Orange County observer. [volume] (Hillsborough, N.C.) 1880-1918, 1908-11-12

as could we'll be. And there we stood.
The wind screeched round us and
the rain shot down in slanted sheets,
but the swinging Of the berg had
brought us fair in it's lee The little
Nancy stood there, stark still and
straight as an arrow, her sails limp
and empty, as if she was like all
hands, dumfounded.
II ran round to the port side, then
for'ard, and as far off as I could see
in any direction lay great white fat
of ice. I ran aft again, and looking
off astern, could see that the only
way off was the way we came on.
And while I stood, there was a thun.
derous report beside US, followed by
a long, tremulous vibration, as though
the whole earth was in upheaval
round us, and with shrieking roar,
ton upon ton of ice crashed down on
our deck for'ard.
climbers crunched and cracked
beneath it, and the little schooner
shook and trembled until / felt as if
my own life was being crushed out
with her. The crew broke in con-
fusion for the first time and made aft
| from where they stood amidships, but
not man spoke.
Il felt the wind beginning to
| squeeze round behind us again, and
the whole mountain of ice seemed to
| be revolving as on a pivot by the
force of the wind and tide.
| 'Tis the way OF these blasted
| bergs to turn turtle at times, cap'n.'
| some one said; and as he spoke, a
| blast of wind struck our mainsail, and
over the Nancy went on her beams,
sending us headlong down against
the wheel cover in a bunch.
"a deafening series of swapping
| reports travelled from beneath us.
Everything solid round us seemed
| to shake and tremble for a second;
| then down she went, straight down
through that honeycombed ice, until
it seemed as though we were going
under altogether. The tons of the
schooner's weight in capsizing had
smashed through the ice that held
her!
"Ice and sea rolled over the rail
as we went down into it, and there we
lay on our beam-ends, and spars and
sail stretched fiat out upon the ice.
I could not move. l hung on to the
wheel, my eyes and teeth shut tight
as wise.
"Then 1 felt her beginning to right
as the broken cakes Of the ice parted
round her, and rising slow but sure,
and coming up to her bilge, with a
lurch she stood up straight again, and
could feel that we lay in good brine
once more.
THE big main-boom swung out
with bang; the mainsail filled, and
starting off before the wind, she bid
up with glancing blow against the
edge of ice in that little bay broken
round her. Then turning a half-cir-
Gle along it's edge, she shot up dead
into the wind, out into clear water
and off to starboard of her own will
straight away from that monster.
Twas more than our own hands
did that!' 1 heard old Barnacle Gran
nett say, as those thirteen men, one
after another, let go their holds and
breathed deep again as she gathered
way.
"We found our rudder hanging
loose and wrenched from the steer
ing-gear. Tons of ice lay piled for
ward on our deck, the flying jib-coon
was gone altogether, the martingalt
was forced into the stem, opening tht
seams in the peak; her bulwarks ant
stanchions were cleaved off flush will
the deck on the starboard bow and af
to amidships, and the fore chain-plat
was bent and twisted like tin.
: glanced at the clock again as I raj
below for an ak. But twenty minute
had gone from the time we struck
l yet in those twenty minutes l seeme
to have lived longer than in all m
twenty odd years at sea.
daylight opened at last, and foun
us running wild, with the rudde
rigged in sberther,' and water max
ing fast through the peak into tn
hold. The compass had shaken GU
of the gimbal and was useless, bu
we felt round in all directions fo
soundings until we caught the ringin
OF bell-buoy up to uindward, an
we knew we had Point Rich and
landing at hand, and we made it, fas
and hard.
But we got the market first for a
OF that. After all Nancy's frolic, an
the scrape she led us into, we wer
only steering clear of worse thing
on the outside course We were th
last men to see the Prindall afoa
And except few timbers and on
man, we landed home with our tri1
and as fit as when we started.
The Philadelphia Press says "
hall "scon have battles in the air.