The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1907-04-10


She lay almost broadside to the shoal,
but not quite. Her bow was well up
on the sand, but her stern oyerhung
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 q tremendous
pull. The waves, growing larger as
the water deepened. should, if their
plan was 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 a 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
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 tackle
the donkey engine swung great bun
/ dies of the planks overheard, while
Alvin and Barney. standing on the
floating timber. with the water swash-
4 ing around the knees of their fisher
4 mems boots made it into RATS to be
! towed up to Orham
4 That night they hired Ira Sparrow's
+ fishing boat, the You and /, to tow the
! lumber RATS. She was a stout little
/ craft with a naphtha engine, and, al
thought not nearly so efficient as a
tug, did the work after a 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 CHM 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
aboard, reached Ruth CHM the next
morning, Ira Sparrow. in the You and
!. was there already, and the "chug
chug,' Of his naphtha engine was heard
/ as he came rushing to meet them.
Brad. Cap'n En-" he hailed, as 500
as they were in shouting distance
"She's shifted like time in the night
I swan. I b'lieve we can git her of
this tidev'
This was such unexpected good news
for they had figured on another week
at least. that the partners could scarce
ly believe it.
A,.o -1o cd Low
leaning over the Lizzie's bow.
"Pretty nigh sure Look for your
self"
They shot up to the wreck, to find
the cable, that had been left tight and
rigid, hanging loose. An inexperienced
eye could see that the lumber schooner
had changed her position. Her bow
was now almost in line with tie
edge of the shoal and, even in the slack
/ water of the last of the ebb, she was
rocking appreciably in the cradle her
hull had made in the sand beneath it,
Great scissors to grindv' shouted
Captain Titcomb. shell do it as sure
as I'm foot high! Tumble aboard
there, boys-lively!"
They clambered up the side and fell
to work like sharks around a dead
whale. Bradley got up steam in the
donkey engine. AS soon as possible
they started the windlass and hauled
the cable taUt.
"She feels it, boy; she feels it's
cried the captain. Give it to her
every pound she'll stand. Now, then y
he added, while we're waitin' for the
tide to turn we might s well roust
out little more of the cargo No use
to lay back and let Providence do il
all. The Lord helps them that helps
themselves, as the darby said when he
found the hen house door unlocked
Matches off, men, Dive into it therer
They rugged the blocks and tackle
and began swinging bundles of ma
hogany strips from the hold over the
side. The tide turned, and the water
I -, +ba chooI 0royu dnonnr Tho RI1ft