The Republican., 1900-08-16
IMPULSE SAVED A LIFE.
Rescue by n Pilot Who Pushed
Through Storm Despite the
Warnings of Danger.

''Men in our line of business have
plenty of queer experiences" said a
veteran bar pilot, relates the New Or
leans Times-Democrat, but l think the
strangest that ever fell to my lot hap
pened in 1898, right after the great
hurricane that swept down the south
coast and drowned so many poor fisher
folks on the little islands. The storm,
blew itself away on a Sunday" the pilot
went on, land next Sunday morning,
having nothing in particular to do,
decided to take our steamer which was
a handy little 12-knot craft, and go for
a two hours run out into the gulf from
South Point to see what l could see.
The water was still full of driftwood
and wreckage from the fishermen's
cabins, but we noticed nothing in par
ticular until we had been out about an
hour. Then one of the men on the boat
sighted big red can buoy over to the
southwest. 1t was a government mark
that had broken away from its moor
ing and he suggested that we go and
see where it belonged. Ordinarily I
would have said AL right, but some
made me refuse. No. said |, we won't
change our course. Keep her head
straight out for an hour longer and
maybe We'll see something better than
runaway red cans
| Il had no idea that my words would
come true. but in half an hour we came
| in sight of little raft dead ahead of US
| and as we got nearer we made out what
seemed to be child on top of it. We
ran to within a couple of hundred feet
before we stopped and then we saw that
the raft was evidently the floor of
some fsherman's cabin. The child was
q boy of IA or thereabouts and he was
sitting down with his head hanging
forward on his breast and his arms
stretched OUT clutching the planlls. He
| looked for all the world as if he were
dead, but he was only asleep, and when
/ rang the bell he straightened up all
of sudden and glared at the ship like
person in dream. All he had on was
little shirt. And while we lowered a
small boat and pulled over TO him he
sat so, staring and saying not Il word.
He had strength enough to climb in,
but when we reached the ship he
tainted.
''The poor boy had been on that
floating floor for seven days and t2
hours" continued the pilot. ''He was
the son of Gascon oysterman who
lived on Grand isle, and the hurricane
had caught him alone in their cabin.
1t tore their ramshacile hut to pieces
and he found himself adrift on the
floor which had hung together. How
he lived through the storm is one of
those mysteries that can never be ex-
planned. but he was carried far off the
coast and next morning was out of
sight of land in the open gulf. Then
followed a solid week spent without
food. water or shelter of any kind. I
have been seafaring man all my life
and have known of many wonderful es-
capes from death on the deep waters,
but never of anything to compare with
this The boy had. to lie down on the
E raft to keep from falling off and when
he grew weak the crayfish bit him
, from head to foot until he was mass
; of wounds. He had been very strong,
sturdy fellow and before the storm had
weighed 160 pounds. When we rescued
him he weighed less than 100.
. "Ot course most of what l have re-
lated we learned afterward, when he
!. was strong enough TO talk. As soon as
:, we got him aboard we headed for
3 South Point. Is miles away, for, as bad
:. luck would have it, there was not a
particle of food or liquor on the ship.
r Fortunately, however, we hailed the
9 fruiter Breallwater and got u little
:. brandy and a can of condensed milk,
and it was marvellous how few spoon
fuls of nourishment revived the lad.
At quarantine l turned him over to
the doctor and il week he was prac-
n tically well. Then an uncle came after
II him and have never heard from hiIa
since"