The record-union., 1898-11-08

slow, but safe, process, as thA result
proved, for by o'clock every man SO
far as reported was safe on board the
Merritt.
The force. of the gale and hight Of
the sea may be best UNDERSTOOD by the
fact that although only twenty three
fathoms of hawser separated the
Teresa from the Vulcan, the watchers
on the latter vessel, owing to the
heavy seas, driving rain and spray,
were only able to see the boats of the
rescuing party at long intervals, when
they came out of the trough of the
sea- The Merritt herself, although a
splendid boat, was buried in the trough
of the sea at times so that only the
ends of her mastheads were visible.
THE first boat loaded made in all
four round trips between the Teresa
and the Merritt, and the second made
three trips, SO that to rescue all hands
the boats had to make the passage
through those heavy combing seas
fourteen times, and right CALAMITY
those brave fellows accomplished the
work. Lucky, indeed, was it for those
rescued that the boats were manned
by past masters at the oar and helm.
4 OI TWO uOuIS, IIlcH with oACo, Ill
der the direction of the executive Off
Ger, had been stationed aft, ready to
cut away at a moments notice the
lines that held the hawser, in case the
Teresa should founder during the
transfer of her men. Every Vulcan
man watched the great ship with an
anxious eye as she plunged on, the
forecastle head under the head seas
clear to the turret, coming out again
with the water streaming from her
hawser pipes and showing the heel of
her ram above the next big sea. Forty
four shipmates of theirs were on board
the doomed vessel, and it was yet
question whether their rescue could be
effected before dark.
Heavy rain and squalls beat the
seas down a little at this time, but the
wind blew harder than ever. Strug-
Cling for a foothold on the Teresa's
rickety bridge, her signal man, Cros-
sett, wig-wagged to the Vulcan at
O'Clock Don't cast off the tow line
yet Two more boatloads will clear
the ship We replied All right; will
hold on until the last
High UP on the bridge, silhouetted
against the leaden sky and bracing
himself against the fearful rolling or
the Teresa as she wallOwed in the
seas, stood the man at the wheel. He
was alone and probably the last person
to leave his post, for5ft was not until
the final boat was receiving it's quota
of men that he dashed the wheel, came
down the bridge ladder and went aft
to leave the ship.
ut was not until eleven minutes past
5 when Lieutenant Blow and his Off
GERS We're certain that the last boat
load had been taken off that the order
was given to Cut away Two blows
of an ak severed the lines, and as the
links of the chain bride ratified out
through the stern checks the Vulcan
crew. led by Chief Engineer Gardiner
Crims, Z. S. N, gave three ringing
cheers as a salute to the Stars and
Stripes, flying as if in defiance of the
elements at the Teresa's jack yards,
and also to the bravery of the Merritt's
men, who had made such gallant
rescuei of their shipmates.
NTwenty minutes later it was so
dark that the Teresa was only black
speck against the horizon, and at .
o'clock nothing but the lights on the
Merritt and Leonidas could be seen,
while the gale howled and the sea rose
higher and higher"