The mirror. (Stillwater, Minn.) 1894-1925, 1913-11-27

oCNOlAC lOI III iIOIIi lIClI loStCIlilSS duQ
were being smashed against either side of
the cabin. 1t was dangerous proposition
in itself; then, too, it was almost pitch
dark, but through good luck we finally
made our rooms and there strapped our
life belts on, to come out and make the
best progress possible to the upper deck.
When we did manage to get there, sever
al of the davits were already empty of
their boats; in the roar and whistle of the
wind against the rigging we could at
times catch disconnected words from the
officers shouting their orders. Hall him
self beckoned as he shouted to us:
Hurry here Take your choice-here
is a boat and there is raft--but, hurry
The four of us without word to each
other rushed toward the raft BY this
time the ships lower deck was awash, and
understand. this was on the lea side. We
were on the point of jumping for the
grated platform when the second engineer,
in command. shouted to us to get out,
and stand ready to push when he gave the
word. A moment afterwards, he took adj
vantage of the dip of the side and shouted:
Push and jump We did, and before
the grooming and straining hulk received,
we were fairly in the water and free of
her. Gradually, as the wind caught us,
we drifted from her Looking towards
her as we huddled and chung to the rope
sings and opening of the CRATES, we could
| observe the gradual submersion of the af-
ter decks. Then, silhouetted against the
| black background. and all the more promi
nent to the eye on account of the white
| linen uniform he wore; standing sideways
on the bridge. with one hand at the
whistle rope and the other on the rail. we
saw him. We received his farewell!
With the same mysterious suddeness
that these tragedies of the Pacific occur,
the waters are Gained. Two hours or SO
after the incidents related above the only
witnesses to the catastrophe were the
various boat loads of passengers and crew in
the immediate neighborhood of our raft;
the water became becalmed with magic
quickness. We were hailed by Hall in
his boat, who passed the word not to make
an attempt to row away from that vicinity,
as he figured on the ''San Juan picking
us up the next morning when she was due
from the south at Manzanillo. This in
effect happened as he had figured it.
! p,;c,l he hIool>
string of smoke from the San Juan's'
funnel was easily discernible; she saw us
at once upon approaching and soon had us
aboard. Arriving again at Manzanillo,
where it seems the news of the disaster
was known to them by this time, we were
given the choice of returning to Frisco,
awaiting the next boat south, or going
east overland to the Mexican Central
Railways line, thence north.
We four elected to await the next ship
south, and this meant a wait of at least
two weeks. Fortunately every one of us
had our money on our persons. We took
the trip by rail to Colima, intending to
purchase few necessities that would tide
us over until arrival at Panama. Then
we recalled that the next day was Thanks
giving in the States, so, in a spirit of jest
we decided to celebrate the day which to
us appeared with all the more pointed
meaning. But, how to properly celebrate
the day without its chief feature-the
turkey, became complex question. To
be sure, the writer and one of the others
could with confidence trim and cook the
bird; and here is where the other PERSONA
DRAMAT1s puts in his appearance.
| do not know how many of my readers
have in the course of their wanderings in
character known as beachcomber. For
the enlightment of those who are mac-
) quainted with the genus, we will explain
that he represents the lazy ne er -do-well
| victim of rum, who is generally dumped
in foreign shores by disguised ship cap
: tains. Often he is a deserter, and his
principal occupation becomes that of OBJ
tanning loose change from tourists and
5 other travellers with whose language he is
l acquainted and whose sympathies he
: earns through his tales of hardship and
3 hard luck. This, together with the sur
: roundings in which he appears to be a
? misft, generally brings him the where
f with with which to pursue his perennial
f drunk
: We were soon spotted by one of these
| worthless and though, through previous ex-