Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1902-02-15
THE DAILY
SHORT STORY.
THE kRONPRINz
y = FRIEDRICH
iOricinal1

on the verge of starvation in the arctic
regions. made up my mind TO ship for
the expedition. l was young and fun
OF enthusiasm and desire 10 see
strange sights. TO taste strange expe-
rience. My craving was satisfied to the
fullest extent. Indeed, l have hereto
fore refrained from saying anythinS
about q certain sight which suddenly
came to NE and departed as suddenly
for fear that my friends would regard
me as the subject of Authorizations. AS
it is. shall refrain from divulging my
identity in telling the story.
We were sailing ncrthward through
Baffin's bay. For days the weather had
been bad-high winds. rough seas, huge
cakes of floating ice, everything TO
keep US under 4 strain. Then all at
once the wind subsidized into Il dead
calm. the thermometer rose rapidly.
and we were encomp2ssed by dense
fog. There was nothing TO DO but drop
anchor and wait. \ single man was
quite sufficient to maintain a watch,
and the captain, having arranged the
succession. all hands, except the first
outlook, went below and TO sleep.
was the third man called ard went on
deck about 3 in the morning, though
it might as well have been in the
afternoon, for there was about tie
same amount of light-thGt is, Il sort Of
twilight. / sat on the capstan peering
out ut nothing. True, there was fog,
but what is fog when one is in the
midst of it but nothing? There was
dull, monotonous sound of swells beat
ing against the ships side beneath.
My senses became dulled, and my eyes
became heavy as lead. Then l did
what should not have done, but could
scarcely hcIp-I fell asleep.
1 awakened with Il consciousness of
some terrible impending danger. As l
opened my eyes 1 noticed that the fog
had grown thinner and l could see far
Their. though not even then over Il few
hundred feet. Suddenly dead ahead
something doomed up dark before me.
The changes that came over it We're
natter of seconds. though it requires
minutes to give them. First. as l have
said. it was something black; then it
was the dim figure of Il ship under sail
coming straight down On us; then it
was Il vessers bow. on which l read
the letters "Kronprinz Friedrich" and
several men in queer caps and coats
and knee brooches running about ex-
citedly. one livid face. with frightened
eyes, looking over the gunwale.
There was 10 hope but that the
shock would sink both vessels, though
how a sailing ship could be coming a.
such speed with no wind / could net
understand, though there was no time
for any thought except that of the
dreaded collision to make any impress
sion on my mind. My first act was to
jump from the capstan and seize one
of the bars. though to attempt to
ward off Il full rugged ship with SUCH
an implement was absurd. Neverthe-
less when l turned again toward the
vessel vas surprised to notice that
had been mistaken in her speed or that
il had suddenly moderated. The con
sternation OF those on her decks had
subsidized into resolute determination
to use every means to render the shock
as light as possible. \ man stood on
the gunwale, with one hand on the rat
lines. giving orders which were obey
ed with alacrity. Only Il strange muf-
fed babble came to me i'm tongue
that 1 did not understand. faint and
confused, as if mingled with the roar
of a tempest.
Slowly, but surely. the strange bow
came on, overlapping us. her crew
reaching out with long oars. some of
them lowering coils of rope all waiting
the inevitable shock. When it came,
our vessel made Il yawning gap in the
strangers bow. She trembled. rocked
backward and separated from Us. \
.rs
he could see the break, and shouted
something to the man holding the rat
lines. Then there was an order. some
of the crew rushing one way and 9th
ers another. Meanwhile the ship aud
crew grew fainter as they drifted away
from us. The last act 1 witnessed was
four men dragging a sail forward,
which / presumed they were intend
ing to lower over the hole that had
been stove in her bow. Then all faded
into nothingness, and there was left
only the fog. 1t seemed to me that the
vessel had come from and returned to
the echOless shore.
Before being relieved l fell asleep
again and was awakened by the re-
lief watch. expected him to speak of
the shock. but he did not, and I went
below and turned in without mention.
ing the subject. Nor did any one of
the ships company speak of it the
next day. but they were all very much
fatigued and doubtless slept too sound
~ to feel it.
When we got home, hunted every
where for some account of n ship call
ed Kronprinz Friedrich. but could find
Iof 4 chi
for a voyage TO Bremen and while
there obtained leave to go to Berlin.
where 1 searched the marine records
/ found that in IL n vessel named
for the crown prince of Prussia, after.
ward Frederick the Great. had sailed
for Greenland and had never after