Freeland tribune. (Freeland, Pa.) 1888-1921, 1900-04-23

oil steamship in mld-ocean In the win
ter of 1892. The vessel was subse-
quently thought to have been the
British oil steamship Loodiana. al
though no absolute proof of her
identity was ever obtained. The story
as told by the officers of the Egyptian
Prince, which arrived ut New York
with the news of the burning of the
oil ship, is often told even at this late
day in the shipping offices along
South street, and no marine novelist
ever penned or imagined q story
more pathetic or more dramatic in all
its details.
1t was midnight in December, 1892,
and the steamship Egyptian Prince,
bound from Newcastle for New York,
was in mid-ocean, plowing through
the waves at a ten-knot clip. The
night was cold and dark and the wind
blew with hurricane force.
''Better keep a good lookout to-
night" said Captain Coleman to Sec.
ond Officer Jordan, cts going to be
nasty and no mistake"
aye, aye, it is .hat," came the re-
ply, and then the captain went below.
Jordan remained on the bridge si-
lently gazing at the big combers roll
ing toward the vessel as though to en-
gulf it and then curling away on either
side of the bow with the force of a
mountain torrent. The wind was be-
ginning to shift to the northeast and
nothing could be heard above the
roar of the tempest but the ceaseless
chug- a-chug of the engines. Sudden
ly from the lookout in the bow there
came the hail;
Light ho! two points off the star
board bow"
Jordan looked up and SEW, way off
on the horizon, faint glow of light.
"Ship on fire. roared Jordan, "all
hands stand by"
God help that vessel tonight"
said the members of the crew to one
another. And then the course was
altered and the vessel headed III the
direction of the light. Meanwhile it
had begun to hail and the wind
screamed with increased fury. The
light came nearer and nearer and
finally the straining eyes of the ships
company made out great pillars of
dame and thousands of flying sparks.
That volume of flame in mid-oce
meant but one thing, and full speed
ahead was sounded down in the en-
gine room. In response the powerful
ship bounded forward as though anx-
ious to bring speedy assistance to the
unfortunates aboard the distressed
vessel. The distance gradually les.
sened and in q short while the hull of
the burning vessel--a seething, roar
ing mass of flames was sighted, roll.
ing and pitching in the heavy sea.
From the interior of the vessel great
sheets of flame shot hundred feet in
the air; the smokestake and pole
masts were pillars of flame, while the
oil with which she was laden flowed
down over the side like cataracts of
fire. Blazing globules of oil hoated
away on the waves. The captain of
the Egyptian Prince brought his YES
sci to within hundred yards of the
burning vessel. Faint cries which
were brought to him on the wind were
the only evidence that she was not de-
serted. 1t wonld have been fool
hardy to bring the Egyptian Prince
any closer to the burning oil ship,
but the crew was lined up along the
deck and Jordan called for volunteers
10 nnn q boat with him and go to the
rescun. The sea was running noun
tain high and only three men re-
Sponded to the call. This was not
sufficient number to man the boat
and the attempt was given up. Not
sou. was to be seen on board of the
oil ship, aud the Egyptian Prince be-
gan to circle around her in hopes of
picking up some of the boats. Sud
denly there came a cry from one of
the officers of the Egyptian Prince
and he pointed toward the jibboon of
the vessel. Every eye followed his
finger and then there was a cry of
horror; way out ou the end of the iib
was man and woman. They were
standing in the martingale nets, the
man supporting the woman with one