Omaha daily bee., 1907-02-16

the surface OF the sea. In Il was hewn a
fort mounting two fifteen-inch Danigren
guns: the garrison numbered about a hund-
red men. When a short distance from the
Moro the islet disappeared beneath the
waves. Whether It sank OF the waters
rose, we could never tell we only knew II
disappeared, and when It reappeared after
a few moments, like a huge whale. not
only was the garrison gone. but the guns
and carriages as we'll. Imagine. n YOU can.
how the water lifted those immense masses
OF iron. offering no holding surface, from
their resting places and tumbled them out
OF the eight-foot parapet
CHASTITY scene.
AS the setting sun gilded the slopes of
the Andes. we saw. to our growing horror.
that the graves were yielding up their
dead. In concentric rows, like chairs in an
amphitheater, the mummies Of the long
buried aborgines rose to the surface They
had been buried in a sitting posture. facing
the sea. The soil, impregnated with inter-
had thoroughly preserved them, and the
violent shocks, rending the dry earth above
had uncovered this frightful city of the
dead. Words cannot paint the ghastliness
Of the scenes In addition to what we had
already gone through 1t seemed as IL the
day of judgment had come. The earth was
passing away. We were tasting the bitter
ness Of universal humiliation, as 1t seemed.
Having previously lowered one of our
large cutters to rescue a number of per-
sons fioundering about on some wreckage
and though there was no sea running TO
our establishment we saw the fast pulling
boat could make no Roadway. Finding he
could not reach the victims he was sent
to rescue, the midshipman in command at
tempted TO return to the ship. That, too,
was impossible; and presently his strug-
giles were ended by his boat being dashed
against the America and crushed like an
eggshell. Fortunately the crew managed
to scramble aboard the America, where
they found a scene beggaring description.
Officers and men ran about screaming and
yelling like maniacs, while others, on their
knees, were imploring the saints for succor
With every send of the sea the heavy guns
cast adrift in a vain attempt to throw
them overheard and so tighten the ship
crashed from side to side, smashing every
thing I'm their path and strewing the deck
with bloody victims.
Meanwhile the night had fallen and we
had no means OF reckoning our location In
the absence of the usual beacon and shore
lights, and to make our confusion more
confounding, the lookout forward hailed
the deck, and reported breakers ahead.
Sure enough, we saw, first a thin line of
phosphorescent light. then. coming nearer
and nearer, rolling higher and higher, 1t
seemed to reach the sky and blot out
heaven. Its hideous crest Cleaned with
phosphorescent death light, revealed sullen
masses OF water beneath; its approach her
aided by the thunder OF a thousand break
ers condensed into one-and the dreadful
tidal wave was on us at last. OF all the
terrors of that awful time, this seemed to
be the climax. Chained to the spot, pow
erless to escape despite every possible pre-
caution, we could only watch and wait for
the monster to sweep over u.s. That the
vessel could ride through such a mael-
strom seemed impossible. We could only
grip the life lines with a convulsive shudder
while the leaden heeled moments postponed
the final catastrophe.
1t came. With a deafening crash the
vessel was overwhelmed and buried be-
meath the semi-solid mass of sand and
wave For a breathless eternity we
gambled with death, and then, groaning in
every timber the stanch ship again strug-
gled to the surface, with its gasping crew
still clinging to the lines, some seriously
injured, but none missing, none killed. A
miracle II seemed to us then, and as
| look back through the years 1t seems
doubly marvellous now.
Presently the motion Of the ship appeared
| to cease and lowering a lantern over the
side we found that we were on dry land.
| For some time we remained at quarters,
until, finding the ship stationary, the order
] was given to pipe down and stand by the
| hammocks. Such of the crew as were not
! on watch took their hammocks and calmly
made their way through the reopened
matches to the sodden. bent deck to sleep
! know not what dreams visited our many
h pillows, but to me one of the wonders OF
that indescribable night was the prompt
and cheerful obedience to orders shown by
those sorely tried United States seamen.
One of the Incidents of the morning was
| the return of the boat crew from the
wrecked America, not a man missing. and
! the laconic report of the youngster in
| command: Returned on board, sir.
have to report the loss of the second cutter
twelve oars. and two boat hooks; but we
saved the flag, SIR"
| The surviving Chileans and PeruvianS
promptly deserted their respective vessels
when they were discovered to be on dry
! land, and were drowned by the next in.
coming wave, which, though not a breaker
was high and powerful enough to SWEEP
them away.
swept on the Map.
What Of the stricken city7 We found
only desolation and death there. Where
once had stood that pretty metropolis. a
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