The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1911-10-07
THE DESSERT ISLAND
The Washington Star.

Washington Star: 1t was after
Thaddeus Skewton Skidmore, a chol
eric and red-nosed fellow passen-
ger, had had a fight with the steward
because he had been served with rice
pudding, that he told me the story OF
his life beginning with the time that
| he, newspaper man, had been sent
| by his London paper in charge Of a
cargo Of provisions consigned to the
sufferers from the Galveston storm
He said:
AT nine o'clock on the night OF
September II, stood on the bridge
with the captain, a Welshman named
Evan Evans from Cardiff. He was a
little, ratty man, curt and jerky OF
speech, who, when he did talk, let his
words run together with the slightest
of ellipses between as the telegraph
operator writes a message in long
hand.
cts the follow storm, and we
must slacken down, said Captain
Evans, and he pointed in the direction
of the Louisiana shore and the murkv,
threatening aspect of the skies to the
north of us. There's always follow
storm comes along, halter a typhoon
hof the kind we've adj continued the
Captain.
q nodded my head knowingly, that
he might think l was weather wise,
and chung tightly to a stanchion as
the first fierce blow of the squat
came up from behind and made the
old Stirling Castle rock down a yawn-
ing black hole in the water under her
bow.
"Then followed a storm the like Of
which l, a land lubber on his first
deep salt water cruise had never
seen.
"The sky turned to blackness indie
scribable. 1t was fearful-waves that
put out the stars. The boom of the
thunder made the black close pail OF
night vibrate with the conclusion OF
it. The ship, the air, the very wood
work on which we stood cracked with
the electricity that charged the sea
and sky as though one trod and touch
ed off invisible torpedoes Wilder,
fercer, higher rose the storm. And
I clutched, panic-stricken at the rail
which rose and rocked with the
swaying, staggering ship, and scream.
ed a prayer into the face of the howl
ing wind.
"Then rose the sea in one oe'rtop-
ping water wall and struck us with
a smash and a crashing rumble. The
deck cargo broke loose and a lesser
wave followed over and swept half Of
the clutter along, throbbing and
whirling. | was thrown against the
pilot house and fell stunned, but I
comprehended that we had been
struck by lightning.
"A dull, hollow boom came from be-
low, and the heave of the whole up
per works of the ship followed the
lightning stroke From some of the
portfolios far down the side I could
see a glare of fire
"A kick in the ribs brought my
mind back to the little Welsh captain
and the bridge where l lay, my arms
still hooked round the rail.
"'Get thee hup mani cried the
Captain. The lightning she has gone
down the mast to the lower hold and
fired the hoil!'
But | was dumb and helpless from
terror l only rocked and moaned
and gripped my arm tighter to the
rail, as lay half on my face upon the
bridge
"The stokers were now joined to
the crew along the rail, lodging the
bales and floating boxes awash upon
the rocking deck. The roaring of the
burning oil could be heard above the
storm, and then another mighty wave
lOllCu Wv Ci lllt snip llOll blClI "
stem and broke in the main hatch,
down which the water poured.
"The crates of eggs that had been
dashed to the forecastle now tore
away as two great hogsheads of sugar
smashed against them. l remember
looking down on the scene of de-
struction below me on the deck, such
times as the glazing lightning lit up
the scene, watching with dull curl
osity, like sick man watches through
a window the gutter scourings pour
down a sewer inlet during a summer
storm. So the water, sloshing across
deck, poured down the broken main
hatch as the stern of the steamer tilt
ed up, taking with it the melting SUI
gar from the smashed hogsheads, the
shattered masses of eggs loosened
from the splintered cases, and the
other things yet left that had moved