Wauwatosa news. [volume] (Wauwatosa, Wis.) 1900-1948, 1901-02-16
ALEXANDER BLAKE. DERELIGE

flLLhnllULn ULllhL, ULllLLlUl
We sighted the Alexander Blake in lat
itude 80 degrees - minutes north, longi-
tude 81 degrees 8 minutes west, at day
break, on the port bow, heaved up on
| the waves back for us to look at, ann
then dropped out of sight, as though the
sea were showing it to us for warning.
The wind was light, very light, fixing
for a change BY eight bells we came,
without trying. within a mile or two of
the derelict My! but she looked lone
some out there. Don't talk to me Of
anything ashore being lonesome Ho5
could it, with trees and other things
about for company? But lone ship,
dismasted, waterlogged, and her people
| gone dead most likely, wallowing about
in a world of water-that's lonesome, il
you like; and l ought to know.
She was broadside on at first; later
she turned, and with a great, weary
heave like she was lifting the bottom of
the world with her, she showed her
name, Alexander Blake, N. S. / took a
| look over the rail after breakfast, and
| there she was, scarce a quarter mile
away-with the old Dansforth bowling
and nodding to her, like she was sorry,
but couldn't help it. Then the mate
l
house and overhauls the gig, gets tackles
on and lands the boat on deck, then runs
| her on rollers to the davits and swings
| her cupboard.
"Three hands," says he, ''to so and
set fire to the derelict."
/, being young and curious, was the
| first to step out and first in the boat.
| II always made me feel queer to go off
| from a ship at sea. You feel so small
| and skeery; and that old Jonah swash-
| ing about so near made it worse. Oh,
| but she looked bad; you might say like
corpse walking around looking for
| place to bury itself 1t was like inter-
| viewing a dead man; only dead ship
IS worse. Her nose was poked well down
| in the water. She was awash amidships.
| But her stern stuck up high. We hit her
| about midships; Mr.. Monroe climbs on
| the rail, and | with him. Joe held to
her with the boathook, while Tom fend-
ed her off with his oar. The water
! was waist deep on deck most of the
| time; for the waves would roll clear
| across her. Her decks were clean as the
| blade of an oar; not a stick of any kind
| left-not rope in sight
We ran along the rail to the poop
One of these here big American poops,
with pilothouse, a raised deck or sky
light aft of that, and then the wheel
! The stairs led down into the cabin from
the pilothouse. All this part of the q q
| tloated high, and the cabin floor was dry
Mr.. Monroe went down and yelled for
me to get matches off of Joe. Joe, in
| handing EN- up, lost his footing on the
thwart and nigh fell overheard The
hand with the matches went under
water, and they were spoiled, and none
| OF us had any more. | told Monroe He
| bawls up from the cabin to go back to
| the ship and get some more. So, back
| Joe and Tom went. Then the mate calls
| to me to come down and help move a
chest to the light. We pried it open and
| found lots of tobacco and some medicine
on top.
Wen take the chest to the ship."
| says he, but you and me may as well
have the tobacco
Maybe we were longer filling our
pockets than we thought for by the
time we lugged the chest on deck we
found a change was coming, and
coming quick. Joe and Tom were lust
pulling away from the ship to come back
to us. They rowed a bit. stopped. looked
over their shoulders. We saw the skin
per come to the rail and shout to them.
waving the arm. Just then the wind hit
EN-, and the ship, with sails aback, slid
off to leeward. This scared Joe and Tom
(they never were much account nohowl,
and they turned tail and went back to
the ship.
1t looked skeery. Clouds were coming
down on MS out of the northeast like
huge gray wall. with the top leaning
over ready to fall on you. We seemed
, to be rushing toward it instead of it at
US like train going into a tunnel.
doweyer. 1t was what you Yankees call
a blum; more fog and smoke than wind.
although there must have been enough
to blow the Dansforth miles to leeward.
This Is bad business for you and me.
Dave says the mate
Says l, You've took the very words
out of me mouth. Mr. Monroe"
What did We do? says you. What
could we. do? I've read of seamen rig
ging up derelicts, and all that. and sail
ing them into port. But they had some
thing to work with. We had nothing.
Not a loose stick anywhere. There were
some spare coils of rope in ner lazaret,
but you can't bend sail on nothing but
rope. Her nose was under water most
~, Couldn't get at nothing forward
without diving. Just n mere hulk. with
launched.
t Mr.. Monroe sat down on the skylicht.
with ms head in his hands, and never
moved for good half hour. But he
: JumnS. up then, shakes himself and says:
rms won't do this won't do at all.
[ Dave says he. Come here. and LETT
talk it over: This wind" said he, will
blow the old DanSforth miles away. By
morning, even without this fog. she will
HANt iN>t US II we were stationary
there would be show; the current takes
tnis cussed thing while the wind is TAX
ing the Dansforth. Here we are. and
here we are like to stay until picked up
starved or drowned"
Says |, Lets see what our chances
Of starving are" for l was hungry right
then.
We went through the cabin first The
table and benches were in place, but
everything movable was in a fine mess,
She amt been like this very long"
says the mate. This cabins been
Hooded, though. 1t came in through the
skylight and run out again"
But | smell led rats all the time, so
says, There's live rats aboard: thew
must have something to eat and a dry
place to stow themselves"
Sure enough, we found the door coinc
into the lazaret swelled that tight We
couldn't bulge il. But there was 9