Santa Fe new Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1898-1951, 1898-03-01
LAW OF THE SEA.
BY R B. LEWIS.

BY CHARLES B. LEWIS.
All writer's Of sea stories devote chap
tiers to what is called "the sentiment
Of the sea-" and all readers Of the same
feel their pulses thrill as they read Of
heroic rescues. This sentiment may
have been observable so years ago, and
now and then you read Of a rescue
worthy Of heroes, but as a matter Of
fact shipowners and sea captains are
anything but sentimental in these days
Of money making. OF ten ships who
sight a signal Of distress at sea eight
will sneak past it if possible, and the
other two will be more interested in
the salvage question than in the saving
Of life. Shippers want their goods ship
ped as soon as possible. Shipowners
overload and underman their vessels
and yet want them to make quick voy-
ages. Sea captains must ''craok on
and do their best, and SO it about
that aid is seldom extended when there
is reasonable excuse for lodging it.
In the year 1880 the brig Welcome
left the port of Liverpool for the West
Indies, having o. board $50 men, wom.
en- and children, who were going to set
tie on one of the islands. She had a
crew of Is men, a supercargo and two
cabin passengers, thus bringing the to-
tai up to almost 200. Fine weather ac-
companied the craft until she had &C.
complished two thirds of the voyage.
Then a gale sprang up which dismasted
her and sent her drifting back over her
wake. The gale had scarcely abated
when a fire broke out, and though it
was extinguished after a hard fight q
great quantity Of provisions was CON-
sumed and much of the fresh water was
sacrificed. Not a spar was left aboard
for jury masts, and as the rudder had
been carried away and there Was four
feet Of water in the hold the people
realized that the wreck could not be
abandoned too soon.
Soon after we of the ship Evening Star
sighted the wreck. We were sailing un.
der the Holland flag, commanded by a
Holland captain and mate, and Il believe
the craft was Of that nationality. She
was bound from Demerara to New
York. loaded mostly with sugar, I be.
lieve, and had been detained in Deme-
rara a couple of weeks to ship a crew.
1t SO happened that all American man
of-war to which I belonged as an en-
listed man put into that port for some
slight repairs, and IL of us deserted in
a body to 80 aboard of the Star. We
were all sailors. 1t does not excuse our
action to say that the Hollander Brought
this desertion about by the promise Of
high wages. He wanted a crew and did
not care how the men came to him. We
had a close shave from being captured
by u captain, but got to sea all
right, and as the weather was good and
the wind favorable the Hollander
Cracked on to make up for lost time.
One morning just after sunrise we
found the drifting brig square in u
path and only two or three miles away.
After a brief look at her through the
glass captain and mate fell to cursing
ut their i'll luck. AS a matter of fact we
had neither water nor provisions to
spare. and the ship was loaded down to
the mark with cargo, but when we
heard u officers propose to pass the
wreck without notice every man of the
ten wal ready for mutiny.
We demanded that communication be
opened with the unfortunate people,
and after q good deal Of growing the
Star ran down to them and sent a boat
aboard. The report Of the mate when
he returned was to the effect that the
people were on quarter allowance, with
much sickness among the women and
children, and that they desired to aban-
don the wreck and BIZ taken aboard Of
the ship. We had spare spars aboard,
and the Hollander offered to sell three
or four sticks for about three times their
value, the payment to be made In gold
on delivery. The captain Of the brig
declined buying, as he was satisfied
that the shattered hulk could never be
worked into port, even If fully pro-
visioned. The Hollander then agreed to
sell one cask Of water and about 80
pounds Of bread, but just al we were
ready to transfer the goods a squall
came up, and that gave him an excuse
for sailing away. His firm intention
was to abandon TIE wreck to her fate,
49, ~