The Hattiesburg news. (Hattiesburg, Miss.) 1908-1917, 1910-02-23
SMASHED BY THE SEA
The Story of a ShipWreck In the
English Channel.
FIERCE FURY or THE STORM.
Wind and Wave Battered the Ship
Till Only a Shattered Hulk Re-
nained-A Battle Against the EIe-
ments That Ended In Defeat.


Till Only a Shattered Hulk Re-
nained-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 a wary eye on the barometer.
for the seafarer may talk lightly of
mountainous seas off the Horn, but not
of a winter gale in the mouth of 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 fgur-
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 as they passed. Fierce squalls
smote her in rapid succession. envelop-
ing her in a smother of spray, heeling
her until the yardarms dipped in the
crests of the waves.
At eight bells the wind lulled and
hauled a point to the westward. then
hurled itself against the ship with ac-
cumulated fury. There was 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 to leeward.
I Relieved Of her top hamper, she stag
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 mate
rial obstacle. Rags Of canvas stream
ed from her empty yards. Every wire
of her rigging twanged and stretched
under the strain.
The deck round the mainmast heav
ed and was starred with white assure!
running along its well oiled planks
The heavy steel spar dimpled on on,
side, then buckled and crashed over
board in a tangle of wreckage.
The ends Of severed wire whipped
the air, and twisted shrouds sawed t,
and fro along the ruined bulwarks ant
struck showers Of sparks from the tor
tured iron work. The hatch cover
were stripped from their coverings
boats smashed to firewood and all tn
intricate superstructure Of the vesse
swept and broken. Shouted order
were blown back, inaudible to the me
covering under the break Of the pool
> and useless if audible.
l. What seamanship could contrive wa
o done. Men worked for their lives, FIND
l. ing foothold on the sea swept decl
d hacking the Jagged ends of iron wir'
But the day Of cutting wreckage adrii
is gone with wooden spars and hemI
en- cordage. Although the plates cape
6 and rivets started, the heavy spar bel
e fast alongside, pounding against til
! iron hull as she rolled in that troug
of the sea.
A couple Of spare spars were lashe
y together and launched with infinit
), danger through the gap in the broke
d bulwarks. But no improvised sea al
? Choir could hold her to windward ami
the tumult Of such sea. She ws
no longer a ship, but ruined fabri
p crushed and sagging to leeward und,
the weight Of the elements.
Morning brought an abatement ,
| hn Pm Af tha 10 =
poop, surveying her shattered hui
her skipper turned quietly to his ma
and asked. SIS the port lifeboat Sc
! worthy?"
carpenter reports that it is. SIR" r
piled his subordinate.
The skipper stood for awhile in s
lence, noting the sluggish life of Il
4, deck under his feet. Suppose we''
got to leave her." he said. what d.,
Think?
1t is the sole occasion where the ma
ter mariner will deign to consult al
be advised by his inferior officer.
"She can't float much longer, sir
replied the other alphabetically.
might be that in his time he. to
n would require to seek similar advice
It, "Ah," said the skipper heavily, sal
a 1 saw her launched" He crossed ov
al to the teak fife rail and laid his hal
on it, fondling it affectionately. -
right, mister" he said at last I'VE
IT, right in the track of shipping. Pa
cd the word along to put bag of biscl
1t. aboard and fill the breakers with W
IT. ter."-Pall Mall Gazette.
e. -