Audubon Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Iowa) 1894-1925, 1898-08-25
The Saraband'S Skipper

Saraband had come. All day she
had lain in the pitiless bay, crouching
under the fierce blast of the northeast
gale, the seas sweeping her decks, and
now all on board knew that she had
but short time to live.
She had had her day. Built to carry
120 passengers, she had once been one
OF the popular boats going through the
newly-opened canal to the east, and
her long flush deck had been the scene
OF many gay gathering when her pas
sengers had assembled under the avn
ings to laugh, flirt and talk after din
ner. But larger and faster boats had
come and her glory had departed, so
that after many vicissitudes here she
lay, her passenger accommodation
taken out and the space filed with
grain from the Black sea ports, sink
ing.
Her decks were slanting at an angle
of As degrees, for the wheat had shift
ed, and she lay nearly on her beam
ends; every movable thing had long
been washed away, and one structure
which should have been immovable-
the engine hatch-had also been
smashed in.
That was the immediate reason why
she was going to founder; the engine
room plates were awash and the fires
in the stokehole were out, and for the
last two hours she had only been kept
head to sea by means of an anchor
made of the derricks and spars. A por-
ton of every sea that came on board
found its way through the makeshift
continuance of spars and tarpaulins
nailed over the gaping chasm in her
deck that marked the former position
of the engine hatch, and each found
her a little lower in the water.
In the shelter of the bridge deck
the only structure which had been
strong enough to resist the remorse
less violence of the seas-clustered her
crew, some 80 hands, hard-faced sail
ors and grimy firemen; the former
quiet, apathetic, almost careless; the
others, save for a few, dead-white with
fear, spending their last moments in
cursing with foolish, meaningless rep
editions of the same words, the ship,
their luck in coming in her and the
skipper, for not making use of the two
remaining boats which hung from
bridge deck, and which from their ele-
waited position had not gone when the
other boats had been swept away. On
the bridge deck stood the skipper and
the mate, bearded, elderly men both,
straining their despairing eyes into
the wall of mist and spray which re-
lentlessly rushed down upon them, in
the faint hope that some passing ves-
sci might appear through the gloom of
the gale.
At length the skipper turned and
scrambled down the sloping bridge to
where the mate crouched on the lee
rail. eve shall have to try the boats,
Mr.. Smith; she'll not last much
longer!" he shouted, the wind picking
up each word as he uttered it and
sweeping them away to leeward, as if
jealous of the mate hearing them.
'It's a very poor chance" said the
mate, ''but 1 suppose it's our only one.
How long do you give her?"
"Half an hour at the outside. Are
the boats all ready?"
They've been ready since morning"
said the mate; "but can we get them in
the water unsmashed, and won't the
firemen rush them?"
II don't think So" replied the skip
per; there's time enough and room
enough for all to get away"
But his face took grimmer look as
he led the way down from the bridge
to the charthouse, the mate following
him. Inside they could hear each 9TH
eli with greater ease, and the skipper,
while taking his revolver from a
drawer, gave the mate his final in
structions.
'Well lower the forward boat first,
as she's the biggest; you will take
charge of her, get your crew aboard
and have everyone in his place before
we start to lower, so that you can
shove off as soon as she touches the
water. If those patents act you ought
to be all right" (The boats were fitted
with a patent contrivance by which
the tackles holding them are automat-
ically released the moment the boat is
water-borne, so that there is no I'M
hooking of blocks to be done while the
boat is getting dashed to pieces against
the ships side.)
81 shall be all right" said the mate;
"'but what about you? Who's going to
lower the falls of the after boat? You
can't manage it from the boat itself,
with all the crowd you will have on
board"
"I'll lower her from the deck" said
the skipper. IF they have a long
painter made fast to the ship they can
easily pull up again under the counter,
and I'll make jump for it,"
'Mind you don't jump short; you'd
have a poor chance with those boots
aid oilskins on" said the mate.
"Oh, I'll manage" replied the skip
per. Call the men up"
The men came up in body and the
skipper came out on deck, revolver in
hand.
'SThe ships sinking" he said, "and