The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1896-09-27
ADVENTURE AT SEA.


IRON -D48Gh
Most extraordinary are the details |
Of the galleGt action for which an
Albert medal of the first class was
conferred on Thomas Averett Whis-
tier, first mate of the ship Ennerdale
of Liverpool.
Early in the morning of Dec. "a,
1885, when the Ennerdale was round
ing Cape Horn, an apprentice named
Duncan McCallum was sent aloft to
loose the skysail. The Ennerdale,
should mention, was one of Messrs-
]. d. Newton's Dale line of steam
ers.
Presently, as the captain was de-
scending from the poop, he saw
heavy body strike the main rigging
q little above the bulwark and re-
bound into the sea. That heavy
body" was McCallun, and, the ship
being almost under full sail at tine
time, he was carried rapidly astern.
Immediately after this tragic oo-
ourrence III. S. Pochin, an able sea-
man, leaped overheard after the APP
prentice, but the latter sank before
Pochin could reach him. All things
considered, the rescuer's position
was now pretty serious, and, fearing
lest he shoald be seized with cramp
before a boat could come TO his as
sistance, he hailed the ship asking
for a life buoy to be thrown to him.
1,a
Captain Gunson, called all hands to
man a boat. The first mate, Mr..
Whistler, who had been asleep in his
berth, ran on deck and heard Po-
chin's hail. Calling to the boat
swain to heave him life buoy, he at
once sprang overheard, secured the
life buoy which was thrown to him
and succeeded in reaching Poohin.
This poor man was already on the
point of sinking, but, with the help
of the life buoy, Whistler WIS able to
keep him up.
Meanwhile considerable delay had
occurred in the dispatch of the boat.
For one thing, her lashings had been
secured very firmly for the passage
round Cape Horn, and when she
was launched so many men crowded
into her that she capsized, which
says much for the popularity Of
Whistler. The boat was soon right
ed, however, and dispatched in
charge of the third mate and two
seamen. All this time the two men
in the water were rapidly becoming
J exhausted, and they had made NJ
their minds to abandon the life buoy
and strike out side by side for the
ship when they were confronted by
a new, weird danger.
An immense albatross swept down
majestically ON Pochin and Whistler,
and, after lowering round quite
close TO their heads, alighted on the
j water just beyond arms length
There the great bird remained, star
2 ing them in the face and evidently
. only waiting until they had becomC
little more exhausted. In few
minutes, however, the boat reached
the spot, and its crew drew theil
perishing shlpmates out of the wa
| ter. Directly they were lifted int
? the boat both men became insensi
:. BILE, and Whistler was delirious fol
sometime afterward. Amazing al
it may seem, the two men had re
7 manned in the piercingly cold wat
[ for upward of 40 minutes. The ex
, pectant albatross was greatly disap
pointed at the turn events had takel
and had to be driven off with boat
, hook. 1t was a remarkable fact tina
: the attack of this bird contributes
s not little to the saving of the live
of both Whistler and Pochin. Thi
was because their vigorous efforts O
beat of the savage bird materiall,
[ helped to keep their blood in oircu
D lation, thereby averting the fata
o cramp.-Strand Magazine.