The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1897-11-08

OF the anchor catching with a firm grip
and bringing the ships head up to the
storm with jerk, II went too slow, and
che simply tumbled into the trough OF the
seas, which broke over her I'm torrents.
In an instant she was as helpless as a
log, and she was tossed here and there
and taking every wave aboard. From
port TO starboard the great mountains
OF water poured. rolling into the hold,
and this added to the quantity already
Weighing her down. The load was too
much and after a moment, when we all
felt that we were lost, the ship keeled
over to starboard and went down, stern
first.
What became of my mates I do not
know. l remember that the boats had
been loosened. and that some OF the men
were ready to take to0 chem II the vessel
went under, but no boat could have lived
for a minute In that terrible sea, and IL
any OF them did get In the boats IL was
simply 10 be swamped as soon as the
first wave struck them. Maybe they
did not leave the ship at ALL was near
the spar, and when the stern OF the vessel
began TO go under / went for the rigging
and went up as fast as could. Another
man went with me--the second mate
and / thank the Lord that he was with
me. or would have gone mad during all
the long hours that was up there hang
ing on and trying to keep off the fright
full cold that was surely killing US BOTH
There was rolling to and fro as the
vessel struck the bottom and slowly
righted TO an even keel and then sec
ond later she rolled over to one side. I
thought she was going all the way over.
but she did not. She settled on the bot
tom, and though the waves rolled her
from port to starboard the spar re-
mained out OF the water. with my mate
and myself clinging 10 II. All this time
the hail and sleet was coming down in
a cutting sheet and we were covered with
Ice In a few minutes for though the top
of the spar on which we were hanging
was % feet above water. the big waves
struck us and broke over Us, and the hail
cut us like shot / knew that IL was
about 3 o'clock when we went down. and
il seemed to me. that daylight would
never come. For what seemed TO be an
age we hung on TO the rigging. and we
twisted our arms about the spar and let
them freeze in position, for we would
have fallen into the fearful sea.
when daylight came we could not see
a sail anywhere near us, and the sea was
as bad as ever. There did not seem to be
any chance OF IL going down. Hour after
hour we waited there, and then we saw
the Mariposa coming. For a long time
we did not know whether she would
sight us, and we watched her from the
time she was little. smoky haze up the
lake until we could see that she was a
big vessel. When she finally sighted US
and we saw her head for us, I tried to tell
my mate, but could not, and he looked
at me with happy look in his face. II
was terrible time TO us before she came
up 10 US, and then knew we were not
yet safe, for the sea was running noun
tains high and the big steel boat was
rolling like skiff. Every wave sent her
up In the air until we could sec her white
bottom under her waterline. We knew
at once that her captain would not at
tempt to lower a boat, for 1t would have
been chewed up. When the Mariposa
Got within cable length of us man
with strong voice yelled to us to hang
on. Then the boat circled around us,
coming as near as she could, but then
she went off TO starboard, rolling heavily
when she got in the trough OF the sea-
Then she came back again and again
missed us. and we could not take line
had one been thrown 10 us. Again she
went around. and we watched her and
watched the men on her rail waiting TO
give us lift when they could. On the
third trip around she ran right along
side our spar, and as she went past n
dozen men reached for us. I do not
know who got the mate. but Mr.. Smith,
the engineer. got hold Of me and dragged
me from the spar and over the rail OF the
Mariposa. An instant later we had
passed the little stock on which / and
the mate had been hanging almost day.
although ii seemed week."
The second mate, Louis Laforce. told
narrowing story. He said that in the
rush of the men from the hold. one OF
them. watchman. was trampled to
death. The crew was frantic to get out
of the place. Six or eight. he said. must
have been drowned like rats in the hold.
They were not warned of the sinking of
the boat. The first long dip of the stern
was the first intimation they had that the
final danger was al hand, and then they
made a grand rush TO get on deck. The
hatchway was too small TO let them
through together, and the result was
that one of them was trampled to death
and several were left to drown