The Manchester journal. [volume] (Manchester, Vt.) 1861-current, 1906-01-04

; Ven hope--and pray--for the beat. Bat
he paused momcnt,--b when We ss'
breakers ahead and havsn'l choice bat Il
60 right there, we'd better 70 bo~ on snc
: try 10 stick fast than to tumble along side-
J ways and let the sea breach over her broad.
SIDE. when Il comst-I'm going to tax,
he wheel. The rest Of ye all 60 forward
| near to tbs forrshrouds. Look out wbsi
abe strikes. Then, II the formast itapds,
at into The rigging before the next wav,
comes, for thstll sweep everything from
the deck. Take care Of yourselves the best
you can--thst's all,
| Yes, that Was al. He would make his
msn's chance for life ~ good ~ IL could
DO. His own would be very small.
The little crowd Of men, packed into the
dimily lighted cAbia, swsved with the
swsyinx Of the ship for few momen Il In
silence. Then one Of them spoke. II was
sam Wilbur. the boat steerer.
suppose--we ha'n't--may be--see the
folks again.
| ~ uon \ iouk 70.
But there's thst chest we've took an In
terest In. I'd like--we'd like to have It get
TO 'em--Christms ain't far on now. A It
10, It's some heavy to noat we'll, and tbs
~et1i get in, so they can't read the letters
they'd hate TO see the letters 90 bury
hey couldn't read 'em-and we'd like to
have 'em read. He stopped for . moment
Id like to have Melissa Territt read mine.
II was the irst time In all the voyage
that he had spoken her name.
We amt got good chance to do any.
thing, he went on. Things are pretty much
washed swsy. But II We try maybe We
could get tsrred canvas on the chest emo
lesh some pieces Of plank to host It. II
might 70 ashore sos they'd get 1t. And
even II they didn't, I'd ~ soon be doing II
and having 'em In mind ~ anything know
/ Of.
1t pos difficult. The last Of the work
the securing Of the chest on little raft Of
planks-had to be done on the main-dsck,
and WAS especially hard and hazardous.
The waves rolled over 1t continually, and
the bulwarks were largely gone, Yet no
least touch Of carefulnsss WAS withheld
no knot was sighted by the stlfl, cold An-
gers that tied 1t.
A single square yard Of canAass Was add
sd ~ sail to make II 60 before the wind
more speedily. When 1t WAS ready, they
clusted round 1t, clinging to life.lines.
Lord, have mercy upon US! prayed the
captain, and they committed their Christ |
mas message to the deep.
1t rose bravely on the wsvss, and they
watched II while glimpse Of 1t could be
had.
1t must have been about midnight when
If to leeward the line Of sea and sky grew
iudistinctly lighter, then white, and then. |
suddenly, they saw the breakers close At |
hand.
All hands for'ard shouted the captain, |
while he himself turned aft to the wheel |
He was = tall. spare, strong man. He
had thrown of his coat, aud his head was
oare. He stood now, braced and straining,
trying to bring bis ship once moro to her
course, to hold her once more straight on.
Once more the old ship must do her duty
while be did his, and then
moment only, and tie crash came.
Then a huge. wave fell upon them and
swept over the ship. Yet so stra!shtfor
ward WAS the now that the body Of the cap
tain was carried, not over the side, but on
to the bow, and there they dragged him,
bruised and senseless, up into the fore rig.
xing, where the rest Of the company WAS
They had struck the shore on Cape Cod,
and we're not very far from land, yet they
we're hopelessly separated from 1t BY
stretch Of fosming, terrible surf,
The storm which WAS long known ~ the
December gale for Ito especial fury, grew
worse and colder after midnight. The men
clurg to the ropes with paio and numb
ness, while the spray frcz, them to the rig
sing.
Then the life boat men came to the shore
aud tried to launch the boat, but they
could not get II off.
Six times they tried, and the waves cast
II back; the seventh, and the wind rolled
the big boat over the beach Ike barrel.
It's no use, said the boatmen. Pieces Of
the ship began TO come ashore. She's
breaking up already, they said. 1t win soon
be oil over with the poor fellows. l.
And then, even ~ they looked, 1T was
very strange, surf began to grow
smoother and the waves to 70 down. Tn,
I" sves came 10 great massy swellings, but
without their dangerous crests, ~ II . way
Df rescue had been smoothed to the ship
rbe Iife-boat men looked up and down th,
shore. In either direction the great break
rs crashed a. before, and the wind was A.
nard 40 ever. |,
Well, said their leader, wondsringly, II
IS miracle to save those men, We WON
DO backward about ooing our part. &c,
mold VI The boat again.
There was no miracle about It, although !
/ served the same end. When the vessel
broke up, ,he sters, being to seawsrd, w.n
o pie ga a 'st, aud the lower part OF tn,
Il zzsnmsst worked like battering.rsm ,
iriven By the tremendous thrust Of tLe
~sves Into the hold Of the ship.
IL broke oil-casks like eGg-shslls, 10 suci
numbers that the whole ses To ieesaid pr.
tnted greasy, beavi6g surface, und.r
= hich the water rolled but did hot break
is.l It r acbed the shore, where 1t fell with n
ess furious power. l.
II was still no easy matter to launch lhe :
if..bost, but II was possibIe, and they d,d
+. and 80 the crew oI the Mary Ann was Y
AKen from the WY hand Of death. :
X was Almost tao weeks later, indeed it .
VAS the very day before Chfistmss, that a
ART sud oxen Stopped before Abel Mscy's q