The Mount Holly news. [volume] (Mount Holly, Burlington Co., N.J.) 1891-1942, 1901-10-29


change was made in the crew. He was
called a reliable, steady going man,
and his men were steady, sensible fell
lows. The change was not one to re-
joice over. No. was a stout hulk OF
about 800 tons burden, with comfort
able berth for crew, but out there the
water was in constant motion, and the
danger of collision at night or during
fog was something to harass the mind.
1t happened to be fairish weather for
the first three days, but on the fourth
gale sprang up, and the hulk was set
bouncing In q terrible way. 1t wasn't
that the sea was so heavy, but that the
wives swirled around the old wrecks
in such way as to produce cross sea
and terrific tumble, and the groan-
ing, straining hulk seemed to be bob
bling about on bed of yeast.
The watches were divided so that
two men were on duty for four hours
while the other two slept. That night
1t was the captains watch from 8 till
midnight. There was but little to be
done after the lights were displayed.
A lookout was kept and port fires and
rockets were at hand to warn vessels
away and signal the shore. The gale
had piped up strong, with drizzle of
rain and a dark night, and one could
not have been more uncomfortable off
the cape in a winters gale. 1t had
come 10 o'clock when sudden hail
reached the lightship. The captain was
aft and his mate forward, but he knew
at once that the hail came from sea-
ward. 1t was not so dark but that one
could have seen a ship 300 feet away,
even though she had no lights aboard.
AS soon as port fire was ignited the
sea lighted up for hundreds of feet
around in a CHASTITY way, and both men
looked for the craft they supposed to
be near by. They looked in vain until
the signal was nearly finished. Then
ships yawl, driving right up In the
teeth Of the gale, hove into view. She
was with our mast or sail or oars, and
the only figure in her sat in the stern
sheets, and his arms and legs were
bound around with ropes. The man
was bareheaded and dressed as lands
man, and as he drove past within 70
feet of the rail they had look square
into his eyes. and the agony on his
face made them shudder. They started
to throw him a rope, but as the coll
swung in the air they remembered that,
being bound, he could make no use OF
1t. The yawl and the man went straight
to windward and in a couple Of min
utes were out of sight, and the men
found themselves all a-tremble. Cap
tain Crox was full of indignation over
the crime Of sending a man anoat In
that manner and Of pity for the victim
when his mate touched him on the arm
and shouted in his ear:
"If 1 was ashore, captain, all the
money in England would not bride me
to set foot on this deck again"
whats the matter with you" was
called in reply. ITS only bit Of shore
villainy that we must report to the ten
der"
ITS nothing that's happened ashore.
sir. Did you take notice that the craft
was driving right in the teeth Of the
gale? 1t wasn't live man in that boat.
She was going to windward with
ghost, and I'd give the bit have In the
bank if I'd not seen her."
The captain would have given the
man good dressing down for his silly
notions only that the boat had actually
been heading to windward in the teeth
Of a gale which no ship could have
Of mo pofno
positive of this and not being able to
explain 1t, he could say little or moth.
ing. 1t was agreed between them, how
ever, that nothing should be said to the
other watch when 1t turned out, and
they went on duty without knowing
that anything out of the way had hap
pened. While carrying the affair out
with pretended Indifference, Captain
Crox was, as matter of fact, pretty
thoroughly upset over it, and on turn
ing in he found that he could not go to
sleep. He had been lying In his bunk
and turning the matter over in his
mind for an hour or SO and the gale
was still bowling and the lightship
bouncing about when he realized from
the movements Of the watch that they
had been hailed. He was out of bed
and on deck just as one Of them had
lighted a port fire, and you can judge
of his feelings when he saw the former
scene reacted There were the yawl
and the man, and the boat slowly
forged past and disappeared to wind
ward. Three pairs of eyes saw her this
time, saw the bound victim and the
terror and despair on his face, and 1t
was absurd to think 1t delusion. The
lightship had been hailed, as before,
and one of the watch had thrown a
rope which landed fairly across the
yawl.
There was no more sleep for any one
aboard No. 4 that night, and next day
when the gale broke and the tender
came alongside all demanded to be put
ashore at. once. The captain was -