yards and masts and blocks as she rose and fell, but as we waited a moment be- fore boarding We caught such gurgling, gasping sounds from her hold that every man looked up with fear in his eyes as he listened.
 Its the cargo shifting and rolling about" whispered tho mate as he made ready to go up and nodded for us to follow
 We stood huddled together for a min utc on her bows. The decks showed patches of rot here and therc, and wherever thers had been a bit of brass work tho metal had turned black. Thcrc was Q deckh0use for the men, but tho doors were shut That of the cooks galley swung to and fro, however, and as we pcered inside We found most of the cooking utensils lying about on the floor. Tho scuttlc butt, from which the men drank their water, had col lapscd, and the slaves werc lying about the spot as dry as tindcr. A kick on the door of tho dcckhousc completely shattered 1t, and it was with fear and hesitation VIC en- | tered Tho hunks were all empty, how ever. Hero and thcrc was m article of | sailors wear, but what We dreaded to find was not present.
 The cabin doors faced us as we went aft. | They were shut, but not locked We pull cd them open and stood aside for a mo mcnt before booking in. No one in ths main cabin, no one in the captains state room. The door of the chief officers state room stood open, and n glance proved that | 1t contained nothing but bedding and | clothing. The door of tho mates room was shut and bOltcd- A few kicks dashed | it in, and as we huddlcd about the open | ing and looked in VIC expected to sec thu | man lying there asleep start up and shout | at us Lying on his right side and facirG us, with a blanket drawn up to his chin, and only n swarthy, bearded face in view, imposed n man. His eyes were shut, and thu position of the form suggested sleep w fell away that the mate might go in ant arouse him, but he moved back and whis pcrcd:
 ''Hc has slept for months and months | It Is his last sleep "
 No lngbOOk, no papers. not a line ir chalk or pcncil or ink tO tell what hnt happened tO tho ship, what became of thu others, who this man was and how h' | camc to bc left alone In the stern of thi craft. in letters fading and hlistcring II the hot sun, We found the name Gttano Thcrr was no port of hail. no way tO trae' her Her cargo was blanks and timber from the coast of Brazil. She was water logged and the cargo alone kept her atioat
 Leave him tO his sleep" said our cap tain when the story had been told, and a WIG swung our yards and filled away ol our course the rOtting, grooming derelic rolled to starbnard and port Rs if rockin. the cradle of the dead that hc might no | start into life again. M. QUAD.