The Philipsburg mail. [volume] (Philipsburg, Mont.) 1887-current, 1895-02-28

which might decide her fate, and when
she saw the buoy alternately drowned
in the wild surf and slung with ter
rife jerk high into the air she said pa
thetically that she would prefer to die
on board
The carpenter also failed to send back
any signal, which indeed would have
been superhuous, and he made no mon
tlon to the life savers of the plight Of
the mother and child. 5 ..
About the time the carpenter was
landed the sailors on the wreck discov-
cred to their horror that the sternpost
of the ship had been twisted out of
place, letting in the sea and threatening
to break up the vessel. The ship was
doomed Realizing this. the captain pre-
vailed upon his wife to attempt rescue
by the buoy. Just as she appeared Oh
deck for this purpose tremendous
wave swept over the ship with power
that threatened to dash all hands into
the sea. The timbers Of the hull groan-
ed under the fearful strain, the tempest
roared at it's widest and the confusion
on board was appalling The terrified
child clung close to the fathers breast,
reaching out it's hands to the mother,
who was powerless to give help.
The buoy was hung aloft in the cross
trees, and when Mrs. Jorgensen, after
great difficulty, reached it, aided by her
husband and two sailors, the slings
were found to be held as in wise and
immovable by the shore hauling line,
which the strong current bowed until it
was as taut as iron The huge mast
swayed in the tempest as though it were
simI' loose playthi1g. It was impos-
sible Tor strong men to hold on there,
and the party descended to the deck.
When night set in, the wreck lay in
divided sections, having parted amid
ships. The forward part was under wa
ter, the stern gone, and the small upper
deck, where the people were, sloped
into the sea. The captain lashed his
wife to the pump standard and stood
beside her with the child in his arms.
The two mates and u sailor crawled for
ward on the jlbboom. Two others cast
their fortunes in with the captain, but
one OF them in desperation jumped over
board to swim ashore and soon sank for
ever, It was too dark to make signals
from shore, and mono could be mado
from the ship Meanwhile the life savers
had exhausted every effort to get the
wrecked people ashore. Keeper Drink
water saw from his experience with the
lines that the sea was SO strong that a
surfboat would be only a toy on that
strong lateral current, and swinging
brcadside to the high waves would
swamp instantly.
Captain Jorgensen, at longth de-
spairing Of outside help, resorted to a
novel means for the rescue of his wife
and chilei( With the aid of the faithful
sailor who remained beside him ho got
overheard ladder, lashed a life buoy
upon his wife and another upon him
self, then secured the child to his breast
by cords and prepared to descend. His
Wife said to him calmly, Don't you
think we had better die here together?'
Reassuring her, he bade her goodby and
let himself down by a rope to the lad
der, which he missed and got between
it and the ships side. AS often as he
attempted to get upon the ladder it cap
sized. After time huge wave swept
him away from the ladder and out of
sight of his wife, whom he last saw
standing by the rail where ho had left
her, with her hands clasped i'll waiting
for his signal to como to him. The cur
rent drew him into the surf, and
great comber dashed him into the cavi-
ty OF the hull among the swaying, grind
ing timbers and floating cargo. The re-
ceding waves fortunately bore him out
again. .-
During all this time he managed to
shield the child at his breast from the
blows Of floating wreckage, but it's head
was often submerged and it's cries heart
rending. At last a wave broke over him
and carried him to the bottom, but he
to the surface again, and to
his horror discovered that the child had
been torn from it's lashings and swept
beyond reach. He himself was carried
to shOal water near the beach and man.
aged to crawl up to the surfmen's fire.
While Captain Jorgensen was thus
heroically struggling in the water the
tragedy reached it's climax on the wreck.
Soon after the captain disappeared a
wave swept Mrs. Jorgensen and her
at the rail overheard, and
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