Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1910-01-26

a WOAlan l1lC CTOWQ S(EGdLC0s D0b
at the edge OF destruction the Sprite
came to shuddering stop. Her pow
crful propellers had been set to the
reverse. Thus she lowered on the edge
of the breakers, awaiting her chance.
If one Of the waves should happen to
crest and break. the water, catching
the tug on her nat stern deck. would
individually bury her. The situation
was awful In its extreme simplicity.
Would Captain Marsh see his opportu-
nifty before the law of chances would
bring along the wave that would over
whelm him?
Two or three of the townsmen walk
ed up and down. One woman prayed
aloud in short hystericaI sentences.
20 God. save them. o Lord. o
Lord
Orde stood on top of half buried
log, his entire being concentrated on
the maneuver being executed. Only
Newmark apparently remained as calm
as ever.
Suddenly, without warning. occurred
one Of those inexplicable luIls that in
terpose often amid the widest up
roars. Between two waves the Sprite
darted forward directly for the near
est OF the wrecks
She'll collide" some one shrieked.
But the tug swerved and turned on
long diagonal across the end OF the
bar.
Marsh had chosen his moment with
exactitude. He had taken advantage
OF the brief hull Of jumbled seas after
the three largest waves" had swept
by. Yet in shallow water and with
the strong inshore set. even that lull
was all too short The Sprite was
staggered by the breakers; her speed
was checked: her stern was dragged
around. She tore herself from the
grasp Of the current. Enveloped in
binding hail Of spray. she struggled
desperately to extricate herself before
the resumption of the larger seas
should roll her over to destruction. AL
ready these larger seas were racing in
from the open.
Far out in the lake against the tum-
bling horizon Carroll saw heave up for
a second the shoulder of a mighty
wave. And instinctively skr perceived
this wave as a deadly enemy of the
little tug and saw it bending all its
great energies to hurrying in on time
to catch the victim before il could es-
cape. Her whole being was concen-
trated in a continually shifting calcu-
lation of the respective distances be-
tween the tug and the piers. the tug
and the relentlessly advancing wave.
''Oh. co." she exhorted the Sprite
under her breath.
Huge and towering. the wave came
on now calmly and deliberately. The
Sprite was off the end Of the pier
when the wave lifted her. just in the
position her enemy would have select
ed to crush her life out against the
cribs. Slowly the tug rose against its
shoulder was lifted onward. poised.
and then with swift forward thrust
the wave broke. smothering the pier
and lighthouse beneath tons of water.
A low. agonized wall broke from the
crowd. And then-and then-over be-
yond the pier they saw gliding a bat
tered black stack from which still pour
ed defiantly clouds of gray smoke.
The Sprite was safe.
81 wonder if she got the line aboard
speculated the tugboat captain at last
The crowd surCed over to the piers
again Below them rose and fell the
Sprite. All the fancy scrollwork of her
upper works. the cornice of her deck
house. the light rigging Of her cabin.
had disappeared. The tall smokestack
was bent awry.
At sight of Marsh the crowd set up
a yell. He paid no attention. One of
the life saving men tossed a mooring
line ashore. 1t was seized by a dozen
men. Then for the first time somebody
noticed that. although the tug had
come to a standStill. her screw was
still turning slowly over and over. hold
ing her against the erratic strong jerk
ing of Il slender rope that ran through
her stern checks and into the water.
HE got it aboard" yelled the man.
pointing
Another cheer broke out.
The life saving crew took charge.
1t was necessary to pass the line
around the end of the pier and back
to the beach. This was a dangerous
job and one requiring considerable
power and ingenuity. for the strain on
the line imposed by the waters was
terrific, and the breaking seas rem
dered work on the piers extremely
hazardous.
A number of the curious fingered
about the Sprite. Marsh and Orde