Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1899-07-08
THE PURSER'S NERVE
SHAVED TO KEEP HIS WITS WHILE
THE SHIP WAS SINKING.

He Told the Story to the Gallias Ship
wrecked Passengers-In the Matter of
!! Nerve He Went the Amateur Photog-
rapher One Better.
1t was a coy room, with antique
hangings and furniture and walls hung
with handsome works of art which
could be only indistinctly seen by the
light CT the Pickering fire on the hearth.
The little party 'aYretd with the beau
tiful hostess that the room was. Just
dark enough for a ghost story. II don't
know ghost story" said one of the
men, "but the dramatic rescue of the
Neendam' s passengers by the st. Louis
reminds me of my experience on board
the old Gallia when she was caught in
hurricane in midwinter about 700
miles from Queenstown. The waves
broke in our decks and flooded the cab
ins, and nobody thought for little
while that any one on board the vessel
would ever see land again. There was
no panic, no shouting, no weeping, and
it seemed that all were perfectly pre-
pared to go, though they looked far from
happy fioundering about in the water
dressed in such garments as they could
grasp when they were aroused from
their sleep by the crash which sent
tons of water into the ship. 1t was
about O'Clock in the morning. The
stewards had begun to set the table for
breakfast, and, as l recall the picture, 1
can see men and women, most of them
with heavy wraps over their night
dresses, standing on the table and dane
ing forced minuet between the guard
rails and the dishes.
AT one end of the cabin, while others
were silently praying, stood a young fell
low with nothing ON but suit of blue
and white pyjamas, holding a snap
camera in front of him. If you folks'll
hold still minute he said, well
have picture of this if we ever get out
of it, And for a moment people forgot
the terrible situation, and have always
believed that one of the women adjusted
her water soaked gown so that she
might look well in the picture taken
under the shadow OF the destroying an
gel.
"Well, we got through it all right,
although we came to Liverpool i'll sad
l. battered condition, and when they
hoisted the trunks from the hold the
water ran out of them as though each
piece was sieve. We had service on
board the ship the Sunday following
our disaster, and, although two days
had passed since we thought we were
gone, we seemed only then to appreciate
fully what had happened. Men and wo-
men who had shown no sign of fear now
moped in corners with trembling lips,
unable to speak because of the lump in
their throats, and the service of song
Hrn Inf flI hap1nSa M
sing any more than the young woman
at the organ could get note out of that
water soaked, dripping piece of furni-
ture.
I'VE reached Liverpool too late at
night to leave the ship. and the men,
who had become better acquainted than
they would have been ON less tenn
pestuous voyage, gathered in the saloon
and for the hundredth time exchanged
congratulations.
"'This was nothing said our purser,
TO the experience 1 once had, and not
so long ago. To go down with all hands
must be hard enough, but to be the only
one of a whole shipful to 60 and to see
all the rest saved-that's pretty hard.
That came near being my case, and
don't want another similar experience.
she knocked hole in her bottom, and
1 helped transfer the passengers and
save what we could. When all had been
sent to the ship which came to our re-
lief, we made ready for the last boat
load, of which | was to be one. We |
had lot of money and valuables in the |
ships safe, and 1 went below, took a |
tablecloth from the. cabin table, and |
IL ho IF tbn
various compartments of the safe. 1 |
made a bag of it, carried it on deck, |
and when came to where the boat |
should have been 1 found that it had |
gone. and L, with the treasure, was left |
in the rapidly sinking ship. can think |
of any number of situations which 1 |
would have preferred to mine just then. |
The wind being against me, l could not |
make myself heard. 1 put up signals, |
and no one would ever guess what L did |
then. 1 wanted to keep my wits about !
me and block all chances for nervous |
ness, so 1 did what requires a mans !
full attention-began to shave, and / |
doubt whether / ever did cleaner or a |
better job.
by the time 1 had finished my |
must have missed me, for l |
could see them returning, and when |
they came alongside there Were not |
many inches to step down from the |
sinking big boat TO the little thing that |
took us away. / tell you this story to
show how necessary it is to have nerve |
on board ship.
"And did he tell it for true story?"
asked the hostess
He swore to every detail.
ssThen he did have nerve ''-Neyy
York Tribune.