Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1906-11-01

~ Ing those weary hours were
many and various. Damp clothing, In
sufficiency of food, interior tempera-
lures ranging from the chill draft OF
the entrance passage and stairways to
the partial suffocaton Of rooms with
windows closed owing to the ncursious
Of the rising tidc-this unpleasing ag-
gregatc Of physical misery was serious
ly augmented by an ever increasing list
of sick people an almost total absence
Of any medical comforts and grow
ing knowledge. Oh the part of those not
too Respondent to think that their ulti-
mate relief might be deferred for days
rather than hours.
No mere man can understand, and n
woman of ordinary experience can but
dimly imagine, the difficulty and ardu-
BUSINESS of the task undertaken by
Constance and Enid.
To cook and supply food for eighty
one persons with utensils intended for
the use of three, to give each separate
individual an utterly inadequate por-
ton, so skillfully distributed that none
should have cause to grumble at his or
her neighbours better fortune-here
were culinary problems at once COM
pick and exhaustive
BY adopting fantastic devices, bring
Ing into service empty jam pots and
sardine tins, they found it was possible
to feed twenty at time This meant
the preparation of four distinct meals,
each requiring an hours work Long
before the last batch, which included
themselves, was lamentlng the absurd
discrepancy between appetite and an
tidote In the shape of anything to eat,
the first was ravenous again.
The women complained the least. In
the occupants of the two bedrooms the
girls encountered n passive forttude
which was admirable 1t was an OK
traordinary scene which met their eyes
when they entered either of these
stuffy apartments. Many of the res
cued ladies had not given a thought to
changing the demtoilet of evening
wear on board ship for moro service
able clothing when the hurricane over
took the vessel They all. it is true
possessed cloaks or wraps of some sort
but these garments were still soddeu
with salt water and therefore unwear
able. even If the oppressive warmth in
each room rendered such a thing pos
sible. Their elegant costumes Of mus
lin, cotton, silk or satin were utterly
ruined. Lucky were the few whose
blouses or bodices had not been rent
into tatters.
Some of the worst sufferers in this
respect were now the best provided
Blankets and sheets had been ruthless
" torn up and roughly stitched into
articles Of clothing. Mrs. Nansittart
for instance, who first suggested thu
via media, wore an exquisite Paris
gown and a loose dressing jacket ar
rangement of yellow blanket. the com
ponent parts of which she persuaded
two other women to sew together OF
the model provided by her own elegan
figure
A few quick wtted ones who fol
lowed her example exhausted the avail
Hble stock. and pllowcases and rugs
would have undergone metamorphosi'
in the same way had not Constance
come TO the rescue by impoundinl
them, declaring that they must be re
served for the use of those sufferer
who needed warmth and rest
The men passed their time in smok
Ing, singing, EARNING and speculatn;
on the chance of the weather clearing
Ultimately, when the banging of th
waves again made the column feel un
safe. a small section began to plal
petty attempts to pilfer the provisions
1t is the queer mixture Of philosophe
and beast in the average human bein
that makes it possible for the sam
man In one mood to risk his life quit
voluntarily to save others and in an
other to organize selfish theft.
After an ingenious seaman had bee
detected in an attempt to pick tn
storcroom lock- and when tray o
cold ham was deliberately upset Will
a football scrimmnge took place for til
pieces, Mr.. Emmett stopped thes
ebullitions by arming the watch wit
assorted weapons from the worksho
and issuing stern orders as to their us
in case of need.
Here again the warning element
which form the human clay We're ad
mirably displayed, On duty, under tn
bonds Of discipline, the coarse graine
foremast hand who had gobbled up
surreptitious lump of fat pig durin
the first successful scufIie would brai
the daring rascal who tried to bette
his condition by q similar trick 4 sec
ond time. Discipline sometimes col
verts a skuker into hero.
, When the state OF the tide permitted
. storm shutters were opened and FIRE
draft Of air allowed to enter throug
, the door. Then all hands eyed the Sc
anxiously. The wind was strong an
piercing, and the reef maintained IL
[ ceaseless roaring. Whenever a windo'
, opened toward the land there was
. small crowd waiting to peep throug
it. At last the sense of orderlines
gradually permeating the inmates
3 the lighthouse actually resulted In III
formation of queues, with stated II
Q tervals for moving on, There was
' momentary relief in looking at tn
. land. The cliffs, the solitary whit
, houses, the little hamlets half hide
r in coy hooks, seemed to he so al
4 surdly near. 1t was ridiculous to imas
inc that help could be long deferred
. The san UNrb ma ssinp Of n steamer. ca