The Richmond palladium. (Richmond, Ind.) 1906-1907, 1907-01-27


captain and Alvin Rearse aboard, hat
left the Orham wharf an hour or mor'
i before. They had stopped OF tho Poin
) to pick up Peleg Myrick and Bill Tay-
Ior, the new hands. whose services the
captain had secured without much
trouble.
Barney ran the little wrecking
schooner under the tilted stern of the
Ruth CHM, and Bradley sprang from
the shrouds to the rail of the stranded
craft. Then, one by one, all but Bar
ney, who stayed behind to look after
the Lizzie, they clambered aboard the
wreck. Most of the hard pine boards
that formed the deck load were in
place, having been dashed well and be-
ing out of the reach of the heaviest
seas, which had spent their force on
the stern and after portion of the YES
sci.
The patent windlass was in good
| condition. and so also. to their delight.
was the donkey engine. Peleg. work
| ing manfully at the pump, reported
| that she had some water in her, but
/ that it didn't .'seem to be gainin'
| none"
/ Bradley got steam up in the donkey
| engine, and the big anchor of the Ruth
CHM, attached to a heavy cable, was
/ lowered carefully until it's shank rest
ed across the stern of the dory. To this
main cable. near its middle, were splic-
ed two others just as heavy; to each OF
these another anchor was made fast.
! The dories were rowed out almost at a
right angle from the wreck into the
deep water Then the anchors were
thrown overheard and a three fingered
iron hand, with it's spread talons deep
in the sand, held the lumber schooner
fast.
'Now, Brad" commanded the cap
tain, haul that line taut.'
Bradley started his engine, the wind
lass turned, and the cable, that had
hung loose from the bow of the wreck,
lifted from the water and frightened
till it groaned.
''All she'll stand, is itY' asked the
skipper. Good. Make her fast.
They say tidell wait for no man, so 1
guess we'll have to do the next best
thing and wait for the tide. Now
boys" as the men climbed aboard
from the dories, "git to work and strip
her"
Bradley and the captain knew that
they could not hope to get out all the
lumber in the hold of the Ruth CHM
if she was allowed to lie in her present
exposed position. One more gale and
she would be almost certain to break
up. Their hope was to tighten her by
getting rid of her deck load and to
work her off the shoal into deep water
and then tow her up to Orham harbor,
where she could be unIoaded at their
leisure.
She lay almost broadside to the shoal,
but not quite. Her bow was well up
on the sand, but her stern overhung
the edge of the Boneyard, which on
that side was, as Captain Titcomb said.
"steep as the back of barn. The
cable, tight as the steam windlass
could draw it. led off from her bow to
the spot where the anchors were plant
ed under many fathoms of water.
Where the tide turned its pressure
against the schooner would bring her
to bear on the cable with a tremendous
pull. The waves, growing larger as
the water deepened. should, if their
plan was a good one, loosen her keel
in the sand. and every inch she gave
the cable would retain. The more she
loosened, the easier she would move.
The slack thus made in the cable
would be taken up by the windlass.
She might gain but foot day for
awhile, but some day or other. If the
weather held fair. she would have
worked herself through the sand and
clear of the Shoal.
They stripped her, cutting away her
tangled ropes and sails and taking
them aboard the Lizzie. Everything
movable, except of course the lumber,
they transferred thus or threw over
board. 1t was hard job and took
them all day. Bradley was a tired
man when he reached home that night,
but he had to answer countless ques-
tons put to him by the interested old
maids. He saw Gus for moment or
two and reported progress. Then he
went to bed.
Next morning was clear and calm,
and they were delighted TO find that
the wrecked schooner had gained a
little and that the cable was Stacker
than they left it. They frightened il
again with the windlass and then set
TO work throwing overheard the lum-
Der on the deck They rugged a tackle
on the stump of the foremost and with
the donkey engine swung great bun i
dies of the planks overheard, while
Alvin and Barney. standing on the
floating timber. with the water swash-
ing around the knees of their fisher
mems boots. made it into RATS to be
towed up to Orham
That night they hired Ira Sparrow's /
fishing boat. the You and I, TO tow the 4
lumber RATS She was a stout little /
craft with naphtha engine. and. al
thought not nearly so efficient as a
tug did the work after fashion and
was far and away cheaper. By hiring
her they added Ira to their force
For eight days they labored steadily:
except on Sunday. when they merely
sailed down to take up the slack on the
cable. The lumber on the deck had
been RATED TO Orham, and they had
begun TO get out that in the hold The
Ruth Ginp was moving slowly through
the sand. and every day showed more
and more gain The partners were in
high spirits
When the Lizzie. with the workers