Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1898-03-31
HEAD on THROUGH THE WEAKER BOAT.

is the largest Of tho seven principal Canary
Islands, between Gran Canaria. on the
cas-, and Camera, On the west. 90 miles
Eorthwestoi Cape Bojador. on the African
coast. Tho island IL wholly Of volcanic
formation and Is composed principally of
enormous masses Of traciiyto, lava and
hasalt, which, in their eliminating point,
the peak Of Tcydc, attain the height of
L., lS2 feet uhoyo tho sca level. The coast
is very Irregular, presenting an almost I'M
interrupted succession Of lofty cliffs
The blowing up Of thc hattlcship Maine
brings cat tho fac: thai the greatest losses
q lie ia all tto rayics of the world have
been IL times of peace and not war. The
hattie Of she Mic. one Of the most decisive
CT naval ucfio8s In modern history, which
reduced the French navy TO impotence,
TCndcrc.! obG-tiyc tho schemes of NAPOLEON
for eastern CcIqGCst, secured for the Brit
ISL navy tho absolute control OF the Mctli-
tcrrancan sea and relieved tho United
kingdom 81 any fear OF invasion for many
years, cost tho British butchers bi!l''
Of 70 officers, ii6 seanen md s6 marines
Killed and ES3 scauen and - marines
wounded, only 1I5 killed and Gil wound
cd. no CEccl Charlotte which was
burned OF Lcgh0'n il 1891, caused the
death OF 40 men, moro than were sex
pended" en- the British side at Trafalgar,
the First q Lurc. St Vincent and the
Nile, four fIcat flgct actions. The United
States has had is full share Of losses in
peace. and they have fr- exceeded the cost
81 war. IL Is doubtful * the roll of those
Killed in naval actions during the Rcvolu-
tioGdTy war cqualea the loss Of the Insur-
gent iFigate alone, which went down with
BIS men. And II this must be added the
loss "a the Wasp and the Hornet, boia Of
which disappeared mystcriously. Neither
OF these vcs- swas lost by the hap of war;
| though there is "A tradition that the Wasp
was Il0wn II pieces in right encounter
with British f.iylte. The one great cx-
| plosicn, however. that stands out in Amer
lean history is Revolutionary war story.
| Tho captain 81 the British ship Yarmouth,
reported that OF tho island OF Antigua
In issOh he chased six sail; that the largest
Of these ne: tn, lirc OF his vessel and ex-
changed broldsides anl after tho second
was fred blew NJ with such force that
no trace OF the crow could be found.
Two days later the Yarmouth, cruising in
the same locality, picked up two nearly
dying men from spar and learned that
the hlTlcss vessel was the Randolph. pri-
Saiccr Of . guns and more than 800 men,
In late November of the year 1877 the
United states steamship Huron, new iron
vessel, was wrecked off Nag's Head, on
the coast uf North Carolina, and Of n ship's
company % i3s officers and men only 81
woro saved. The cause has never been
| thoroughly Understood. There was only
moderate gale blowing at the time,
though there was a tremendous sea run
ming. IL has been supposed that some
local magnetic attraction disturbed the
COMPASS and threw thcvessel off Its proper
course. At any rate, 1t struck tho rocks,
and in less than an hour the disaster was
complete. The wreck Of the Huron viii
DO ever memorable for the heroism dis.
| played by Cadet Engineer Lucien Young
and Seaman Williams. Young had been
out CT The Naval academy little more than
agar When stationed on the European
squadron, he had distinguished himself by
jumping overheard and saving the life OF
q sailor who had fallen into the water
FROM one Of the yards and had been partly
stunned by the fall On the night when
the Huron struck there appeared but one
chance to save any part Of the crew. No
boat could have lived for q moment In the
pounding, grinding sea. A volunteer was
nssed Tor to attemp. TO carry line to tho
shore. Young volunteered TO make the
trial, and Seaman Williams said that he
would go with him. The cadet and the
sailor took what Is known as o blasa, at
tachod rope and made their way out up
on spar and thence dropped into the icy
/ water. 4 great wave threw them hack
against the spar, and Young was badly
bruised BY the contact, but he stuck to his
task and succeeded, with Williams, in
escaping death among the wave beaten
rocks and in reaching the shore beyond.
To thrse two American searnen many of
those who escaped from the wrecked Hu-
BON owe their lives