The Camden chronicle. (Camden, Tenn.) 1890-current, 1901-07-19
TIE WRECK OF THE JOHN ANDREWS
BY HRTHUR WILLIS COTTON

darkness twisted, whlrled and folded
into Itself; it became like a living
tongue that licked the ground, thing
bulky above, tapering below; a wrig-
Cling half-mile of thunder-cloud on
beam-end run mad, raging, crazy.
1t bounded from the shore. strucl,
the lake a mile away and split it. The
water went up like dust. On It came.
and on and on. The sun went out.
Harry left the wheel and dived down
the galley stairs. l rolled under a
bench fixed to the rail, and lay there
afraid. One moment more and we
were in darkness altogether, in tumult
beyond hearing, air thick with pow
derry water, crash, whlrl, roar, shrek.
The John Andrews heaved and spun
around. l lost consciousness, never
thinking to see the sun again
l don't know what time passed, but
1t could not have been long before
rolled from under the bench and sat
up, moaning to myself and holding my
head, not from any bodily pain, for
was not hurt, but it was as If my mind
were wrenched, beaten and sore.
The mist was thick and white and
cold; the John Andrews rocked to and
fro, creaking and groaning; why she
was still barge and not riding out the
storm in pieces, could not explain.
The cyclone was gone, anyway, and
had left us in the mist.
Left us! l stared around blankly.
The mist seemed to make a solid wall
twenty feet away. To live through
that turmoil of lunatic elements would
barely happen to more than one. There
was nothing but bubbling and beating
water to hear and white mist to see.
This won't do" 1 thought, and told
myself to get up and look about, but
sat still, nevertheless, and shook all
over and was afraid.
Now heard another sound, crack
ling, and saw a luminous place in the
mist, and crept toward it as a baby
creeps to any shining light. It was the
doorway to the galley stairs. The
smoke poured up through it, and it
glOwed from the brightness below.
When a ship goes around like a top a
stove doesn't stay unmoved. This one
had set fire to the barge.
To be burned to death! For choice
l would rather have gone ballooning on
a cyclone with the crew. There was
no daze about me now I jumped to
my feet, had passing glimpse out Of
my memory of Harry diving down
those stairs, and knew that If there
was any further chance of human com
partnership for me / must reach Harry.
| put my arms up uselessly against
the smoke and went down the stairs
The smoke was white like the mist
above, but pleasant in so far as it was
dry and hot, but it felt only warm be-
cause of the chill in my flesh. The far
end of the interior was in a blaze.
l stepped on something that slipped.
stopped and gripped Harry by the
collar where he lay in a heap, having
fallen so, and plunged up the stairs
dragging him after me somehow. So
came out again into the mist drag
ging the limp weight, and quite blank
in my brain as to what l should do,
but it was instinct to get as far from
the fire as l could.
So went, with Harry on my shout
der, down into the ships waist where
the water was breast-high OF near it,
and smashing the chairs and tables
about. / judged they were well bro
ken up, but did not care to see; and
from there I carried Harry up to the
forward deck, which was a fat sur
face forty feet across with only the
mast and a hatch or trap-door break
ing the planking. The mast had be-
come a splintered stump, the planking
was gone.
1 spread Harry out on that deck.
There was a cut on his head, but he
was alive, and 1 thought there might
be water enough in the air to brng
him to. Anyway, if the John An
drews were to burn it seemed common
sense to make raft. There was com
monty an axe under the bench by the
wheel, so went down again into the
black water, with its scum Of broken
furniture thrashing about.
How the fire was gaining I could tell
by the great glow in the mist. lodged
the heat by the galley door. and went
along by the rail; the smoke was com
ing up through the planks.
The axe was in its place The find
hs Of it cOnsoled me greatly, and ]
waded back, gripping it and thinking