Corvallis gazette. [volume] (Corvallis, Benton County, Or.) 1900-1909, 1906-08-17

1nro me darkness and licked out hap
less victims by the score. OF this ap-
palling incident those in the lighthouse
knew aothipg. u9tll long -afteEWard -
When the ship sfrnck, the electric dy-
namos stopped, and all her lights welt
out. TIE lighthouse lamp, owing to its
rays Ise..-:::s. colcee-lt-ssiteJ By the dtoptric
lens. -ii.cc.-7ed ret ;.li 10 d;ssipate the
CHM a..I shasttI Fis:ol beneath, but
the great fraa.csos t..e eo-e part of the
vessel served IS = b-.aa,1Wate-. to some
extent azld temporarily withheld the
waves from beating against the col
umn
Hence Brand st.:'..::--,;;::l- his eyes
through the Gying rucl fanc:ed he
could make OCT tic Gs-yle OF The cap
tain as he left the bridge ana. with
some OF the cre-v. t2o.- shelter behind
I the structure OF the liDrary and state
! cabins on what remained of the prom,
enade deck. AT the same moment the
fTenZied occupants OF the library and
gangway contrived to burst open the
! door of the main companion.
If they had to die, they might as well
die in the open and not boxed up in
| impenetrable darkness. as matter
of fact. the bolts were forced by man
who fired his revolver at them. The
sea quickly discovered this new outlet.
| The next wave, passing through the
| saloon, sent tons of water pouring
through the open hatch. One good re
! Tho Str0pcr canvas aUVI1-
| ing which prolonged the spar deck was
carried away, and the group of surviv-
| ors, benumbed with cold and wholly
overcome by their desperate position,
| could see the entire height of the gran
| ite column in front crowned with it's
| diadem of brilliance. The liberated
passengers saw it for the first time.
The sight brought no hope. Between
| ship and lighthouse was true mael-
strom of more than sixty feet Of water
created by the backwash from the
| stonework and the shattered hull.
Even if the passage could be made, of
| what avail was it? The iron entrance
door was full fifty feet above the pres
ent level of the sea. It could only be
| approached by way of the rungs of
lIOu llIUcuuCo LII tuO oAllC, o1o Cf-
cry wave, even in the comparative
moderation caused by the obstructing
wreck, swept at least twenty feet of the
smooth stone tiers. 1t is this very fact
that prevents rock lighthouses from sell
dom if ever serving as refugees for ship
| wrecked sailors. The ascending ladder
is so exposed, the sea usually so tur-
bulent under the least stress of wind,
that no human being can retain hand
hold Or footing. $50.
Yet there was one faint chance Of
succor, and it was not a sailor who
grasped it. The first that Brand knew
of the desperate venture was the. sight
Of spectral man climbing up the
shrouds- of the foremast. On. a steamer.
whose. yards are seldom used for sails,
the practicable rope ladder ceases at
the fore, main or mizzen top, as the
case may be. Thenceforward Sailor
must climb with hands and, feet to the
truck, a feat which may occasionally
be necessary when the vessel, is in
dock. It is. hardly ever attempted at
sea. z-:. -
The venturesome individual who thus
suddenly made himself the, center of
observation carried a line with him.
Not until he essayed the second portion
of his perilous ascent did Brand realize
what the other intended to do, which
was nothing less than to reach the
truck. the very top Of the mast, and en-
deavor to throw a rope to the gallery.
And he might succeed, too-that was
the marvel of it. The tapering spar
came very near to them, perhaps
twelve feet distant and the wind
would certainly carry the rope across
the chasm if carefully thrown. A few
strong and active men might use this
aerial ferry. Well, better they than
none. Brave fellow! Would that the
Lord might help him!
Higher and nearer swung the stall
wart youngster, for none but 1.-THE
and active boy could climb pole with
such easy vigor. At last he reached
the truck, and a family heard cheer
from beneath mingled with the hyster-
ical delight of Enid and Constance.
when, with legs twined round the mast,
he rested his arms for an instant on
the fiat knob of the truck.
Here his facc cane into 70 lover
focus of the light-strong, clean shay
en-, clear cut features, a square, de-
termined chin, two dark, earnest eyes
and a mop Of ruf11ed black hair, for
his deerstalker cap had blown off ere
he cleared the spar deck.
Look out for the line," they heard
him shout. The wind brought his voice
plainly. but evidently he could distin-
guish no syllable of Brands answering
hail:
Shall l make fast?"
Cant hear word" he cried. eff
you can hear me hold a hand up."
Brand obeyed.
''Catch the line," he went on. cit is
attached to a block with running
tackle. Haul in and make FAST
'"The megaphoner' shouted Brand to
Constance. She darted away to bring
it, and when the adventurer clinging
to the foremast had thrown coil sue
cessfully, Brand took the instrument.