Wallowa chieftain. [volume] (Joseph, Union County, Or.) 1884-1909, 1902-08-07
DEED OF WILSON MFIELD.
He sayed Two Lives by His Bravery
and Perseverance,.

and Perseverance.
From the records OF the Royal hu-
maine Society writer in Mcclure
Magazine draws the story OF An no-
scure nero seaman whose brave deed
was discovered and hOnOred by two oI
tie great nations of the earin. One
tropical night the schooner Dolphin
rested almost mOtiOnless on the Gay
man rocks in Nicaragua. Crew anu
passengers. some twenty in all, We're
asleep about the deck, for II was loo
no, 10 20 below. Then came such
sguall as comes only il those southern
seas. The sails. all set, furnished am
Die leverage. Within ten seconds the
dolphin was bottom up. her passengers
ana crew struggling III the water.
Wilson McField, negro and sub
jec, Of Great Britain. was the first
10 come To the surface. All his twenty
seven years OF life he had known these
waters. and he swan Ike fish. He
soon succeeded i'll climbing upon the
bottom of the vessel Then he shouted
10 the others, and one 10y one pulled
W five Of The crew.
Fortunately the Squall was soon over,
although the sea was high. After they
had d-ifted TWO hours the men heard
strange sounds, like pounding within
the vessel. Some thought they heard
voices. The more superstitiUus We're
afraid. The night dragged Oh, and by
daylight the sounds had grown faint
q. The crew cOnclu.ed that men We're
imprisoned within the boat, but none
could devise = way 10 save them. Then
the negro proposed to dive under and
iniO the snip. They assured him lie
would never get out again. bW carry
ing between his teeth one end OF q rope
that had been dragging from the yes
sci, McField diyed. passed under tile
gunwale and rose in the hatch.
II was pitch dark, and the interior
OF the vessel was full OF the floating
cargo. but he kept Oh steadily Finally.
concluding that he had reached the
cabin. he rose, and in an instant his
head was above water. Yet so foul
was The aid, anu so harrow the space
between the water and the ships bot
tom, thar he could hardly breathe. He
could see no one, bu; Ae heard the
knocking again. and called out. Then
came voices. ta!n, but familiar.
Swimming in the direction Of the
sound, he found TWO men braced
against the cabin sides and holding
their heads above water. One was a
young rubber cutter. named Mallitz.
the Other a native Spanish-Nicarasuan
called Obando. Both were panic
stricken, and McFiell was obliged TO
threaten them with instant death If
they did not obey him. He fastened
the rope round MalliJz. and gave The
signal 10 pull. McFieid dived into che
wafer along with his man. In his fright
MalliJz en,angled himself in the hatch.
way and precious time was lost in free.
Ing him. When they reached the sur.
face Mallitz was unconscious and Nc.
Field more dead than alive.
They pulled Mallitz aboard. but Nc.
Field would not follow. As soon as IN.
rope was free he took it in bis teeth
and went under. found the hatch and
entered the cabin. Obando was alm,s,
uneontroliabie with fear and exhaus.
ton. but McField finally secured aim
with the rope, and gave the signal "a
pull up This time the trip was made
without accident. and both men wer.
drawn on board All the men wer.
saved.
Inc United States government
awarded McField a medal and nf,,
= dollars in gold, and the Royal Human,
society OF Great Britain gave him 3
silver medal.