The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1898-02-08
NV First 5hipwreck.
"a narrative of fact from Cornhilrs. In
Four Parts.)



ing arms, the quiyering. bending masts-
As it passed away she would be 1uliy
visible for half q minute or 50, still en-
tire. streaming at every pore, but mutely
testifying to the fidelity and skill OF her
builders. For some time quite lost sight
of the boat in the clouds OF spray that
few so thickly above the turmoil Pres
emily I caught sight Of her comparatively
near the ship, and still heading towards
her Then she rose upon the back OF
roller which hurled her like piece or
driftwood fully 20 yards at sweep. From
that time I saw no more of her, and In
a perfect agony Of sorrow slipped from
my perch and ran to tell the boatsWaln
that 1 believed they were lost.
But before I had finished sobbing, the
boat shot into the lagoon again, the
crew so utterly exhausted that they could
not paddle to the beach, but allowed her
to drift thither at her own sweet will.
They were not only exhausted, but heart
broken at the thought that seven of their
shiBmates were doomed to die almost
within hail, while they were powerless
to help. Gradually they recovered sufn-
GENTLY to crawl out OF the boat and UP
on the beach. where 1 made FIRE and
got a pot of tea ready for them.
Their grief and rage at their impotence
was pitiful to see Again and again they
broke out into incoherent denunciations
Of the terrible circumstances, vainly at
tempting TO tighten their burden of sor-
row by thus unpacking their hearts OF
words.
When suddenly the gig appeared!
All safe on board of her, and padding
to shore with two hastily roughed-out
planks for oars and an Indian paddle left
on board by one of the visitors at To-
nala. We all sat speeches., while the
boat slowly neared US, wondering wheth-
er we had really gone out of our minds
or not, and this was simply freak OF
our disordered fancy. But the grating OF
the boats keel upon the beach dispeiled
our fears, and there was a scene. Men
| Rugged each other, laughing and crying
! by turns, quite hysterical with JOY and
revulsions Of feeling. The birds, utter
/ IL unafraid of us, waddled among US,
| pecking impartially at our legs and get
ting pretty roughly handled in conse-
quence, the gale roared overhead, but
we were too happy to notice anything.
! We We're reunited; the lost found; the
| dead returned TO life.
After the first rush of emotion was over,
came the inevitable question to the new
corners, How ever did you manage it?
What did you do?"
They said that after watching the efforts
| of the bOatmen to reach them, and see
ing them swept away like straws, they
were inclined to give themselves up for
lost. More especially since every breaker
completely overwhelmed the ship, some
| times hardly allowing them time to get
| breath or a fresh grip before the next one
| came The ship, too, was lifted bodily
by every wave and let fall with an awful
crash, pounding the very rocks to powder
beneath her, so that how she held to-
gether was a miracle. In the capacity OF
the gig to carry them ashore they could
not believe, but. as if to destroy every
hope, they could not find single oar
The carpenter, suffering as he was, man
aged to rough out couple OF monde
script things which might serve theil
turn THESE and the before-mentioneo
paddle were their sole equipment The
steward, careful man, covered the bot
tom of the boat with tins of preserved
provisions, feeling that they, by theil
compact weight, would add TO her stabil
ity as well as being d most useful add
ton TO the food supply if ever they reach
ed the shore
How they managed to launch her with
| out banging her to pieces like a bundl
: of sticks l could never rightly learn, ex
, cept that they were hardly clear OF IN
ship before they were swept on the cres
of mighty roller like straw, severa
: hundred fatkOms in q minute or two.
There were seven of them in the frai
craft, fairly good loaG a. any time, Blu
in sea like that 1t seemed impossibl
Il, keen such a cockle-sheli afOat. How
ever, that miracle was performed, 10
they arrived safely out Of the very jaw
. Of death, as 1 have said.
ManifestIy, the first thing necessary wa
. to make some sort of a shelter, for, i
addition to the autumnal chill, which wa
= trying to our thin blood, a steady, soak
ing rain set in. The boats We're haule
: up on the beach above high-water MARI
where they were canted over and owe
= and shores put under the gunwales, thu
= forming a sort Of shed. The boats sail
were spread on the sand underneath thi
impromptu shelter, and all hands got ur
der cover with such scraps Of food as eac
was able to secure. Night came on apac'
bringing no cessation Of the gale or tn
= downpour; but the solid earth was be-
meath US, so. in spite of the hurly-burl
above, we slept soundly. About midnigf
I there was q big alarm raised by the o.
f cupants of the gig, which had been hau
. ed up high enough, and so got upset .
a tremendous wave which reached Il
above high-water mark. This was Ner
disouieting, for we had imagined that 4
=
e the tide had risen so high that the frin5
: of rocks no longer presented IN effectu
barrier to the awful breakers assaultir
II. They oVerleaped and sped shOreWarI
c again. as if threatening to cover the til
q islet itself
Beyond giving us a good fright and
= little additional wetting, there was I
= harm done, and the night dragged its slo
length into morning again. With the daW
s the rain ceased, enabling US to make son
Il little progress towards erecting mo
. comfortable habitation. An immense n
y was lighted out of the abundance of drift
wood that was piled along the beach. n
food WAS prepared, and we had nrs
4 class meal The ship was stin erect, h
=. masts still standing. but from her bill
e protruded q large log Of mahogany II
= mistakable evidence that her back vi
- broken.
Now. Of our life on that island for Sc
On DAYS very good tale could be tol
II but my yarn is already longer than
Y ought 10 be. so III Just gather up Z
e loose ends, as II were, and heave 10.
IS We were getting fairly recOuCiled TO o
lot-in fact I was enjoying myself
nriT7e fashion-when along came a HON
ward bound French bark that saw %
= signal. hove to. and sent g boat asho
for Us. She would have given us all
Z massage. but the old man would not z
le He had made I'd his mind 10 sail the ri
nance 10 Sisai II Campeche, about
miles. and invited six Of the crew 10
ID with him. All the afterEuard did so, q
IN cept the bo'sUn. and away we went IN I
- Frenchrnan for Havana leaving the six
- ner and his merry men to their own &
vices. We got 10 Cuba in about ten d.,
~ ,,s~- is-,.ss,. over 70 the care of {