The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1901-02-11
ana give me n call II there is any speci
alteration in the wind or weather.
CAPTAIN HAD ODD DREAMS.

i
Going below ! threw myself on the
lounge, over which nuns the compass,
| and tried 10 sleep. But was so haunted
bv the rock that / kept saying In my
mind East by South, right straight Tor
| Barenethy.'
II tried my best 10 sleep. but my eyes
| would turn 10 the compass. There's no
! such rock exclaimed. Tn fool' I'm
"A coward, Confound the rock And
| the words kept running through my head'
| East by South straight for BarenethN.
Unable 10 stand q any longer, | went
on deck about 4 O'Clock IN the morning,
with my mind made up 10 change the
ships course and steer clear OF This
abominable rock that no one had ever
seen, or ever would see, because IL ala
not exist.
Almost at the same moment when |
formed this resolution, as afterward
learned. the Vnle du Havre was struck
amidships by the Lochearn and went
down in ten minutes, carrying with her
valuable cargo and 226 souls.
'''Fhe officer of the deck was an older
man than myself, and had crossed the
Atlantic more times than /, and after "A
few minutes conversation about the
watch l told him Captain RS rock story
lie ridiculed IL. and said mat althouSh
he had travelled many years IN he trade,
he had never seen a rock. or before heard
that amy one else had.
Having thus relieved my mind on the
subject / went back 70 the lounge ana
again tried to sleep / had just got com
fortably settled when the ship gave q
lurch BY joe. thought !, east by
South, we've struck the rock!
HAILED SINKING SHIP.
THAT wasenough. / was on deck and al
though IL was only a sea bigger than the
others that had caused the ship to lurch
1 ordered her course southeast by east
two points more 20 the southwark. Ihen
l went to sleep and rested like child.
"At doybreak next morning the officer
OF the deck called me and reported dis
abled ship five points on the starboard
bow I took my telescope and confirmed
his observation. lt Was TO brace the
yards up sharp and haul our ship close
TO the wind IN order 90 reach the vessel.
This was done Immediately. AS We
came near the scene 81 the stranger l
thought again Of the mysterious rock
aud the sense OF forebOdlng which |
could not shake off until | had altered
my course. Finally we came within hail
ing distance OF the unfortunate Lochearn.
Il called out. ship ahoy, What's the
matter" We've run down an ocean
steamer, and over 200 have gone down
with the wreck. Can YOU take fifty pas
sengers?' Yes hundred replied.
TOOK EIGHTY-FIVE SURVIVORS.
1T took three hours TO transfer the sur
vivors from the Vile du Havre, eighty
five i'm all, and these we landed In safety
at Cardiff. Wales. nine days later l
said nothing about the rock story or
scare then. nor for some time afterward,
but l have always considered IL the most
remarkable occurrence OF my seafarins
life.
There seems 10 have been provdential
design I'm the sailing OF the Trimountain
on Monday instead OF Sunday; then I'm the
unexplainabe decision 10 make, for the
first time in my life, passage much far
ther north than the line of the gulf
stream. the unusual room on board and
above all. I'm the strange manner i'm which
| was led 10 change my course on that
eventful night from fear Of the rock.
/ shall always believe so at any rate"
The question of the existence of Be
renethy rock seems to be still unsettled.
Captain Lloyds of the sailing ship Cromp-
ton was said 10 have seen II In 1897. and
since that time the British government
made an attempt TO find IL. but without
success.