The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1899-01-31
RODE A HEAVY GALE SAFELY.
Tale of the Good Ship Nile Told by
a Hale Old Skipper


From the Boston Transcript
ut was the worst blow we've had,
guess, since that night when the old Nile
drfted out O. the harbor'
And how long ago was that?" queried a
bystander.
"Oh, that was more'n forty year ago.
Don't you remember TO have heard about
the ship Californy and the old Nile goin'
adrft one fearful windy night, and the
Californy was piled up a complete wreck
on Cohasset rocks, the men aboard escap-
in by the skin o their teeth, while the
old Nile came sailing back into the harbor
a few days later, none the worse for the
cruise. A mug o tea standin' on the lock-
er was not even upset I've got that mug
now"
The speaker was hale old Gloucester
skipper, who after countless more or less
successful trips had drifted in his old age
into the snug harbor of coy cottage,
kept CHEEKY by a comfortable competence.
Now the chief occupation of his days is to
make morning tour of the wharves note
the fares of fish that come in, rejoice with
successful shippers over their good luck
and spin yarns of the olden time to all
who care to hear.
OF course all We're interested TO hear the
story of the ship California and the packet
Nile, those who recalled it as well as the
younger ones to whom it was a new story.
In them days" said the skipper "the
Surinam trade was good The Californy.
owned by George Fl. Rogers, had come in
here with load of sugar and molasses
The packet Nile, owned and commanded
by Capt. Phil Priestly. a careful man with
a vessel and a lucky one, was discharging
the cargo for the Californy could not get
in to the wharf
well, one winter afternoon, the DAVIS
work was done, things was made snug for
the night aboard the vessels. Everything
looked serene with no signs of bad wealth
er. The Californy laid in the stream. and
the Nile was tied alongside of her Joe
Greenleaf was aboard the Nile, and the
rest o the crew was gone ashore. Joe was
an old crony o mine. We'd been ship
mates together a good deal. 1 always
thought consid'able o Joe. Mike Haley
was shipkeeper aboard the Californy. Ev-
erybody knew Mike Haley. He was
good man with a level head and very
quick-witted in tight place.
Soon after nightfall the wind began to
breeze up from the nor'east. Joe, he did
not mind II much. The Nile was in the
lee of the Californy. Between and Q
O'Clock. Joe blew out his lamp and turned
in. He had set mug o cold tea on the
locker, for he always wanted somethin'
TO drink in the night He was Just fallin'
into doze, when Mike Maley roared
down the companionway, Joe! Joe! we're
adrift! We're runnin' out O. the harhori
Come aboard the Californy. You'll be safer
here and Wen have to leave the Nile 10
Ter fate" In less time than it takes TO
tell it, Joe had clambered over the taffrail
the Nile was set loose and disappeared in
the darkness. The wind increased every
minute and II was an awful ntsht Tho
snow came down thick and fast and II
grew colder and colder The wind found
it impossible to keep the craft before n
and so they drifted on and on NOT know
ing one minute what might hammer the
next. II was about O'Clock in the morn
ing when the Californy struck with an
awful crash. and began to settle risht
away Joe thought il was all over Win
them, for the seas We're runin tremendous
high, but Nike kept perrin about with his
lantern whenever the gale let up a Nttle
The Californy kept settin' and settlin'
ana II looked every minute as If the seas
would break over her. "A part of this
ledge, says Mike, lis above the breakers
and its past high tide. Our only chance
for life is to get on it So he put a line
around his waist and, watchin' for a fav-
orable moment, made a leap for it, while
Joe stood by ready to haul him back if
he lost his footin'. Mike was lucky. He
got on the ledge all right made fast his
line and Joe, by the help of the line, was
soon alongside of him They had one
thing besides their lives to be thankful
for. They wasn't very wet. If they had
been they would ha' frozen, 1t grew so
cold. 1t was a long time till daylight and
more than once Joe would ha' given up
the fight, but Mike kept him up He shook
him and slapped him and scolded him and
kept him moving, and by so doing he help
ed to keep himself alive.
Daylight came at last. but 1t was 10
o'clock or after before the storm lulled
enough for them to be seen from the shore
and for boat to come to their rescue.
Joe's hands and feet were frostbitten and
he was pretty well used up for a week
or two, but Mike got home that same ar
ternoon and was around all right the next