The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1902-12-15
TALL ADIRONDACK YARNS.

stA~AA q lLlE SUI III
on Saturday night that no more than a
dozen men were found gathered around
The stove at the postOffice TO wait for
the mail from Hinckley. And because
commercial traveller from New York.
who was staying over III order to go
hunting rabbits next day, was present,
and because the WOodsnen are usually
shy in the presence of any strangers,
those who had come were unusually
quiet. The only semblance of life in
the assembly. beyond an occasional re-
mark about the weather during the
first hour or so, was when one OF the
men reached across the counter and,
picking some crackers from a 'conven-
lent barrel, said:
- Pears like l can't get enough to
eat somehow in weather like this. ct
four plate of fried potaters for supper
but I'm hungry enough now TO eat
dusty crackers
AT that half a dozen rose up to fol-
low his example, but the postmaster
stopped them by saying that crackers
cost cent apiece, or 10 cents a pound"
They all sat down then, and the post
master turned to the commercial trav-
eler and said:
Il suppose you've seen a good many
storms worse than this when down
by the ocean,"
We'll, yes, sir; I've seen some worse.
do not think this will last longer than
midnight, or l shouldn't have stayed
over for try at the rabbits, but I've
seen storms down the Jersey beach last
/ for week at a stretch with the wind
up to fifty miles an hour and better
every minute of the time"
Ever happen to see a shipwreck
there?'' asked the postmaster
Yes, sir, three of them, l may say,
thought the worst one was over on the
Long Island shore-Hempstead Beach,
they called it. When your neighbor
there said the storm made him hungry
he reminded ME of that storm at once.
never saw man eat as much as one
of the sailors on that wreck did. If
you don't mind I'll tell you about it.
1T was the wreck of the schooner
Macpherson of New Haven, with salt
from Turks Island to New York. The
gale struck her when she was about
forty miles down the beach from Sandy
Hook, but she was stanch built boat,
and her master held her to it, and he
was able to make more Roadway than
he calculated. At least, that was what
they said afterward. for just before
daylight next morning the schooner
had Overrun her reckoning so far that
she fetched up ashore on the outer bar,
half mile down the beach from the
Hampstead life-saving station.
Il told you that was the worst storm
ever saw along shore, and so it was
But the terror of it was not in the
wind. The temperature was what
killed. Why, every time the waves
washed across the wreck the water
frOze in a coat of ice wherever it
touched. And there the crew of that
schooner were up aloft with the wind
piercing through them and the spray
reaching up to cover them with ice,
while the roll of the wreck as the
waves struck it was enough to fling
l never saw such a pitifu sight as
the sailors that were in the rigging
when l reached the beach
'Of course the life-saving crew got
to the beach a long time ahead of me.
The bravest men you ever saw are
those life-savers, and they've every
thing necessary for taking sailors off
a wreck, but this time the weather was
too much even for them. They brought
out their little cannon and fired line
right through the rigging, close to the
sailors but when one of the unfortu-
mates let go his hold to reach the line
he was so cold that he just tumbled
overheard. And inside of ten minutes
after he dropped all but one of the
others had fallen as he did.
But the most remarkable part of
this story is yet to be told. The one
that was left on the werck had climb
ed up to the crosstrees, where the top
sail was furied, and after Stacking
away handsomely on the gasket, that
is, the rope that tied the sail into
tight wad, he worked his way into the
wad as if it We're a bag. And there
he was out of the wind and clear of
the spray.
Well save him, anyway said one
of the lfe-savers, and the whole crew
went at it with will, but just as they
were launching the lfeboat it was
smashed by the ice. Then the sailor
stuck his head and shoulders out of
the sail and began to wave his cap to
and fro, making what they call wig
wag signals. The keeper of the life
saving station knew the code of course
and answered The sailor signaled:
Don't try to get me off until the
sea goes down. The mast is sound,
and | have a good bed In the sail. Just
send off some grub and I'll be all right
haven't had a bite since last night
He's asking for grub said the
keeper turning to the rest of us; poor
fellow, he's going crazy and won't last
long now. But I'll humor him all
can
''Then he signaled to the sailor:
81 knew you were hungry, but
can't think of any way to send the
curb to sure. Can you?'
Sure answered the sailor. It's
dead easy. Load your gun with beef
steaks and fire them at the masthead
g That's so said the keeper, Jump
ing as if he'd been spanked. L wonder
didn't think of that before. I'll do
it,"
The commercial traveller paused long
enough to put fire to a fresh cigar and
then continued:
Gentlemen, it is a pleasure to tell
this story to men of knowledge like
yourselves. Ignorant people in the city
gentlemen, who can pump Winches-