Virginia citizen. (Irvington, Va.) 1891-1921, 1910-03-11
SMASHED BY THE SEA
The Story of a Shiowreck In the
English Channel.
FIERCE FURY OF THE STORM.

Wind and Wave Battered the Ship
Till Only a Shattered Hulk Re-
| mained-A Battle Against the Ele-
ments That Ended In Defeat.
We had weathered the western, Is
lands and entered attitudes where ,the
prudent mariner shortens sail and
keeps Il wary eye on the barometer,
for the seafarer may talk lightly OF
| mountainous seas Off the Horn, butlno
OF winter gale in the mouth OF 1.-THE
| English channel when the coast Is
| strewn with wreckage from the Lizard
to Beachy and his imagination, accus-
| toned TO vast 'eXpanses of lonely sea,
pictures all sorts of craft jostling one
| another in dangerous proximity.
A favoring gale from the northwest,
not more vicious than the ordinary
north Atlantic gale, had kept the ship
lively all day and set all hands four
ing ON pay day. 1t was not until the
afternoon watch that the weather.out-
look became really threatening. Noun
famous walls of green water swung
out Of the darkness and buffeted her
aside us they passed. Fierce squalls
smote her in rapid succession, envelop-
| ing her I'm a smother of spray, heeling
her until the yardarms dipped in the
crests of the waves
At eight bells the wind lulled and
hauled point to the westward. then
hurled itself against the ship with ac-
cumulated fury. There was a sudden
confusion of flying cordage, over
whelming seas hammering upon the
decks and the cannonade of canvas
stripped from the spars and blown like
thistledown 20 leeward.
Relieved of her top hamper, she, stag
J gered erect. dripping like half tide
rock and shaken with the shock of the
seas pounding her sides. Halfway on
the upward oscillation she poised
checked by the renewed onslaught of
the gale as IL by the impact of a mate
rial obstacle. Rags of canvas stream
ed from her empty yards. Every wire
or her rigging twanged and stretched
under the strain
The deck round the mainmast heav-
ed and was starred with white assures
running along its well oiled planks.
The heavy steel spar dimpled on one
side, then buckled and crashed over
board i'm tangle OF wreckage.
The ends of severed wire whipped
the air, and twisted shrouds sawed 70
and fro along the ruined bulwarks and
struck showers of sparks from the tor
tured iron work. The hatch covers
were stripped from their coverings.
boats smashed TO firewood and all tho
intricate superstructure of the vessel
swept and broken. Shouted orders
were blown back, inaudible TO the me1
covering under the break of the poon.
and useless II audible.
What seamanship could contrive was
done. Men worked for their lives. find
ing foothold OH the sea swept deck.
hacking the Jagged ends of iron wire.
But the day Of cutting wreckage adrift
is gone with wooden spars and hemp
en- cordage. Although the plates CAPPED
and rivets started, the heavy spar held
fast alongside, pounding against the
iron hull as she rolled in that trough
OF the sea.
A couple OF spare spars were dashed
together and launched with infinite
danger through the gap In the broken
bulwarks. But no improvised sea an
CHOIR could hold her to windward amid
the tumult OF such n sea. She was
no longer n ship, but n ruined fabric.
crushed and sagging to leeward under
the weight OF the elements.
Morning brought an abatement of
the fury Of the gale Standing on the
poop, surveying her shattered hulk.
her skipper turned quietly to his mate
and asked, "Is the port lifeboat sea-
worthy
Carpenter reports that it is, sir" re-
piled his subordinate.
The skipper stood for awhile In ST.
ience, noting the sluggish life OF the
deck under his feet Suppose we've
got to leave her." he said. what dye
think?''
1t Is the sole occasion where the mas
ter mariner will deign to consult and
be advised by his inferior officer.
"She can't float much longer, sir"
replied the other alphabetically. 1t
might be that in his time he, too.
would require to seek similar advice.
"Ah," said the skipper heavily, land
l saw her launched" He crossed over
to the teak fife rail and laid his hand
on it, fondling it affectionately. "All
right, mister" he said at last. "We're
right In the track of shipping. Pass
the word along to put bag OF biscuit
aboard and fill the breakers with wa
ter."-Pall Mall Gazette.