The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1895-11-10

splintered counter where the waves cleared
themselves way, down along the decks
and up to the stem where the bowsprit
snapped close to the figurehead, the wrath
full waters have written the story of the
wild, mad storms effort, wasteful and in
effectual
And that fgurehead-a white draped
woman with dismal look fixed across the
sea. Some rude shipyard artist carved the
dreary, ehangeless features for the hand
some little bark-handsome thirty-five
years ago-and bolted it to the bow.
Possibly she was comely then, in her
youth, comely as was the craft that bears
her over the ocean, and wind and wave
ana time have wrought hard upon her.
Albeit, she is in keeping with the ruined
appearance or the vessel, and she part and
parcel of the dreariness around her
The people on board the Sharpshooter
do not talk much of the awful gale that
blew down upon them in the Gulf of Cali
fornia August II. Folks of the sea re-
luctantly speak of the black days and
black nights that are theirs far out on the
tempest-ridden pillows. That is a portion
of their lives, and it comes and is gone,
| and even recollection is crowded out by
| blacker days and nights that follow
1.-THE storm struck us suddenly and our
spars went overheard" said quiet Mrs.
Watts yesterday, as she sat IN an easy
chair on the bark's quarterback.
In her arms was an infant and two
children, almost babies, stood by the
wheel and gravely watched the reporters.
| The wheel was battered aid all but dis
abled but fla ithful and true it had steered
| the wounded vessel through lingering
weeks of storm. The compass near the
helm is weather-worn, but the tiny bar of
steel never failed to mark the pole star
| eternally burning in the north.
II put my three babies in berth and
did not lift them out for days." said the
| heroine of the wrecked bark. Call the
| cabin doors and matches were tightly
| closed and Captain Watts, my husband.
was on deck So we four were practically
cut off from all the rest and were prisoners
| below. We had food and water aud when
the gale lulled down a bit we could gel
| something to eat.
| But these long, long days of drift on
| the Mexican coast; we were so helpless.
The vessel wouldn't stay-come up in the
| wind-because we could put but little sail
| on the weak spars. And for the same rea-
| son she wouldn't wear-pay off-except
with difficulty.
on see everything went but the main
and miZzen masts, main and one main
| topsail yards, and we had to set up a jury
| rig fore and aft
! Mrs. Watts is not a Black-eyed Susan
| nor any such stored daughter of the sea
| she is only an Australian woman, but
every inch sailor and her ship phrases
| are AL at Loyds.
1.-The foremost broke off below the
deck" continued Mrs. Watts, land slipped
| down. This Stacked up the rigging that
supported it and the weight of the heavy
yards above and the next roll snapped the
mast off in another place above the deck
| The whole gear went into the sea. At the
same time the bowsprit carried away and
| swung overheard to leeward. Mr.. Balm.
bridge, the first mate. in cutting away the
wreckage to keep the floating spars hang.
ing alongside from beating holes in the
calamity this would have been to have
| lost that brave and skilIful seaman. He