Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1914-02-20


over they feared she would turn tur-
tie. They got up on the side, and
rove lifeline between the fore and
main chain plates to hold on by. In
this position they were exposed to the
scourge OF the wind and spray, and
now and then heavier sea, making
clean breach OF hulk, would stamp
right over them. But they held on,
and you may imagine that after day
light they searched the bowling seas
with eager eyes for sign of sail.
AS the morning wore on the buffet
fngs Of the seas, the numbing cold,
began to tell on their strength, and
along about noon towering comber
bursting over them swept one poor
fellow, Crowell Nickerson by name,
from the lifelines, and he was drown
ed bofore the eyes of his mates, pow
erless to help him. His body became
entangled in some cordage, and hung
to leeward.
Naturally this tragedy affected the
spirits of the survivors. They watch
ed the towering surges rushing down
upon them with new fear in their
hearts, each man thinking that per-
haps the next big sea would sweep
him to his death. But soon they
learned the calmness and the courage
of despair. Will Kenney, as a re-
Quiem to the dead man to leeward, be-
gan to sing:
Jesus, lover of my soul,
Let mo fn Thv hocn,n Axy
All the men joined in the good old
| song.
And then, Just as they finished the
last verse, Will Kenney cried: Look!
Look! A sail!"
The schooner sank into a trough
The men waited, their hearts in their
mouths. And when she rose again
all saw the sails of schooner swing
ing out of the mist hardly half mile
to leeward
Knew Nothing of Rescue.
1t was the Matchless, and the men
on her had already sighted the wreck.
Tack by tack she beat up to windward
and then her big seine-beat was
manned. 1t dropped under the lee of
the wreck, and the men were picked
off by being hauled through the sea
with line about their waists.
The Matchless picked up her boat
without mishap, and then, because
1t was blowing a gale of wind with a
heavy driving mist making 1t impossi.
BILE to see any distance, she was hove
to for the night.
Next morning, the weather having
moderated, she made sail and at three
o'clock in the afternoon stood into
Clark's Harbor with the Stars anG
Stripes flying at her masthead as 6
sign to those on shore that she hat
accomplished her mission.
Meantime Atwood and I, inside the
hulk, knew nothing of this rescue, ant
nobody suspected that we were alive
AS Thursday dragged along we be
gan to feel the pangs of hunger anc
thirst, and our flesh began to feel be
numbed, the result of our frequen
cold baths. But we dared not NOV,
from our perches. In spite of 1t all
would fall asleep and dream of thu
disaster, or of home and loved one,
and then awaken with start to
keener fear and horror OF our plight
The time dragged along and, as thu
thirst took fiercer grip ON US, WI
ceased to feel the pangs Of hunger
Our tongues swelled and burned; grip
ing pains took us by the throat; ou
muscles ached as IL prtcked with ho
pins. Having swallowed so much sal
vator. l suffered more than Atwood
and that afternoon I grew so wild
cut the ends of my fingers and sucke,
the blood. But that did me NO good
When Saturday morning came W,
were half stupefled with suffering
Several times we talked of droppin,
into the water and drowning ourselves
And always the temptation to drinl
the salt water was strong upon us
But we kept our heads: we hope
against hope that we would be res
cued, and determined to hold out a
long as we could.
That afternoon the long swell begal
to subside. The schooner grew quiet
er. and ceased to duck us, and tn
fever of our bodies dried our clothes
The fact that the swell was goin
down brought us face to face with
new cause Of fear-the fear that 500
there would not be sufficient troug
to the sea to cause the main hate
to blow, and give us fresh air.
But we did not worry greatly owe
the prospect of being stified for lac
Z Of oxygen; we had about exhauste
our capacity for fear; we were to
sick and miserable generally to b
: much troubled by the appearance G
! new peril.
After Saturday noon It was Just su
: fering and endurance. We seldol
talked: our parched throats an
swollen tongues made speech painfr
! and our voices sounded weird and III
r natural. Nor did we think much. Mos
r OF the time we lay as in a stupor. No
and then we dreamed of beautiful shiI
all around us, all coming to our re
l. cue, and would awake with a start I
UnnAnr ~