Gloucester County Democrat. (Woodbury, N.J.) 1878-1932, 1897-10-21
WOODBURY., n. J, THURSDAY, OCTOBERI21 1887

4
discharged the cargo we hauled out into
the river to wait for orders. The skip
per he goes ashore and right glad / was
to see the back of him, leaving me and
Bob Tucker that was the mate -
aboard
He was decent sort of chap and /
think I'd have done pretty well anything
for him for saving me from the captain.
He tried his best to persuade me to give
| up seafaring and settle down to some
( trade ashore and used to tell me some
of the things he'd gone through since
he'd been to sea. ! don't know how
many times he hadn t been shipwrecked,
but though | was pretty sick of it my
self, wouldn't own up to it and used
to think it would be grand to be able to
| tell such yarns as he could. All, don't
suppose he ever thought that was to be
his last voyage, but it was. 1t happened
like this We'd been lying out in the
river for over week. when there came
change in the weather and after a
cloudy and unsettled day or two the
wind got away to the sou west and began
to pipe up strong and in few hours it
was blowing a heavy gale. Craft caught
in the channel ran for the nearest shell
ter. Briggs and schooners came in with
torn sails and splintered spars, and one
or two of the fishing boats came to grief
on the bar Before long there was a
pretty lively sea all round the coast and
it was washing clean over the pierheads
| yonder. So you may guess that even in
side we felt it. The ketch, being light,
pitched and rolled at her anchorage like
cork, but we rode with good bit Of
CABLE and there was no other craft near
! us.
''The next night the gale was at its
height. Heavy gusts Of wind swept
across the harbor, whistling and shriek-
| ing wildly among the rigging, and bring
| ing up with them squalls of thick rain
that hid the lights of town altogether.
''I was on deck keeping watch, cold,
wet and miserable, when l noticed that
the cable every now and again seemed
to jerk and rattle as it had not done be-
fore. So went aft and told the mate,
who was smoking in the cabin.
:" By God, she's draggingp he shout
ed as soon as he'd been on deck few
moments. We shall be ashore before
we know where we are. Bear hand
here, lad Smart the word now And
he laid hold of the painter of the little
boat that was bobbing up and down
astern Of us.
Hand over hand we got it alongside,
and l plucked up courage to ask him
what he was going to do.
Going to do? Why, I'm going
ashore to get help. You and can't get
out another anchor alone. You keep a
sharp lookout, and when you hear me
call show light over the side And
with that he was gone.
II didn't like being left alone, you
may be sure. was only youngster,
| you must remember, and it was my
first voyage. thought she'd go ashore
and break up while he was gone, and
then l should be drowned, and the next
moment wondered whether he would
get back safely How long he was away
I don't know. 1t seemed to me like
hours. strained my ears tc' listen for
| his voice, and during one of the mo-
mentary lulls in the bowling of the
gale heard yonder church bells strike
8. And still the anchor dragged and
still we drifted. At last caught the
sound of a shout far off. jumped up
and waved the lantern over the SIDE
Then came another wait, followed by
another shout, this time clear and close
at hand Again / showed the light, and
the next moment | heard the splash of
oars alongside, and the mate and a
stranger, both dripping wet from head to
foot, clambered on deck. Then we turn
ed to to get out kedge. We got the
spare anchor up from the hold, bent on
a stout hawser to it, and prepared to
lower it into the boat. Bob Tucker and
the stranger got into the boat and bade
me lower away when was told. But
exactly what happened in the darkness
and confusion I could never clearly re-
member. The gale seemed to have got
ten times worse. 1t was difficult to
hear oneself speak. If possible, too, it
seemed to have got darker. | could just
family see the forms of two men NOV
ing about in the boat as it tossed along
side. Suddenly heard agonizing shouts
for help. looked over the side, and
the boat was gone
frightened? | should just think l
was frightened | added my shouts to
theirs, but you might as well have
spoken in whisper for all anybody
would have heard that night / rushed
wildly to and fro, throwing over ropes
ends and anything could lay my hands
upon. felt horribly helpless as lis.
tened to their cries getting fainter and
fainter until at last they ceased alto
gether, and know that they were
drowned. can't tell you what l felt
for the rest of that night. l dare not go
down below, and even on deck fancied
! could see their faces close beside me,
and their cries were ringing in my ears
forgot all about the gale and the dan
ger of going ashore. But sure enough
we did go ashore When daylight broke
/ / found that the ketch was lying on her
bilge on the mud. Then got into the
rigging and shouted and waved my
arms until at last some one came off to
me- They wouldn't believe me at first,
bat in the course Of the day poor old
fuckers body was picked up, and the
boat was found floating, bottom up
ward, by fisherman AS for the ketch,
which had cost the mate his life, she
took no harm and was got off safe and
sound next tide.
"That cured me of seafaring for a
time. | staid ashore for year or two,
but then the old longing came back, and
I went north in collier But never
! see yonder church without thinking Of
poor old Bob Tucker and his fate. p
Chambers Journal
A Resented Suggestion.
would you like a half tone portrait
Of YOURSELF" inquired the interviewer.