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

apparently incredible speed Over
head the black pail Of the sky seemed
to touch the top of the lantern. Around
in q vast circle carved out of the MUIR
Ky wilderness, the wandrous beam of
the light fought and conquered it's un-
wearied foes. Constance caught sthe
three quick flashes of the Seven Stones
lightship, away to the right She fan
cied she saw twinkling ahead, but
this was the st. Agnes light, and nei-
ther girl could make out other sight
nor sound until Brand pointed stead
lily toward one spot in the darkness.
Before they could follow his indica-
tion they were compelled to duck to
avoid another wave. Then, as if it had
just popped up out of the sea, they di-
vined a tiny white spark swinging
slowly across a considerable area. 1t
was by that means that Brand had es-
timated the size and nearness of the
steamer, and soon they glimpsed the
red and green side lights. though ever
and anon these were hidden by the tor
rents of water sweeping over her
decks. Of the vessel they could see
nothing whatever.
Steadily she rolled along her fearful
path. Having once found her, there
was no difficulty in estimating the ra-
pidity of her approach. Enid, whose
eyes were strong and farsighted, fan
cied she caught fitful vision of a big
black hull laboring in the yellow waves.
Though it was difficult to speak, she
crept close to Brand and screamed:
Il, DIFF TO t1,n
'I fear so,' he answered.
"Then she will be lost!'
YES, unless they manage to pass to
s'uthard
Luckily for poor human nature, men
tai stress and physical effort rarely
unite forces. The mere attempt to re-
sist the wind, the constant watchful-
ness needed to avoid the ambitious
seas, though these, strange to say, ap-
peared to be diminishing in size and
volume as the tide rose, served to dull
the horror of the threatened tragedy.
Brand quilted them for an instant to
glue his eyes to the lantern after wip-
ing a space on the glass. He must see
If the lamp needed tending. Satisfied
by the scrutiny, he stood behind the.
girls, who had shrunk closely together
the moment he retired.
"They are trying to steer clear Of
the reef" he shouted "Twice they
have got her head around, but the sea
is too strong for them. 1 am afraid she
is doomed" "."'' t'as.. 49,,
Now they unquestionably saw the
great body Of the ship. Her tunnels
showed most clearly, making sharply
defined black daubs on the heaving
desert of froth. The plunging whirls
Of the masthead light were enough to
prove how the unfortunate vessel was
laboring in what might prove to be her
final agony.
And the pity of it! The wind was
dropping. In another hour the weather
might moderate appreciably, the tide
would sweep her away from the horri-
BILE reef and help would be forthcom-
ing. Indeed, even then a powerful
steam trawler was preparing to fight
her way out of Penzance harbor, with
brave men on board ready to take any
risk to save a ship in distress.
But the hour was grudged by fate.
They could plainly hear the hoarse
blasts of the steamers fog horn, and
again a rocket spurted it's path to the
clouds.
She was barely mile away and, if
anything. in & worse position than be-
fore, as the wind remained fixed in the
southwest. and the tide at this stage
curvc;! IL tc>c2rI! TIE land Gre it began
to flow back again to the Atlantic.
Can nothing be done?" screamed
Constance, rendered half frantic by the
thought that the steamer would go to
pieces before their eyes
Nothing" was the answer "Pray
for them. They are in the hands of
God"
In grewsome distinctness they watch
ed the vessels approach. The siren
ceased. Had those ON board abandon
ed hope? Pitching and rolling in
manner that suggested the possibility
of laundering in deep water, she came
ON with fatal directness. Suddenly
dreadful thought came to Brands
mind. The lighthouse stood on the
easterly and most elevated portion Of
the reef, whose bearings ran southwest
by west and north-northwest At low
water some two acres of jagged rocks
are exposed. On all sides the sound
ings fell to sixteen and eighteen faith
oms. What if this helpless leviathan
IF 10000 tons Or more dead weight
were to strike the pillar? This was
auite possible with the tide at its pres
ent level. 1t all depended whether her
bows were raised or lowered at the mo-
ment of impact. In the one case she
would smash away many feet Of rock
and perhaps damage the foundations
of the lighthouse; in the other, her
sharp prov would stab into the vitals
of the granite and the huge column
might collapse in common ruin with its
colossal assailant
One Of the girls, he never remember
ed which Of them, spoke to him. He
could not answer. For second time
that night he knew what fear meant. He
watched the onward plunging Of the
vessel with stupefied eyes. He saw. as
In q dream. that her officers and crew
were stu making desperate efforts to
Eeafher the reef Rut With TIA xBttoe