The Olneyville times. (Olneyville [Providence, R.I.]) 1887-1917, 1901-06-28
THE WRECK OF The JOHN ANDREWS
BY HRTHUR WILLIS coLToN
? RON the man who had done q
a little Of everything we heard
this story Of the great lakes:

thIS stOry OI tue great laKcb.
The John Andrews was a
lumber barge going back from Buffalo
TO Duluth. She was dingy and stupid
to look at, as all barges are, and yet
not an old boat, but in good condition
and sitting high In the water by reason
Of the small cargo. There were grocer
les aboard, and some house furniture,
four men to run her, and not much
need for them when the weather was
sleepy.
Barges do not often carry any mo-
tive power-only bit OF sail, you no.
tice. to help when the wind Is aft, and
for the rest they potter along behind a
tugboat. AS for me, was going TO
Duluth on business not connected with
barges, aud was on a barge because
the business was not pressing, and this
method OF travel seemed likely to be in
teresting. 1t was so.
Now the groceries were slowed for
ward, the furniture amidships. and
there was not much Of either, as said
before. The eastward traffic on the
lakes Is the larger In tonnage at all
times, for the West sends raw mate
rials and the East the product of facto-
ries. You know all about that. Finally
the John Andrews came last In n tow
Of three, so that there was nothing Of
the tug to be seen; II was hidGen by
the big stern Of the barge ahead, draw
ing so slowly that the tow.rope sagged
In the water between.
Five men with less on their minds
than we. on the John Andrews, were
that day, you could hardly find-the
captain and the fellow who cooked.
two deck hands named Harry and
Burns and myself. and three were
going to meet sudden death, and two
TO be
But never mind that's getting ahead
too fast. II was all on strip of blue
water which looked as innocent In my
eyes that day as any water could look,
No water looks innocent to me any
more.
We left Port Huron in. the early
morning, and when IL came afternoon
there were pudgy little clouds about
the lower sky. l noticed over the
Michigan shore that the clouds were
moving from both sides TO point in
the west. as If drawn by a magnet,
and at that point. too, there was n
spreading out of cloud into hazlness,
and banking up of thicker haze from
below. The breeze was moving west
lightly. i knew nothing of weather; !
merely thought IL would rain.
You can't think how peaceful and
bright il seemed, the tug being too far
ahead to be heard. The deck hand,
Harry, was at the helm as n matter OF
form. The captain appeared to he
asleep. Burns and the fellow who
cooked loafed against the rail, and
didn't say word.
When the wind is light and the sun
shining the lake puts up little water
hills with diamond point on each,
and if a man is relaxed and lazy all he
needs for entertainment is something
to twinkle, shine and change before
his eyes. That's your true theory of
rest-to turn baby and be pleased with
any bit of glitter and jingle.
/ remember that Burns took mis- pipe
from his mouth, and said he thought
IL might blow. The fellow who cooked
allowed il might. i said. wind saves
coal and the tug gets the profit" Then
there was silence. and fell to looking
at the glnting water again.
Burns jumped and dropped his pipe,
and said: well, I'll be shot! Cap,
look herer
The captain rolled from his bench,
gave glance at the sky, flung up his
hands. and fairly howled: Get fore,
you blazin' idiots Stow that canvas!
Don't you see what's comm? Get
fore! And he showed in other ways
that he was stirred up.
There was no more peace and con-
tentment on that boat. The three men
piled down through the waist of the
ship i clung TO the rail and stared
westward. | tell you. there was
trouble collecting over there. To that
point in the west the clouds on either
side streamed like running water, and
the centre grew dark like the mouth OF
a pit.
Darkness shot out from that mouth
higher and higher, darkness in rags
and streamers, darkness that thickened
and boiled: out of IL came low muir
mur q growl. an increasing roar. The
darkness twisted. whirled and folded
into itself; IL became like living
tongue that licked the ground, a thing
bulky above. tapering below: wrig-
Cling half-mile of thunder-cloud on
beam-end run mad. raging. crazy.
1t bounded from the shore. struck
the lake a mile away and split 1t. The
water went up like dust On il came.
and on and on. The sun went out.
Harry left the wheel and dived down
the galley stairs. l rolled under n
bench fixed TO the rail. and lay there
afraid. One moment more and we
were in darkness altogether. I'm tumult
beyond hearing. air thick with pow.
dery water, crash. whirl. roar. snriek
The John Andrews heaved and spun
around. lost consciousness, never
thinking TO see the sun again.
] don't know what time passed. but
IL could not have been long before !
rolled from under the bench and sat
mp, moaning to myself and holding my
head not from any bodily pain. for !
was not hurt. but II was as IL my mind
were wrenched. beaten and sore.
The mist was thick and white and
cold; the John Andrews rocked TO and
fro. creakiDg and groanipg; why she