The Olneyville times. (Olneyville [Providence, R.I.]) 1887-1917, 1900-04-20

~ MW up. Oftener ~ ~
AGHa impossible. A ship
- S-=,zl- Y breasting the
ta.1s- - smother, paced by
esSyJ-sii sE-/ the scurryln q
"a clouds overhead,
with the night all about--the night of
the sea that the landsman may rot
know-the slipping of a foot on n
smooth yard-arm, the futile clutching
at the brace that the tips Of the fin
gers just scrape, the plunge, down,
down, down into the dark-that is
all, and Jacks knell is one that lasts
for the ages, the knell of the mur-
muring waves; his coffin one that the
centuries shall not rot, the coffin Of
the ocean.
Four times on the deep waters ]
have heard the eerie cry "Man over
boardr-twice in broad day, twice in
the depths of the night. Once IL rose
shrill above the ghostly whistle
shrieks and bell warnings Of the fog
enwrapped feet of fishermen on the
Grand Banks when midday had the
gloom of midnight; once above the
howl of the gale that drove mer-
chairman through the darkness OF the
Western Ocean; once from the deck
of battleship steadily plowing her
way toward an enemy's fleet; once IT
mingled with the roar of the rush OF
the waters in my own ears that
steady, increasing roar that seems TO
those that hear il the Last Salute.
On the night OF July IA, 1856, the
full-rigged British ship Conquoror,
fourteen days out from Liverpool, was
pluugiug her way westward before a
fair wind that was verging into gale,
bound for the lumber and fishing
ports OF the Miramichi, on the Straits
Of Northumberland The skipper.
anxious for quick trip, had carried
sail TO the very point of carrying
away. About o'clock that morning
the steadily increasing wind had
reached such force that he reluct-
antly gave the order TO the mate to
shorten sail, and the tired sailors
slowly wormed their way up the rig
ging and went about the work. Sud
denly, as from the heavens, came that
cry that every seafarer breads to hear,
overpowering the creaking of the
straining timbers, the whistling of the
wind and the splash Of the seas break
ing over the deck, MAN over
bo-a-r-dl" The skipper unsteadiIy
groped his way to the lee rail and
stood with one arm firmly twined
about the shroud peering out over
the inky waste. Then he shook his
head. The next morning he wrote
with sea.pudgy fingers in the log
Lost overheard on the night of July
II, during gale, Robert Johnson,
A. b."
The crew gave little heed. They
were used TO such things. They knew
that the skipper was nm ordinarily
kind-hearted man and that he would
not let n man die If efforts TO save him
were within reason. One Of them, a
young fellow who had come from
Johnson's home, ventured the remark :
'Bob was a good swimmer and old
Jim Brown, with n downward motion
Of his tarry thumb, returned the stock,
grim loke: "He'll reach land" Some
OF them wanted TO divide up the CON
tents Of the lost mans sea. chest
Others were afraid Of "the old man b"
We reached the Miramichi in good
time, and the loss of the seaman was
duly reported. Three DAYS later the
British barque Adelaide, from Belfast,
came into the harbor aud that after
noon was warped at dock alongside
the Conqueror The first man 10 step
aboard our ship was Bob johnson. |
can see him yet-0 fine, hearty, big
fellow he was, of about six-and twenty.
as he climbed over the rail forward
and made toward a group of his former
shipmates. They gave startled
glance, and with one accord broke and
ran. IL was hard work 10 convince
them that il was really Bob in the
flesh; indeed, some of them never
were quite at ease about IT, so that
when the Conqueror sailed again the
captain was constrained TO leave John
son behind with his best wishes.
j had been well acquainted with
Bob. He was young Englishman oi
good family, who had taken to the sea
for reasons Of his own. He did noI
like, usually, TO talk about his mos
extraordinary resurrection from tn,
grave of the sea, but his account o.
it, as he told it TO me enc night, wa,
far more thrilling than il could b,
written.
81 don't know how il happened,
ssid Bob. 81 am edging out on tn,
main topgallant yard. Maybe some
thing broke, maybe my foot slipped
maybe il was only a sudden lurch O
the ship. / suppose / had grow
careless. You know ] have always he
longed 10 the sea. All j knew wa
that / was falling and the wind wa
in my mouth beating back my breath
had not time 10 know il then, but
knew afterward that in that littl
second my whole soul went out in on
intense prayer that l would fall clea
of the ship, into the friendly water,
n k,o.v .vhnn n -. A