Manchester Democrat. [volume] (Manchester, Iowa) 1875-1930, 1906-07-25
CHAPTER VII.


mean loss or gain in some
trumpery dispute or game Of
W the hour, in like manner ap
parently are the graver issues of life
or death determined ut times. 1t is not
SO, we know. Behind the tliviality OIL
which men fasten with amazement as
the governing factor In events there
Hes an inscrutablc purpose. Yet, to
those watching the destruction of the
splendid vessel, there was little evi.
dence of other than n blind fury in the
fashion Of her mdoing.
The hoarse words had scarce left
Brands lips before third wave, high.
er ana more truculent than Its prede-
cessors, sprang right over the lost shin
and smothered her In an avalanche of
water. No doubt this monster swept
away some of the officers and crew. 1t
was impossible to be certain of ausht
save the one thing--that the steamer
would surely break up before their
eyes. The wind, now blowing in fierce
gusts; the sea. rising each minute; the
clouds of spray chasing each other in
eerie flights through space; the grind
ing, incessant, utterly overwhelming
noise of the reef, made all sights and
sounds indefinite, ncbulous, almost fam
tastic.
But when the giant billow receded,
leaving the ship like dark rock in the
midst of innumerable cascades, the ca
tastrophe took place which Brand
would have foreseen were his thoughts
less tumultEous. With the support of
the sea withdrawn from half its length
the huge hull must either slip back
into deep water or break In two The
slender steel shell Of an ocean liner is
not constructed to resist the law of
gravity acting on full 5000 tons. SO
the solid looking colossus cracked like
n carrot, and the after part fell back
into the watery chasm, there to be
swallowed instantly amid a turmoil
which happily drowned the despairing
shrieks Of far more than half of those
on board.
Constance and Enid screamed bitter
ly in theLr woe. but again they were
saved from utter collapse by the ex-
1sencies Of the moment Brand, who
expected to see the remainder of the
ship blown up by the inrushing of the
sea to the furnaces dragged them fore
IDLY below the level of the protecting
balustrade.
Yet nothing of the sort took place
A vast cloud Of steam rushed upward,
but 1t was dissipated by the next
breath OF the gale. This incident told
the lighthouse keeper much. The YES
sci had been disabled so long that her
skillful commander, finding the motive
power Of no further avail and certain
that Ids ship must be driven ashopc,
had ordered the fires to be drawn and
the steam 10 DC exhausted from MI
poiiers except one. therefore her SHAFT
was broken. reasoned Brand. Proba-
Diy inc acciaeht had occurred during
the heisht OF the hurricane, and her
steering gear. OF little use without the
oriVihg roSco OF the engines to help
might nave been disabled Mt the same
thne.
MheH he hcHsof stricken watchers
iooheu asaih Ut tie WRECK the forward
nov i!lils proAasiae on 10 the seas
anu tne iolty ioteMast thrust its truck
10 wlthil rev teet OF them'
ihey We're spared one ghastiy scene
wiiich mus. surely nave pefeit the
giris ot 'iie'f senses. Inc majority OF
the Hrst ciass passengers hau gathered
-. .ho a",oon so,ne .'u''s n,e ''il'l'e.s
~ VIC nun sansMus, a ii'l' DC, most
non .,oM t, .ose'ne' IN .iie or'.M-
.he, en- th,s tnan anu,,, 'at uesN, az.
aa..,nan,am - ou.,, M. ~ "s VI,
w. a. amonm 20 w. nu ~ .,., 49,, go
-, -. it, ,n,,,.aab, m"''"' '''e "ee'N'
s 49, ''''"e
When the nun y!e!Aed. tie spacious
saloon was exposed to the vicious