Freeland tribune. (Freeland, Pa.) 1888-1921, 1898-08-25

aVS Apia. OF all that
EW number, there
NsA was only ono ves-
N#N sci afoat thirty
six hours later.
The day opened with rnurky and
threatening aspect MARE stalls"
floated here and there in tho leaden
sky; the sea seemed disturbed and
restless; the wind rose and fell. BY
eleven o'clock the clouds had gathered
into denser and darker masses, and
reached to the horizon; the mercury
fell rapidly; the sea became more agi-
tated, and the whitecaps rose higher
and faster; the wind came out fresh
from the northeast. 1t soon began to
shift against the hands of the watch,
and gave warning that the approach
ing storm would be circular, like q
whirlwind
Before noon the signal was flying
from our flagship Trenton: "Send
down lower yards and house topmasts.
Imme mediately preparations were begun
on the Vandalia to ride out heavy
gale.
The light yards and masts were sent
down; the topmasts were housed; the
lower yards were lashed across the
ships rail, and the topsail yards
across the tops; the guns were secured
for sea; everything movable about
the decks was lashed; the boats were
rugged in; chain was veered to two
anchors and steam was raised in all
the boilers.
BY four o'clock in the afternoon the
wind had backed around through
thirty-twc points of the compass,
travelled to the right to east-northeast,
and backed again to the left to north-
northeast, from which direction it con-
tinued to blow even more furiously
while the storm lasted
Darkness came early and settled
down over wicked sea, the angry
waves breaking into seethirg foam as
they dashed over the hidden reefs and
rushed heavily past the laboring ships
tugging at their moorings. By half
past eight o'clock the wind had in
creased to hurricane force, and the
Vaudalia's third and last serviceable
anchor was let go.
The seas were running higher and
higher. About ono o'clock heavy
wave broke over the forecastle, carry
ing away the catamaran which was
hoisted above the rail and sweeping
the deck. The waves came heavier
and faster, and the cid ship, now high
on the crest of some lofty billow,
now pitched violently into its depths,
was slowly dragging her anchors. The
engines were kept going with all the
power they could develop, but they
were not match for the roaring sea
and the bowling wind
The ship pulled and ierked at her
chains, iarring and shivering as the
strain came violently on them, and
many weary men, tossed here and
I there in their hunks and hammocks,
longed and prayed sor the day; but
they were not to wait in their
wretched beds till daylight, for about
three o'clock furious wave b-oke
heavily over the ship and rushed vio-
lently below
Instantly the command from the
captain, "All hands on deck!" brought
up every man just as he came from
his berth, or at most wearing only q
pair of trousers and shirt, or blouse
and shoes.
At last the day stole over the temp
estuous scene, but it brought little
comfort to the anxious watchers
Never shall L forget the awful picture
of confusion and disaster that spread
out before Inc in the faint dawn. To
wlndward nothing could be seen, for
rain, wind and spray swept over us
in singing gusts and sheets. Over
head occasional clouds scudded across
the dull, thick, leadea sky; high aloft
lew the white foam as the seas dashed
angrily against the ships sides; of
to leeward fioated dense black masses
OF smoke, as the fremen in the swell
tering stokehold stirred the fires into
greater activity. All around US
seethel the tumultuous seas, and not
far away the snow-white breakers
flung themselves with ominous roar
ing upon the hidden coral reefs.
To leeward lay the other ships, ex.
cept the Trenton and those that had
already gone down, rolling, pitching,
dragging, surging in that waste OF
waters, now strewn with wreckage in
every direction. A sailor, washed from
some lost or struggling vessel, would
occasionally float by, look appealingly
up to us beyond his reach, and pass
out of sight forever.
The weather-beaten and dismantled d
war-ships, laboring heavily, their
masts swaying sullenly back and forth,
with rigging adrift and trailing, with
colors whipped into shreds and tat
ters. seemed each like some proud ami.
NAL brought at last to bay, but
struggling fercely for life and mas.
terry. One moment a 7essel would ap.