The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1894-10-19
oREwsoME iNCIpENTs AT SEA.
a Naval Ofncer's Relation of How a Meas
mates Rody Wac Buried.

mates Rody Wac Buried
"I was nearly scared out of my
senses once" remarked an officer of
the United States navy whose name is
o synonym for all that is courageous
on land end sea.
There was an immediate demand
from the Washington Star reporter for
tho story and the accommodating off,
Ger proceeded with IL.
ut happened on the old ship Powhat-
an" he said, several years ago, and we
were anchored off West India port.
One day young sailor, general IA
vorite with officers and crew, fell from
q mast and broke his neck He was
dead when we picked him up, and we
at once prepared the body for burial,
the ships carpenter making wooden
coffin, which he nailed together, as
there were no screws suitable in his
kit We had expected to take the body
ashore, but the authorities refused per-
mission, and we were forced to sea
burial, and had placed n couple of shot
inside the coffin at the foot to sink 1t.
The body lay in state on deck that
night, and the next day all hands were
called TO attend the funeral. The cap
tain began reading the burial service,
very solemnly and with much feeling,
for all of us felt the loss of the young
fellow keenly. lie read along quietly
until 1t was about half through, when
all at once there came q fearful rasp-
ing, screeching sound from the coffin,
and the lid began to rise. The super
stitious sailors fed in dismay, the cap
tain's face blanched, the other officers
stood irresolute, and 1 grabbed the
wheel and held on to it with all my
strength TO keep from running clean
away. Scared2 Why, was so scared
didn't know where was. But in
minute we began TO realize that the
swelling of the decomposing body
had forced the nails out and 1t was
their giving way that had made the
fearful noise. In few minutes the
sailors were recalled, the coffin was
nailed up again and lashed with ropes
and the last sad rites were finished
without further incident.
THAT is to say" continued the Off
Ger, "there was no further incident on
deck 1t was my duty to 60 with a
bOdO CECW SOIIlt NlSlduCc Uu0
ship and sink the body in the sea, and
can tell you now did not relish the
job at ell. 1t was duty, and that
must be done whether one likes 1t or
not By this time the sun had set, the
sea was quite rough and the men to go
with me were badly ratified. At
suitable distance l stopped the boat,
committed the body to the deep and,
with feeling of the most intense re-
lief, ordered the crew to give way TO
return to the ship. l sat in the stern
of the boat facing the crew, and they
had not taken a dozen strokes until I
noticed something was wrong. Their
faces began to take on the color of
ashes and in minute the bow oars
man stopped. its after us, sir, he said
in tone that made all my blood go
clean down to the soles of my feet
cast quick glance backward. Right
on our heels, apparently, and end on,
jumping out of the water in weird,
fantastic leaps, came the coffin In our
wake. Then it was, IN my nervousness,
] wanted to scream, or faint, or do
sCmething and for an instant it would
have been a positive relief to me to
have done all three in rapid succession,
and wound it up by plunging into the
sea, but the eyes of the men were on
IIIc, and they were worse scared than l
was, and l couldn't do that. To put
back was all there was to do, and at
the command the boat went back, but
can assure you none of us wanted to
60 bacll with it. However, necessity
compelled it, and in q few strokes we
We're alongside the coffin and had made
IL fast with q rope. Then we discovered
that the air in it supported it, the shot
at the foot keeping it almost perpen-
dicular IN the sea, and the dancing
waves did the rest. Ia a minute we
had knocked one end of it In; MIN
ute later it had sunk out of sight with
a smothered gurgle, and my scare was
over, but the effects of 1t remained for
weeks and even yet l can make my
self uncomfortable thinki ng about it,
y Erightful Dut LaughabIe Experience on
the Red Sea.
In Werner Won Siemens' personal
Recollections" the famous electrician
narrates a Red sea adventure which |
might have turned out tragically. He
was laying n cable and one night was
in his restroom supervising some part
Of the work, when suddenly he heard |
loud shouting overhead and violent |
running to and fro.
The man at the ships head, intrust- |
cd with the continuous soundings, had |
fallen overheard. AS the whole deck
was well lighted with gas, many of the
people there could see him in the
water, and in answer to his lusty cries
Tor help they threw him life-belts,
which were kept everywhere on board. |
The Tessel was stopped and boats
put out, which disappeared for an un-
comfortably long time in the darkness
At last they returned with shouts of
triumph.
The man had kept himself afloat by
swimming, and had been lucky enough |
not to be seized by any of the nu-
merous sharks which disport them
selves in the Red sea, and are said to
J.