The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1908-02-08

sand odd passengers through the pail.
Suddenly out Of the darkness. with
out sound rushed a tall bark. which
dealt her deathblow. and then stole
away in the darkness toward a Cana
dian port, into which she crawled. like
the murderer she was. some days lat.
er. La Bourgogne was sinking. The
crew had gone mad and. assisted by
the crazed coal rassers and tiremen
thronging up from below. were stab
bing aud beating the passengers-men
and women who ran about as sense
less cattle run. Deloucle saw all this
from the bridge, but he was powerIess
TO do anything Some of his officers
had fought TO suppress the panic at
the cost no doubt of their lives: 9th
ers were at the boats. Lower and low
er went La BOurgogne Her captain
seems now to have abandoned him
self TO a mood Of strange exaltation
in the presence Of death. for he seized
the whistle rope and while steam last
ed his wild. wailing. roaring salute to
death rocked over the heads OF those
who We're drowning below him. And
with this last salute Deloucle babe
farewell to the face of the sen.
Captain Griffith of the Atlantic
Transport line steamship Moheean ran
his vessel on the rocks near the Nee
dies, in the English channel. III OCto-
Der. 1898. under conditions which, had
he lived, would have justified capital
punishment. 1t was not darker than
twilight, landfalls were unshrouded
and yet the Mohegan. miles out of her
course. went on the rocks and sank
with most of her passengers. Griffith
directed his crew from the bridge. with
out avail. however. as the work OF
lowering the boats wns bungled afro
ciously. The last seen OF him he was
still on the bridge. shaking his fist and
cursing the waters as they rose over
the deck or the toundering crew or
both.
Admiral Tryon. standing on the aft
erdeck of the British battleship Cam
perdown, had no thought other than dy
ing with his great flagship as she sank
in the Mediterranean off Tripoli after
collision with the battleship Victoria
Tryon had given the signal calling for
a maneuvcr within dangerous distance.
and its disastrous ending placed him In
such position that no doubt he deemed
death far simpler solution to the
problems that must have flashed
through his mind.
Inspired by the ethics of his profes
sion and by the dignity of his office.
Captain Tunis Augustus Craven OF the
monitor Tecumseh died in a way that
will live as long as the history of this
country lives. His monitor was one
of the vessels attached to Admiral Far
raguts squadron, then collected for
the attack on Mobile. On the morning
of Aug. s, 1864, the Tecumseh, in the
post of honor at the head of the at
lacking squadron. engaged the de
lenses of the city. The orders to fieei
captains were that in order to avoid
torpedoes at the entrance TO the ba!
vessels must pass to the eastward OF
a certain red buoy. which was directly
under the guns of Fort Morgan. TIL,
Confederate ram Tennessee was lying
to port of the Tecumseh and inside the
line Of torpedoes. Captain Craven. in
| his eagerness to engage this craft, neg
| lected the course warning and passed
to the westward Of the buoy. The pen
atty was immediate. There was a
muff1ed explosion. the monitor listing
sharply. AS she began swiftly to sink
| Captain Craven and his pilot, John
| Collins, met at the foot of the ladder
| leading to the top of the turret-a lad
| der of iron leading to manbOle above.
to safety. The turret was nearly sub
merged There would be time for one
| to mount the ladder perhaps. but only
Que. The pilot knew this; Craven knew
| it, There was no hesitation. With a
smile Craven stepped away from the
ladder.
After you. pilot" he said.
Collins sprang up the ladder. and as
he gained the top round the vessel
went to the bottom and Craven, the
Sydney Of the American navy" with
| her
In q humber but wonderfully heroic
way the captain of the oil ship Loodi
ana, burned at sea several years ago
saw every man jack Of his crew clear
of the doomed ship before thinking o.
his own safety. Then it was too late
until he hung over the bow. the fame:
shooting far out above him. A tramI
steamship came up. 1t was too rough
to lower. and there she stayed. watch
ing the unequal fight on the part Of ,
man who could not know that human
eyes were upon him and human heart
aching for hin1-stayed until at las
the man relaxed and cleaved the dari
waters. while his ship burned on.
There are many such as he-mel
who have fought the good fight ant
died calmly where they might hav
lived - whose names will never b
known, whose deeds are enwrapped Il
:Lat mystery which invests the seq
But. for that matter, it is not for 2lor
that a captain sacrifices his comfor
or happiness or life. 1t is only becaus
his calling includes such things as
part of everyday routine. - Lawrenc
Perry IN New York Post