The Red Cloud chief., 1906-08-17

ing, inccsSant. utterly overwhelming
noise of the reef. made all sights and
sounds indefinite, nebulous, almost fan
tastic
But when the giant billow receded.
leaving the ship like dark rock I'm the
midst of innumerable cascades, the ca
tastrophe took place which Brand
would have foresccn were his thoughts
less tumultuous. 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the sea withdrawn from half its length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. Tl.a
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
carrot, and the after part fell back
into the watery chasm, there to be
swallowed instantly amid turmoil
which happily drowned the despairing
shrieks of far more than half Of those
on board.
Constance and Enid screamed bitter
ly in their Woe but again they were
saved from utter collapse by the ex-
igencies of the moment. Brand. who
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 it was dissipatcd by the next
breath of the gale. This incident told
the lighthouse keeper much. The ves-
sci had been disabled so long that her
skillful commander, finding the motive
power Of no further avail and certain
that his ship must be driven ashore,
had ordered the fires to be drawn and
the steam to be exhausted from all
boilers except one. Therefore her shaft
was broken. reasoned Brand. Proba-
bly, the accident had occurred during
the height Of the hurricane, and her
steering gear, of little use without the
driving force Of the engines to help.
might have been disabled at the same
time.
When the horror stricken watchers
looked again at the wreck the forward
part had shifted its position. 1t was
now lying broadside on to the seas,
and the lofty foremast thrust it's truck
! to within n few feet of them.
They were spared one CHASTITY scene
which must surely have bereft the
| girls of their senses. The majority of
the first class passengers had gathered
in the saloon. Some clung like limpets
| TO the main gangway: a number, most
ly men, crowded together in the draw
Ing room on the promenade deck. Far
ther than this they could not go, as the
companion hatchways had been locked
by the officer OF the watch, the decks
being quite impossible.
When the hull yielded, the spacious
saloon was exposed to the vicious
waves. Finding this new cavern opened
to them, great liquid tongues sprang
into the darkness and licked out hap
less victims by the score. OF this ap-
palling incident those in the lighthouse
knew nothing until long afterward.
When the ship struck, the electric dy-
namos stopped, and all her lights went
out The lighthouse lamp, owing to it's
rays being concentrated by the dioptric
lens, helped not at all to dissipate the
dim and ghastly vision beneath, but
the great frame of the fore part of the
vessel served as breakwater to some
extent and temporarily withheld the
waves from beating against the col
umn.
Hence Brand, straining his eyes
through the flying ruck, fancied he
could make out the figure of the cap
J 90 IA Inr hN -,
some of the crew, took shelter behind
the structure of the library and state
cabins on what remained of the prom
enade deck. At the same moment the
frenzled occupants of the library and
gangway contrived to burst open the
door of the main companion.
If they had to die, they might as well
die in the open and not boxed up in
impenetrable darkness. AS matter
of fact, the bolts were forced by man
who fred his revolver at them. The
sea quickly discovered this new outlet
The next wave, passing through the
saloon, sent tons of water pouring
through the open hatch. One good re-
suit accrued The strong canvas avn
ing which prolonged the spar deck was
carried away, and the group of surviv-
ors, benumbed with cold and wholly
overcome by their desperate position,
could see the entire height of the gran
ite column In front crowned with its
diadem of brllliance. The liberated
passengers saw 1t for the first time.
The sight brought no hope. Between
ship and lighthouse was true mael-
strom OF more than sixty feet Of water
created by the backwash from the
ctnnnmnrk nnd tho shnffarel hull