The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1902-08-03

even then a great mass Of floating wreck
age Will be left that may be fully as dan
gerous as the floating hulk; perhaps even
more so, for the floating hulk stands
enough out Of the water, as a rule, 20 make
a black smudge against the night, visible
In all weathers except fog, rain or snow.
AS for matches with which to burn it,"
the suggestion is ridiculous. If a hulk is
waterlogged it would take the trusts year.
~ output to start a blaze. and If IL is not
waterlogged. nine times out OF ten it would
burn only TO or near the waters edge, and
the remaining portion would be a vastly
greater menace to navigation than was the
original wreck. Besides these things, one
Of the hardest things that a sailor is called
on to do is to board a derelict.. Ii lies like
a log in the water, usually in a beam sea,
rolling first one scupper under and then
the other, making an approach in a small
boat dangerous to life and limb. Under the
circumstances, the merchant marine.
knowing it's limitations. and in the case OF
steamers usually operated within a fixed
schedule that permits no delay such as
would be necessary in these circum-
stances, does wisely In reporting its log
Entries Of dereliets TO the end that as
fast as they can make the rounds. the rev.
enue cutters may go out and hunt them up
TO complete the work Of demolition.
I have a very friendly feeling for dere-
lets. None of them ever did me any harm
and one OF them once did me a great
amount Of good. Besides. / have seen
many human derelicts. those who with
truth might say, each Of himself;
1.-The broker Of hope has sold me for
nothing"
that the sympathy 1 feel for the wreck OF
humanity is extended, in a way 70 the in
animate plaything Of the wind and the
wave. Old shipping men along the Atlantic
ssaboard will remember the loss Of the
Mary L. Bacon. Wilmington. N C. TO Ball
timore with lumber and shingles, that
broke in two of Bodies island. and whose
floating afterpart was much sought after.
often reported and furnished the text for a
vast amount OF speculation and surmise. 10
was an unmitIgated blessing hat the
Bacon was loaded with lumber. tightly
Wedged in her hold, and that she became
derelict instead Of going 10 the bottom; for
TO the six Of US who, dashed for sixty-eight
hours TO stanohiOns OF her quarterback, un-
der the water more than we were out Of
it, il was a long way better that she
stayed ahoat and in the track Of shipping
than that she should take as 20 Davy
Jones. And that Spanish tramp steamer
that picked us up-she was dirty and slow
and her crew were unkempt and frowsy,
but they were Natures n~oblemen. every
jack Of EN-, and nothing was too good or
too much 10 do for the ragged. hungry.
thirsty and half-frozen refugees from the
most famous derelict the Atlantic coast
has seen in a quarter Of a century.
The Bacon hoated along the coast for
several months and finally was blown up
by a revenue cutter. / saw Julian Bacon.
the mate, several years after. and he .old
me Captain Eskrldge grieved more over the
demolition Of the wreck than he did over
the original loss. And the crew. o We
were taken 20 Santander and sent home BY
the British consul. / believe out OF his own
pocket. THE GOSSIP.