The Washington times., 1901-09-15

Few persons will now remember the loss
of the steamship kordofan upon the
southern shore of the Isle of Wight. al
though the narrative of the solitary sur
yiyor. which was published in the
..Times" some years ago, then caused be-
wildering sensation. This story, set out
with a wealth of grave detail. compeiieo
belief in the writer's sincerity, but at the
same time it caused many to quesuoh .Ee
sanity of her judgment. Ali discussion
upon the point was, however. VAIN
waste of words. since she held the held
as the sole existing witness.
In the early autumn of 1SS- Mr.. Rich-
ard Eades. the vagabond liner to as
many newspapers as could be brousht 10
pay the essential threc-halfpence line
for his copy. went down to Bonchurch'
Isle of Wight. for short holiday. MOST
of those who knew the man wondered
how the possessor of so much knowledge
and ingenious energy came to live by SO
sorry q trade He had been at Cam
bridge; he had been schoolmaster, ne
had no vices of intemperance or extraVa-
gance Though rich as liners reckon
wealth he was still poor. He might more
than once have taken regular pay ana
regular work at the hands of some of the
his uncertain stream of halfpence. Yet
he would not The reason is simple
Richard Fades, though sprung from
country rectory and dragooned into re-
spectabiIity at school and college, was
born vagabond. And the joys of bachelor
yarabondage, irresponsible. ill-clothed, i'll
maid vagabondage are to the true native
what servants and carriages and crests
and titles are to the normal Briton. Yet
Fades like many of his kind, turned aside
from the love of his youth and followed
after strange woman. He fell, and TINS
story tells the manner of his falling
On October Is, 1855. heavy southwest
erly gale ragged In the English Channel
Between St GATHERINGS Point and Dun
nose the long ridge of rocks which pushes
ont t. s,Ya below the Underclif was roar
ing under tumbiing breakers. MIR. Eades,
sitting in his cottage room close TO the
beach at Bonchurch, heard through the
roar the sharp dash Of spray against ms
windows and scented news. To the NINA
of the liner events occur in order that
they may be reported. Tragedies which
are seen cease to be tragical when they
are made to represent so many lines of
salable news 1t is the unwitnessed and
wasted tragedy which wrings the report
ers heart
~ might do a bit in gale and wrecks
tonight" thought Fades; and he manfully
put aside comfort and wrestled with the
storm
In the village street man, surrounded
by many Of his friends, was striving to be
articulate. III tell you it was steamer;
i saw her lights" cried he. Then why
didn't you stop and watch what happened
to herr" said another, contemptuously' i
tell YOU l saw her lights" angrily re-
peated the first. But l wasn't so darned
curious as to sit out on wet cliff just
for to watch her.
what is it?' put in Fades.
John Jolliffe here swears he saw a big
steamer just now running down on Dun
nose Point. She was close In, as II II was
calm weather, with no sou'wester blow
ing John. shall tell your wife to iocR
up the brandy till after teatime"
The discredited witness raised his voice
once more: Il saw her lights She was a
passenger boat lit up like a railway train
She wasn't a mile away when l saw
her.
1t was plain that none of his fellows be-
lieved him, yet he seemed to Fades tc
speak truth.
..Dunnose?" said Fades. 'One can over
look that from tho landslip. l am going
there"
He started on the instant to run, but Nc
one had the curiosity to follow him
Fades raced along the dark road which
skirts the little old church, and present.,
was out on the sodden landslip. H'
stumbled toward the shelving edge and
overlooked the sea. His eyes roamec
over the tossing waste of water for SOM
minutes. seeing nothing of ship. an,
he was about to go away, when, chancini
to look down. he saw the lights of ;
great steamer almost at his feet. Sh
was perhaps half mile distant. but hal
a mile of water viewed from above ap
peafs as short stones throw.
The rows of shining white scuttles gilt
tered against the black background, AM
up above a yellow masthead lantern dip
ped and rose with the plunge of the yes
sell Fades stood appalled, The steame
was racing in on a flowing tide, and wit
the fierce wind urging her forward, de
struction lay few moments from he
bows. Even as the solitary watche
shrank fearfuIly back the ship struck
and her electric lights went out.
Then the frightful tumult which rage
at his feet stunned his senses. and Eade
stood passive, almost Indifferent, waitin
for the end. He could see nothing excep
the one masthead lantern which sti
twinkled through the rush of screamin
steam. Steam and wind and the roar {
many voices were all mingled together I
a rolling mass of sound, cut through no.
and again by the sharp smack, smack {
revolver shots.
Il suppose the crew are rushing til
boats" murmured Fades.
His eyes were held by the masthea
light which alone showed that the We.
sci still lived He watched it swing I
and fro and then shoot forward in a Ion
slow curve. Suddenly the movement
the light changed and it sank down.
She's sinking by the head" said Eade
stricken callous by horror too vast Il
emotion.
The light sank down. Then the spill
tering crash OF an explosion tore all 9TH
sounds into noiseless fragments, and Il
light went out
shes goner observed Fades. al
drawing out his handkerchief. he tried
clear his face of the water and SCOT whiC
the bursting boilers had flung over hiT
For some moments he stood idly mo
ping at his face and groaning over Il
evil-smelling mess in which his cloth
were smothered. Then the instinct OF Il
journalist awoke and spurned aside Il
trifiing woes Of the man. He realized tn
he tRichard Eades) was probably the 81
gle witness of a great catastrophe. al
for him alone was reserved the means
profit by 1t.
Heavens, what SCOOP he cried. al
etrode away toward the telegraph OH
at ventnor.
The temptation to say nothing in DO
church rent his soul. for. though tou
nalist. he cherished the relics Of a cor
rnnn con science He felt In bitterness