The Bamberg herald. [volume] (Bamberg, S.C.) 1891-1972, 1912-01-18
FUNERAL AT SEA.
Services Read in Binding Snow as
Vessel Plunges Madly.


place on Thursday midnight from
the steamship Arabic, says the New
York American. The vessel was
plunging through a hurricane at the
time and snow was whipped with
singing force into the face OF
Purser Cummins as he stood with
an open prayer book, sailor hold
ing a lantern beside him, and tried
to read the service for the dead.
Three times the services were in
terruptcd as the officer was thrown
across the slippery deck of the sway
ing ship, and the sailors with their
bier staggered to maintain their foot
ing, while Captain Finch clung to a
shroud with uncovered head.
It was necessary for the purser to
shout the affecting words of the
Church of England ritual so that the
watch about him could hear it above
the storm The flag of Great Britain
that covered the dead was white with
the beating snow. The hurricane all
the while sang the dirge of the man
who died because he kept his watch
in the crows nest in the biting wind
of Christmas night, when all the rest
of the world was merry.
A Most Tempestuous Voyage.
The vessel arrived here yesterday.
She had been more like submarine
than anything else most of the way
over. Her decks wer awash for
three days. Twice for "a hours she
logged only 175 knots, although her
usual day run is about 400 sea miles.
The gale that came, first from the
northeast, shifted later to the north
west.
At times, there was biting, blind
ing snow. At others it was intensely
cold. The decks were uninhabitable
to all but the most seasoned seamen.
| The crows nest was a place of ex-
treme danger and of agony to any
| man.
One of the sailors who came on
board when the ship left Liverpool
was Richard Ashcraft. He was an
A. B. of experience. He was chos-
en- in his watch as the man for the
crows nest. His eye was keen and
he was careful and steady. He was
sure-footed, and could make the peril,
Gus ascent of the iron ladder that
runs perpendicularly up the fore
| mast.
When Christmas night came, il
spite of the violence of the storm
the people of the cabins managed tc
| find some sort of cheer. There were
little trees in each cab in. The pass
engers sang carols and toasted the
day.
Went Calmly to His Fate.
Eight bells struck that marked the
beginning of the first night watch
Ashcraft grasped the first round OF
the iron ladder, and although the ship
swayed violently, climbed into the
crows nest where the temperature
was near zero and sleet and snow
were flying.
The lookout kept his eyes before
him. He clung to his terrific post
during his watch, then, numbed and
cold, he struggled down the ladder
and went to his berth. There was
Christmas cheer in the forecastle too,
but Ashcraft wanted none of it. His
body was chilled and his head burn
ing. Later his companions heard
him groaning and sent for Surgeon
Atkins. The next day his trouble
was pronounced as pneumonia, and
he died two days later.
So they sewed his body up in can
vas and put a crate bar at his feet
Near midnight the captain and pur-
ser and the dead mans watch gath
cred at the lee side of the ship and
waited as the hurricane ragged. 1t
was difficult to get the body on the
rail and more so to hold it there.
But the burial service of the church
was faithfully gone through. At the
end of the services there was a little
lull. The storm semed to hold its
peace. From the bridge rang out
with apparent solemnity eight bells.
This time it was the end Of Ash
crafts watch.
And l commend your body to the
Deep" said Purser Cummins.
The captain said single word.
The snow blew from the British flag
and something slipped from under it.
There was a sound in the water.
The port engine, which had been