Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1909-02-02
ARIEL AGAIN.


(Burrell in Washington Ia, Press)
Canst thou summon spirits from the
vastly deep?
Marconi can with his wireless, and
he did it one night or early morning
last week
Will the spirits come?
They did, "or something equally as
good" as merchants say when minus
the desired article.
The steamer Republic was rammed
by the steamer Florida, in dense fog,
and wireless messages G. Q. d. sprayed
every whittier like the electrical long
hair of a woman in water. crying for
help, summoning spirits from the Vastly
deep.
La Lorraine caught the call of the
wild, and for six hours rushed at twen-
ty knots thru the fog toward the lati-
tude and longitude indicated in the cry,
reached the neighborhood, heard the
distressed ships bells, and her fog
horn, exchanged messages with her and
with the Florida that was taking off
the Republics passengers, but fog kept
him from Republic. Florida and Baltic.
1t was an awkward tumble in worse
lIldl udIh. T1dil uOLtll SuIpS Sol
the cry within radius of 100 miles,
and all rushed to bring relief. Ever
hear a cow or steer give that awful
Nawl Of distress? 1t acts like magic
on every "critter" that hears it, and
they come tearing like mad to the spot.
Just so here. The trouble seems to be
to locate a ship in distress in the fog.
All sounds then are misleading, being
ventriloquial. 1T is as difficult as to
focus an unseen singing bird-it may
be here. it must be there, somewhere,
or over yonder, or anywhere.
Did the spirits come, did they say?
The steamer Baltic came, and no spirit
ever looked so good to those hundreds
of passengers, affected by fright and
despair, but not bit panic stricken.
That she caught that fugitive word
seems a miracle. 1t was miracle Of
genius. She came feeling her way in
the dark that not even a CHASTITY grisly,
ghostly gray fog could whiten. And
she took off 761 passengers who had
gone aboard the Florida The huge
steamer came cautiously along like
a ghost suddenly disembodied out Of
the thick mist and took to her vast
decks human beings till she had some
1000 souls aboard. Her searchlights
were like the glance of Deity. She
lay-by till the shroud should lift and
then entered New York bay, and had
an ovation from every craft and shop
where whistle was available. and the
docks were crowded with men and
women almost hysterical with joy.
1t is finer than any poetry, more
vivid than any drama, and has in it all
the elements of the noblest of arts.
That wireless silent shout went
abroad like the cry of a lost soul, and
an ear was open and alert to hear it,
rescue, all so very like Shakespeare's
conception of spirits summoned from
the vastly deep, and coming on the
wings of steam, to succor the hundreds
f1oundering in that maelstrom of inn
penetrable fog.
There is nothing so spectral and aW-
full as fog at sea, especially in the
frequented paths of ships. You.see the
gray curtain come dancing toward you
on the waves. graceful as beribboned
maidens dancing round May pole, and
it shuts out the farther sea, and soon
your craft which literally dis
appears in she'll of dense vapor. All
around may be fishing smacks, and the
terrible fog horns on ships and ashore
below frightfully. and the engines slow
down, but the ship is still circling
around by most uncanny divination.
and at length, as the curtain lifts and
gaylY trips away, my ship is miracu-
lousy entering rocky Martlehead har-
Dor, the band playing. How did it ever
get out of that labyrinth?