The Somerset reporter., 1894-03-22
LITTLE CIII1RU B.

L ! D - y L ! 1(s
Surely never Was there more gallant
skipper than Ca vain William hines Of
the raliish freigf ,er British Prince and
never harder boatswain than Gnarles l..
Lastadius The skipper Is from New
casile-on-Tyne and has followed the sea
80 years. or since he was Is yeGrs old.
He has fine brown beard. and the re-
sonant voice that comes tifaaaa II might
be heard Above the strongest gale that
ever thrmuucd on tile British Princes
rigging. The boatswain Is young
Swede, who has suffered shipwreek more
than once. But the captain and all the
ships company never thought Of him a
a foreigner. but as a fellow sailorman
with big heart.
The British Prince when laden has less
freeboard than the common freighter
from Mediterranean ports. Sowhen she
breasts the wintry seas size sometimes
buries her fo'cas,e head in the fernent.
She had "a rough voyage from Gibraltar
and her coal got SO low in the bunkers
that Captain lnnes decided to put in t.
St. Michael. in The Azores for fresh
supply. There lie found stancher steam
ships than his that had lost ifeboats and
headgear and had many inches OF water
in their holds.
The British Prince made good weather
of it from the Azores until she WAS about
ago miles east of Sandy Hook. \ gale
came howling out of the southwest,
conbing up seas that. in the picturesque
language of the skipper, looked hike
"granite cliffs Darkness was just set.
ting in. The cook wanted some fresh
water and, like most cocks being a
landsnan and somewhat timid he asked
the boatswain to get 1t for him. The
pump of the fresh water tank IS on the
main deck under the foreeastle head. 1t
was hazardous to attempt to get at it
while the seas were boiling a they We're,
but water must be had, and sailorlnan
and Boatswain Lastadius determined tC
get it. The sailorman got bucket and
running forward lodged under the fore.
castle head. Boatswain Lastadlus went
out on the flying bridge to take the buck
ct from the sailorman when the chance
offered-that is, when there was little
probability of "A sea coming Immediately
aboard forward.
Tie flying bridge is board walk with
a rope railing run between inch iron
stanchions. connecting the fo'castle head
with the forward part OF the hurricane
deck The main deck is seven feet be-
low. The boatswain intended to reach
down, grab the bucket and run aft along
the flying bridge to the hurricane deck,
leaving the sailorman under the shelter
of the focaetlc head TO take another
chance between seas.
Il had just got ready said the boat
swain. "to take the bucket, when tn,
shipgavea plunge. Hooked up. AMI there
over the port bow saw such such a SEA
as hops may never see again. knew
it was coming aboard, and | knew had
no chance to get ont of its way. If | ran
aft, thou1 ht, it would pick me'up be
fore | got oil the bridge and carry ne
away. So | thought the best thing to ID
was to make fast to a stanchion uf the
flying bridge. So wound my arms aud
legs around it, Rugged as hard rs | knew
how and lowered my head To take the sea.
Everything seemed To give way when
the sea Int me. | might just As well
have caught hold of a rope yarn rs that
stauchiun. thought il was all up with
me and the British Prince until | found
myself on the crest Of a wave striking
out for the ship, winch was riding rs il
she had shipped only a bucketful.
strnck the water maybe five fathuns of
the sIarhoard bow. | saw the form OF
the second officcr-Thomas Junes-Ul
the bridge as | swept along the ship
side. He grabbed a lifebuoy from the
rack, and | saw it come sailing toward
me. 1t was good shot, or might not he
telling about it now. The buoy almost
ringed my head. grabbed it and forced
it over my shoulders and under my arms,
As ] was swept aft along the star
board side Of the ship | SAW Captain
Innes running forward. He saw me,
toe, for he shouted: Keep up stout
heart Well save you if we can But
1t WAS getting very dark, and was three
ships lengths astern before anything
could be done aboard the ship, My heart
sank. and gave myself up for lost.
had been striking out for the snip. but
when | saw her going ahead / stopped all
effort to save myself. But 1t takes a long
time to stop and reverse engines and
pretty soon | saw the ship backing to-
ward me.
That made my heart bound. and |
yelled with all my might and tried TO
make some Roadway against the seas,
which sometimes turned me over and
over. was afraid that the ship would
back against me, and that | would be
sucked under by her propeller and
drowned or killed by the blades. saw
the propeller whirling in the air when
ever the ship went down into the trough
of the sea. shouted, Don't back on top
of me, as | thought they couldn't see
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