The Lambertville record. [volume] (Lambertville, N.J.) 1872-1968, 1896-02-19

AnxiOusly we cr0uched by the WIND
lass, the captain S hand almost constant
" upon either one cable or the other,
t. at he might detect the first vibratory
motion, indicating that the anchors were
being dragged over the rocky bottom
But they seemed to hold securely. Our
danger was of another sort.
Twas crouching in tho lee of the fore
mast to shelter myself from the wind
and spray, when heard the captain sud-
denly shout:
Cup, up with you. boys, quick
There's coaster adrift, coming right
for us T.
Through the driving rain, sure enough,
came a big schooner stern first, wildly
swinging to and fro, now topping on
crest, now wallowing down in the hol-
low depths Her gunwales almost rolled
under, and her main boom, free from its
flashing, swayed madly from side to side.
Just as we were receding from roll
ing swell she crashed into us and snap
ped our bowsprit. Then she hung square
across our bow.
"Quick, quick Give me the axl''
cried the captain.
In a moment he severed both cables at
the windlass, and we were drifting with
the gale. No vessel lay directly asterl
Of us. The captains hope was that we
might not only go clear of the coaster,
but drive upon small, sandy beach at
the end of Smutty Nose. But the heave
of the sea and the slant of the wind
drove us to one side, and we went upon
the rocks instead.
There was o shock, grinding crash
as she struck. Then we seemed to stop,
and now the sea broke over us i'll fury.
"To the dory, boys! The schooner
will go to pieces !" shouted the captain.
Without much difficulty we got the
dory into the water to leeward. Jack,
my shipmate, flung his clothesbag into
the stern of the boat. while threw a
coil Of small rope into her ere l tum-
bled in myself. There was but one pair
of oars. These the captain took and be-
gan to pull toward Manana.
Away from the lee Of the schooner
we were exposed to the full fury of the
gale, and the course to which we were
compelled kept us in the trough of the
sea. Every moment it seemed as though
we must be swamped, and in spite OF all
that we could do we were drifting
rapidly toward Drunken Gut.
Suddenly thole pin broke. Before
another could be put in the place we
were afoul of the standing rigging of a
sunken vessel, the dory almost on her
broadside and we in imminent danger
of being washed overheard. But cling
ing instinctively to the uppermost gun
vale we succeeded in righting the dory
and working her clear of the wreck.
Again we were adrift indeed, for we
had lost an oar and now had but one.
Our destruction now was apparently
but a question of moments, for il we
escaped the reefs and boiling surf upon
one side we were almost certain to be
dashed against the iron sides of Manana
upon the other.
was in the bow, peering ahead,
when the hull of vessel suddenly
doomed up almost directly before us
and apparently at anchor. While the
captain endeavored to keep the dory
headed for her bent one end of my coil
of line to the painter ring. Then, grasp
| ing blight In my hand as the dory
grazed the schooner's sides, I made Q
spring for the rail and climbed on
board. Then I caught my line round O
cleat, checked the drift Of the dory ant
brought her alongside.
We soon found that the schooner wa
deserted. Her crew had sought safety OF
shore. We thought ourselves exceeding
| ly fortunate that their vessel had beer
In our way.
But we had been upon the deck scarce
! ly 30 minutes when the captain started