Morris tribune., 1905-05-06

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a precarious condition too. A further
examination had disclosed that some
of her spars, especially the mainmast,
had been so severely and seriously
wounded, even more so than at first
reported, as scarcely to permit any
sail at all to be set on them and not fit
in any way to endure stress of wealth
er The damages had been made good,
however, as far as possible, the rigging
knotted and spliced, the spars 1shed
and strengthened as we'll. The ship
had been leaking slightly all the time,
from injuries received in the fight in
all probability, but a few hours at the
pumps daily had hitherto kept her free,
and, though the carpenter had been
most assiduous in a search for the
leaks and had stopped as many as he
had been able to come at, some of
them could not be found. The weather
had steadily changed for the worse as
they had reached higher ATTITUDES, and
It was now cold, rainy and very threat
ening. The captain and his officers
were filed with anxiety and forebod-
cabin, devoured by grief and despair,
and the once CHEEKY colonel, full of
deep sympathy for his unfortunate
daughter, went about softly and sadly
during the long days.
The day broke gloomily On one GER
tain unfortunate morning. They had
not seen the sun for five days nor did
clio lScrI,%
flooded the heavens and awoke the sea.
The sky was deeply overcast with
cold, dull, leaden clouds that hung low
and heavy over the mighty ship; hor
ror of darkness enShrOuded the ocean.
Away off on the horizon to the north
east the sky was black with great
masses of .frightful looking clouds.
Through the glass the watchful officers
saw that rain was falling in torrents
from them, while the vivid lightning
played necessarily through them
Where the ship was it had fallen sud
denly calm, and she lay gently rolling
and rocking in the moderate swell.
But they could see the hurricane driv-
ing down upon them, coming at light
ming speed, standing like a solid wall
and fiattening the waves by sheer
weight. All hands had been called on
deck at once at the first glimpse of the
coming hurricane.
Desborough had the trumpet. The
alert and eager topmen were sent aloft
to strip the ship of the little canvas
the heavy weather and weakened spars
had permitted them to show. 1t was a
race between them and the coming
storm. The men worked desperately,
tmadly. Some of them had not yet
reached the deck when the rain and
the wind were upon them. By the
captains direction the colonel had
brought Katharine from below, and
she was standing on the quarter deck
sheltered by the overhang Of the poop
above, listlessly watching. Desbor-
Ough had made no progress in his love
affairs. Ee had too much tact and del
dcacy to press lis suit under the pres
ent untoWard circumstances and in
deed had been too necessarily occupied
with the pressing exigencies of the
shattered ship and the duties of his
responsible position thereon to have
any time to spare for more than the
common courtesies.
The awful storm was at last upon
them. A sudden change in it's direc-
lion caused the first fierce blow to fall
fairly upon the starboard side Of the
ship. It pressed her down on her
down, down. Would she ever right
again? All, the spliced shrouds and
stays on the weather side, which had
been that attacked by the Randolph,
finally gave way, the mainmaSt went
by the board about half way below the
top, the foremost at the cap and the
mizZen topmast too. Relieved of this
enormous mass of heavy top hamper,
the ship slowly righted herself The
immense mass of wreckage beat and
Numbered against the port side. 1t
was a fearful situation, but all was
ot'yet lost
Calamity led by Desborough himself,
who saw in one sweeping glance that
Katharine was still safe, the men,
with axes and knives, hacked through
the rigging which held the wreck of
the giant spars to the ship, and after
few moments of sickening suspense
she drifted clear. A bit of storm can
vas was spread forward on the wreck
Of the foremost, and the ship got be-
fore the wind and drove on, laboring
and pitching in the heavy sea.
The decks were cleared, and indeed
there was little left to clear, the waves
having broken over her several times
when she lay in the trough Of the sea,
sweeping everything out with them,
mad the vessel was a total wreck, the
spars gone, rails and bulwarks batter
ed in and smashed. boats lost, the bat
tie having destroyed those on the star
board side and the wreck and the sea
the others. Stop There was one boat |
left iamidships, launch capable Of |
Holding about forty persons in pinch, |
and still seaworthy. 1t was, by the
captains order, promptly made as serv-