Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1910-05-26

$500 ~
in full force upon the little boat. The
first blast tore the sail from the lash
ings. BY a lightning flash she caught
a glimpse Of 1t for a second, whirled
away like a great bird. For some rea-
son, perhaps because one or two
shreds of cloth still chung to the mast,
and perhaps because the broad blade
of the oar offered some surface for
the thrust of the wind, she was able
by the exercise of constant vigilance
and all the strength of which she was
capable, to keep the boat before the
wind. Hitherto she had had no idea
of the violence of the wave motion. 1t
was with difficulty that she kept her.
self from being dashed to pieces
against the sides or hurled overheard
in the mad whirling and plunging to
which the launch was suddenly sub
jected. 1t was caught up by one wave
after another and driven on for hours.
She could not tell how long. She lost
all consciousness of time and of every
thing else except that she must cling
to the helm. The boat was still hurled
forward. One great wave after an
other would seize her, uplift her and
bear her on. The strain upon her arms
was terrific. She locked her teeth and
hung on, GREATNESS, exhausted, yet de-
termined.
But there was a limit to her powers
and she felt that it had been reached.
Yet she did not deliberately let go.
One final and terrific heave jerked
her away from the wheel. She fell
sprawling in the bottom of the boat,
but had sense enough to lock her
hands around a thwart and lie there.
The launch broached-to in an instant,
She was turned broadside to the
waves. Fortunately she did not cap
size instantly and the next breaker
filled her. She lay, her gunwales flush
with the water. Her motion was still
violent, but less jerky. She was swept
ever onward by the vast undulations.
The indomitable woman clinging to
the thwart managed to keep her head
out of the water. She realized that
that was the end and yet while she
had a remainder of strength, while
she could draw a Pickering breath
she would not give up. The boat, be
ing water-logged, did not pitch sc
much as before and she was able to
maintain her hold, although every
wave that broke over her drenched
her again and again.
She wondered why the boat did moi
sink and then she realized that the
empty gasoline tanks which she hat
closed and locked, prevented the f1na
catastrophe; that the boat was in 6
certain sense a life boat; that it would
float so long as the water pressure
did not succeed in opening the tanks
Therefore, she was for the momen
safe. The only immediate danger
would be the capsizing of the boa
which would throw her out. Since
the launch vas already full of waite.
the woman did not think this wa
likely to happen.
She held on, her vitality gradual,
growing weaker, hoping for the morn
ing and an abatement of the storm
She had no idea Of time, of course
She could not tell what the hour was
1t was still dark, however, when
strange sound smote her ear. Sh'
heard it above the wild scream of tn,
wind and the awful beat Of the waves
1t was a crashing sound, a batterinl
sound, a fearful, %protentous sound
The boat a forward more swift.
now. She wondered the eason Tai
ing advantage of a brief lull, sh
abandoned her grip on the thwart an,
rose to her knees. Immediately il
front of her she saw a white wall dis
closed to her by the lightning flashes
She did not know what it was. TIL
roaring sound came from thence. Sh
was being borne rapidly toward Il
She was nearing it with astonishin
swiftness. The boat was moving NOR
quickly now than at any time sine
she had been in it. At last it brok
upon her consciousness that the whit
wall was a mass of foam; that the Sc
was crashing against some hidde
shore and that great breakers wer
there.
The land that she had longed fc
indeed lay athwart her course. !
another moment she would be in the
mass Of boiling foam. Well, she ha
fought a good fight. The end was {
hand. With some instinct of tn
heroic, death would not find her lyin
down. Desperately she struggled {
her feet and stood, balancing herse
to the wild onward rush Of the boa
The wall Of foam was close at han
For one second she threw out he
arms and the next moment, with
crash which she could feel if nj
; hear, tne boat beneath her feet we
: lifted up and hurled on somethin
! fearfully solid. She was throw
: through the air like a bolt from a ca
apult. A wave struck her in the bac
: and beat her almost into insensibilit
She was tossed and driven half u
conscious over the space Of shallo
water and rolling sea upon a sane
I shore. Blindly she crawled on. I'll
waves seemed suddenly to have 10
their power. She did not know th'
, she had been thrown past a barrie
,. reef and carried over a lagoon al
dropped on a sea beach; that only Il
most unusual and gigantic waves cou'
reach her, but she knew that they hs
. little power to harm her. And SO 81
crept desperately and doggedly on u
: til she fell forward in the warm sar
and lasped into absolute and total u
. consciousness.