New-York tribune., 1906-07-29

saf sef BsmaFek Bbana53 lookin like iceberg How did
skated. Only sometimes your foot sins e "a any lly
lost t'lo' u report
Then of course we're runnin' chances eo-,
tIIhe We maneuver to bring the boat to leeward of
Tue snip SO the yawl will have some shelter There's
me ClIe case OF the Columbia down bv the Alaska
eIne years ago They just cut her in two while
she was crossin their bow and then the dummies ON
Cle orldge slgnaled the engine-room for full speed
dsIeIh ana sucked IN the wreck under their Dro-
PeHer' ana not a man saved But that amt the
worst OF that case The Alaska reported the accident
ana TO clear themselves, said everybody on hoard
tle OoluInpla was drunk; which was a lie on the
lace OF 1t, cause there amt any of us drinkin men
oon take to 1t natural and it against the req,
latIonS besides. %
Sometimes in real nasty weather on dark night.
You lose your yawl. know one case in particular
Inc boat tender and man started to p11t riIot
ABOARD an lncomln ship, and they hadn't no sooner
lett than Squall hit us putin the schooner on her
DeaIn ends IN about second When we got her
Strengthened up there was no sign of ship or vawl
Just completely wiped out so far as we cOuId see
e,, we cruised up and down maybe two hours, and
hnalIy found the yawl. They had put the pilot
aboard all right, and then they tried to find us but
dldn t never expect to. They was frozen of course
Dut eventually they came round as good as ever.
Worth While Praying
/ was kind of funny too, in a wav Jimmy O'Con-
- nor was one of those boys, and when he oDened
ms eyes Tor a minute comm to he looked about the
cabin recOgnizin' where he was and then he saws
IN whisper, / told Billy it was worth while pravir'
1t am noWays hard to imagine what those two
was feelin like that night. Most times, YOU know
they amt never picked up again.
But, blame mel what's the use of qOin' on As
l SAID, there am no end to the things that can
happen, and have happened scores of times There's
boats, plenty OF EN-, been caught in the ice and
wrecked on lee shore; of EN- been iced up so
they Just naturally fOundered from the load: plenty
OF men have been killed by fallin' spars droppn
on EN-; some have fallen out of the crosstrees
Others have been washed overboard-and so it goes;
but the worst of all fog.
There amt nobody likes fog | guess and of
course fellers that have to keep ourselves in the
way OF steamships have got long list of casualties
as they say ashore from bein' run down. Let me
tell you 1t ain nOwaVs cheerful, especially in dead
calm, when you can't move and YOU can't see but
Just Law there waitin' for the ships YOU know
are comm in to cut through you like you was paper
Say you re caught IN a fog like that. There amt
a sound. Everything IS unnatural quiet. The sails
hang there without a move, the water around vOu's
kind of oily and smooth, and just rubs against the
side OF the boat All at once very faint YOU catch
the hOOt OF q liners siren. First, amt certain
you heard II at ALL but the next time it comes plain
to YOU and miles nearer. You can't do nOthin' but
stand by to jump; just stand there hstenn hard as
you can, while that siren gets and nearer, till
il fair shrieks ali round YOU; and vet not sight of
said and YOU can't help thinkin of all the boats
you know of that has been cut up that way and
never heard from again.
Then, with a rush, big black hull tears through
the Jog right atop OF you, rushln into that silence
like all possessed and close that I've seen what
they haVin' for dinner in the engineers mess
through the portfolios. MaVbe you'll hear voice
the bridge above you sayin', Blank What s
that but in another second everything IS as quiet
a before, and the siren CROWN fainter every
her. You know right away whether you're goin'
TO be cut down or not and if IS night YOU lust