The Denison review. [volume] (Denison, Iowa) 1867-current, 1899-06-13

recovered his nerve and called for vol
unteers to board the strange craft and
see what we could learn about her. At
first the men drew back. There was
something so uncanny about the stran-
ger that they wanted to get away as
fast as possible. Finally boat crew,
led by the first mate, volunteered, and
we went over and boarded the sudden
and mysteriously arisen derelict. WV
slipped on the thick green slime that
covered the deck as we climbed over
the rail, and the pale faces of the men
showed that they had no heart in the
work we had undertaken to do.
"a haety glance about the deck
showed that everything was gone by
the board except the broken spars and
torn rigging that hung to the stumps
Of the masts. The boats were all gone.
The wheelhouse was stove in, and the
captains cabin had been crushed by
falling spars. With an oar from our
boat we scraped among some of the sea-
weed and slime and found that the
matches had all been battened down.
We found the main gangway covered
with dense heap Of seaweed, in which
there were scores of crabs and strange
looking jewellers in the depths Of the
southern seas. With much labor we
cleared away this mass Of stuff and
reached the head Of the ladder leading
down from the main deck. Dill, the
mate, looked down into the dark water
that rose almost to the top Of the gang
way, and then he sprang back with
cry Of horror.
"a sudden roll Of the ship on deep
swell churned the water between decks
and the bloated body of dead sailor
was thrown up the ladder and SO
wedged in the passageway that the face
stared straight up at us. The flesh was
soft and white, as if ready to drop from
the bones. and the eyes had already fallen
out. The hideous face seemed to mock
at us with CHASTITY leer.
stWith one accord we all started back
toward the stern of the vessel. where
our boat was tied to the rail. Before we
reached the boat there came another
heavy swell. the ship lurched to star
board and as she rolled back to an even
keel something in her framework below
decks broke with muffled crash. Then
q small fountain of black water, capped
by yellow bubbles. broke from the open
gangway and great quantity Of gas
that had been confined below shot high
upinto the air with report like escap-
ing steam.
ssWith this eruption from the depths
Of the ship there came an odor of de-
caying flesh so strong and sickening
that we fell into our boat, almost over
come. The line was cut and we pushed
away as quickly as possible. Most Of us
I. were 60 overcome that we were unable
to handle the oars, but, fortunately, an
other roll on sunken wave carried the
ship away from ua and we were clear of
the horrible odor. The roar of escaping
gas continued for several minutes, and
then the broken and battered derelict
settled stern first and sank swiftly out
Of sight.
'sThe Mary Clay reached home in
time and on our next trip to South
America we found a possible solution Of
the remarkable incident Of ship rising
from the sea. A British vessel loaded
with live stock for Brazil had been lost
some Tonths before, probable near the
sargossa sea. If the ship settled on an
even keel at the bottom. sand and sea-
weed might have closed the rent in her
hull that caused her to sink Then, with
the matches battened down above, the
decomposition of the bodies of the ami
mails that had formed the cargo would
create enough gas between decks in
time to cause the vessel to rise to the
surface. When we cleared the gangway
the gas escaped and the broken vessel
went to the bottom second time. ''-
New York Cor. ST. Louis Globe Demo-
crat.