The Mount Holly news. [volume] (Mount Holly, Burlington Co., N.J.) 1891-1942, 1897-11-02
ESTABLISHED 1879.

ing uD with them squalls OF thick rain
that hid the lights of town altogether
II was on deck keeping watch, cold,
wet and miserable, when 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 draggingl he shout
ed as soon as he'd been on deck few
moments We shall be ashore before
we know where we are Bear q hand
here lad Smart's 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 dor 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
Il didn't like being left alone, you
may be sure. | was only a youngster,
you must remember, and it was my
first voyage | thought she'd go ashore
and break up while he was gone, and
then / should be drowned, and the next
moment wondered whether he would
get back safely How long he was away
l don't know 1t seemed to me like
hours / strained my ears to listen for
his voice, and during one of the mo-
m ant mi in fhn II Al
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 l 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 babe
me lower away when was told But
exactly what happened in the darkness
and confusion 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 l 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 |
was frightened l added my shouts to
theirs, but you might as we'll 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 felt
for the rest Of that night 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
but in the course of the day poor old
fuckers body was picked up, and the
boat was found floating, bottom up
ward, by a 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
time. staid ashore for year or two,
but then the old longing came back. and
l went north in collier But | never
see yonder church without thinking OF
poor old Bob Tucker and his fate -
Chambers journal