The Yakima herald. [volume] (North Yakima, W.T. [Wash.]) 1889-1914, 1906-09-05
a time as when we would be on the top

| a time as when we would be on the top
of swell that we could be seen, and
was satisfied that, thus far they had
not seen US. I urged all hands to warm
up, holler and pull, and this last yell
seemed to attract their attention and
they seemed to steam slowly towards
us. We were now making but little
Roadway, some of the men looping over
from exhaustion. As we neared the
ship they did not appear to be making
any preparation towards rescue, al
though they certainly could not help sec.
| ing us. not until | hollered to lower
away a boat and help us, did they do
so. Their boat was then lowered and
six men to man it. They came out to-
wards us about three hundred feet and
threw up line which the men on the
bow of the craft grabbed, and we were
towed along the side of the ship, and
the boat, on the outer side of the raft.
The gangway on side of the ship was
opened and men stationed therein and
Others above with ropes hung over the
sides to help us with bowline at the
end, to pull over our heads and under
our arms.
| As we came alongside the
ship l noticed straight rope hanging
within my reach. Loosening my hold
from the mems shoulders in front of me,
I grabbed it, there being some slack
in the rope from the upper deck, l lost
my balance and went over backward in
to the sea, but still hanging to the rope.
The boats crew saw me fall over and
they pulled the bow of their boat to-
wards me, and | was grabbed by one of
them. | then let go of the rope and
threw my arms over the gunwale of the
boat, and with the help of another they
pulled me in. No sooner was / landed
in the boat, when another man had fall
len in off of the raft, near the boat. He
was quickly pulled in but was SO ex-
hausted he could not turn over or sit
up. ! had taken my position on one
of the seats in the boat, and we were
the only ones that had not yet been
hauled aboard the ship. l stepped, with
little assistance, to the raft, when a
bowline was thrown me and adjusted.
Up went to the gangway where l was
pulled in on deck. Most of our party
had to be carried to state rooms, but one
or two besides myself were able to walk
unassisted. We were stripped Of our
wet clothing and wrapped in dry wooden
blankets. forgot to mention that about
as soon as we reached the deck we each
were given three big drinks of whiskey.
| don't know as it was those bracers or
Splicing the mainbrace" as a sailor
calls it, that steadied me so l could walk
unassisted or not. We were taken to
state rooms and in few minutes were
given bowl of hot soup. This was the
first nourishment l had taken, with the
exception of hard-tack and drink of
water just before getting ON the raft,
since that mentioned before. In few
minutes l heard they were about to
leave. noticed call button: l press
ed it and uniformed attache soon ap-
peared, and told him to report to the
captain about the other raft, and for
humanity's sake to try and pick it up,
as it could not be far away. He did so,
but nothing could be found of them.
Everything possible was done for us
to make us comfortable. One of the
crew was visiting one of our number
in our stateroom, and he told us that
the ship had on cargo of dynamite,
which should have been unloaded at
Seattle, but they did not want to take
the time when informed of our wreck.
I This information did not act as Sleep
ing lotion to my nerves. All that night
was fidgety and imagined cverytime