Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1910-01-28
REMARKABLE RESCUE AT SEA.

Cool Sailor Objected to Knot In Res
euina Line-Fixed II Before Rescue.
Michael Henry Ryan, an able sea-
man on the American liner Ph1ladel-
phia, who was recently washed over
board by a wave and picked up In
nine minutes during a westerly gale
and a high rolling sea on the Atlantic
ocean while the vessel was bound
for New York, owes his life to his own
GOODNESS and the seamanship Of Cap
tain A. r. Mills.
The American liner had been tum-
bled about some and had reached the
longitude of 81 west The passengers
were at luncheon and Captain Mills
on the bridge. The ship had dipped up
a lot of water on the down side Of
a wave, when a gangway went adrift.
The bos'n, Ernest Sargent, with five
hands, was ordered to secure it. Cap
tain Mills had taken the precaution to
slow down. and to this order the hero
OF this tale owes his life.
Another plunge of the bowsprit, an
other lump of sea, a wave swept deck.
and all the watch were down grabbing
for gear or stNnchion or rail. Ryan
went overheard through the open gang
way. TIE captain from the bridge
caught his first sight of him on heav-
Ing swell abaft the bridge. He let the
ship so on a bit to allow the man to
clear the screws.
Charles LEM. able seaman. the deck
man." was just where he should have
been-on his job. Lenz is an inventor.
the patentee of a quick release life
buoy. The buoys were strung all
along the ships rails. LEM quickly
seized one and flung it so that it fell
within four fathomS of the swimming
Ryan, who. still incased in oilskins
and sou'wester. had kicked of HIS rub
Der boots. To lower boat fin such
sea was impossible. Poor man. he
has no chance" everybody said. The
ship was now reversed. was going
back to where Ryan was bobbing. He
deliberately swan for the buoy, thrust
his arm through and finally got with
in it
Captain Mills said there was one
chance-one in a thousand. He would
back until the ship was abeam of the
sailor and make of the Philadelphia Il
lee for Ryan. AS soon as he had got
the sailor dead abeam Captain Mills
stopped his engines and let the wind
blow the steamship down sidewise
upon the cool seaman. A gangway was
unshipped amidships, and steady hands
were ready with n heaving line. A
sea ladder was over the side, but Cap
tain Mills judged that Ryan had not
sufficient strength to climb 1t.
lowered the blight of the heaving line
into the mans benumbed hands. A
shout arose from the deck. The pas
sengers cheered again and again. But
something displeased the phIegmatic
Ryan He looked at the bowline knot
on the rope critically and then sang
up from the water: What lobster
made this knot? This Is no shipshape
way to make bowline on blight"
Clinging with one hand to the heav-
Ing line. he labored with bloodless fin
gers to unloose the knot. 1t seemed an
eternity to both crew and passengers.
Some of his shlpmates say Ryan was
five minutes making the bovine
afresh. At length he had adjusted
the knot to his satisfaction. He slip
ped it over his head and under his
arms while the amateur photographers
got busy snapshooting him at all stages
of his ascent and arrival back aboard,
the self conscious Ryan doing his
share Of the posing.
DR.. Henderson gave him a good
strong draw at n brandy bottle, and
Ryan was soon on watch again. Cap
tain Mills says the rescue took just
nine minutes.