The Irish standard., 1898-12-24

"Guess you'd better let one Of the
quartermastsps get the lead ready.
Moreno" si1 ~
Isl, senior. DO 9ou think we are near
the posicion?n Il
every close aoit, now Mr.. McPher.
.son says WE'VE been making 12 knots
through thejnight. Just figure it up,
will you, Diss, and see what you make
it," ni5
Isl, scnor." Diaz disappeared in the
wheelhousc, but game out again pres
emily, exclaimiuE: "Por Dios, capitano,
we are within three miles at this mo-
ment!" $40
That's whattI thought. Get your
leadsmnn out there right away,
Moreno. You'd better try 'dipsey'
line at first, and see If you can strike
anything at a hundred fathom. Be
all ready when give the word"
In less than five minutes the leads
man was on his grating, outside the
starboayd rail, with a 75-pound leatand
300 fathoms Of line. Halstead stood by
the engine-room telephone, watch in
hand, and Diaz was perched in the fore
rigging, where he could watch the
sounding. In about ten minutes the
captain showed the lever over to tho
signals, "Stop'-Half speed astern"-
STOP" And when the foam from the
screw was abreast Of us, he sang ont,
''Let her CO."
There was big splash, and the lead
disappeared, whipping coil after coil
of the line after it from the reel on the
taffrail. Fifty fathoms, 100. 200, 900,
and no bottom. Slowly the two men Mt
the reel hauled in tho line, and the cap.
tain signuled: s"Half speed ahead"
About q mile further he stopped und
tried, it aguin, but with the same result.
Then he steered, successively, due south
for three miles. and north, six, taking
soundings at each limit. At eight bells
Padre Sebastiano came on deck and be-
came so absorbed i'll the proceedings
that he actually forgot his breakfast.
Each time the lead was hauled up he
would examine the tnllow Mt the lower
end to make sure that no sand or coral
fragments were embodied in it, and as
sounding after sounding proved unsuc-
cessful at the full 3oo-fathom depth, he
couldn't keep the disappointment from
showing in his face. Finally tho cap
tain told him that further search was
useless, and when the steamer was
headed for Guajan he went below.
Halstead treated tho matter as II 1t
possessed but little interest for him,
yet when he glanced at mo could sec
that he was thoroughly discouraged.
The engines had tust started at full
speed ahead. and we were preparing to
60 below for brea kfast. when noticed
little bunch, of.cumulus cloud few
miles to the southeastward, and called
his attention 10 them.
"Wcll, what about thom?" he said.
"They're just Org binary clouds, aren't
they?"
That's all. but was thinking Of
what Maury says about atmospheric
condemnation in Tho neighborhood Of
all these coral islands, even the lowest
atoll having a tendency to collect va.
por over 1t at tinies. Now, whether
few fathoms Of water over reef would
absolutely prevent such condensation
or not, / don't know. I should say
the chances were that II would, but
well, the atmosphere does queer things
sometimes what do you Think"
Halstead watched the bunch Of cloud
was nothing else of the kind in that
direction. and then ordered tho man
ut the wheel to head southeast, I
saw that he considered tho search
hopeless, but he was determined to
leave no chance untried. Dlaz had gone
down into the fore-hold with some Of
his men, to overhaul the last cases for
Agana nnd Moreno was below at
breakfast: so that no one but the helms.
man noticed our again heading about,
and he was dreaming Of Visayn girls in
Manila too deeply to do more than obey
orders In n purely mechanical way.
Ittook less than half an hour to reach
the position. Then Halstead himself
climbed out upon the sounding perch
with hand lead and 80 fathoms OF line.
He had stationed me at the telephones
on the bridge, hastily arranging =
series of signals, and, after watching
tho waters surface closely for awhile,
waved his hand for half speed"
In about two minutes I saw him
swing the lead forward. paying out
the line rapidly as 1t tautcned under
his feet. Five times more he cast 1t,
hauling In the entire length after each
one, them signaled! Gull speed
ahead" After which, mounting the
bridge, lie ordered the helmsman to
put her about and steer north by east,
quarter cast. I noticed great beads Of
persplration upon his forehead, and
was wondering II heaving lead were
really violent exercise. whom, beckon'
ing me to tho end of the bridge Us If to
point out the position of Guajan, he
whispered:
Get below, quick, and pay out that
| patent log; took tho box down myself
at four bells. Then eat your breakfast
MS II nothing had happened, and chat
with the senorlta for awhile, but bs
bnck here by six bells at the latest,
we've got q heap to talk about"
The change In feeling from despon-
dency to well grounded hope almost
mado me lose my head, especially as
saw that we now had the game largely
in our own hands wntched my op.
! portundty, and was paying out the log
| line astcrn. through the bitt port, in
about ten minutes. Thcn spent a
good half hour oyer my meal. discuss
Ing with the padFe, who remained to
keep me company. the probability OF
Santa Rosa reef having sunk to the