The Madison journal. (Tallulah, Madison Parish, La.) 1888-current, 1914-01-31
AVE you ever known fear,
the stark fear of q slow,

Dy tnlrSt, STEPPED IN n uOrTOT Ol nelp-
lessness, racked by a black, blind,
bootless rage of resentment against
fate, knew fear, the fear that makes
the hair bristle, the saliva in the
mouth turn salt and bitter, the perspi-
ration come out in clammy beads on
the forehead, the heart almost stop
beating" Then Mr.. Smith told this
tale:
On Wednesday, May 9, 1877, the
schooner Cod-Seeker, bound from Hal
flax to harrington, was running be-
fore an easterly gale. Her master
was Philip Brown; her crew num-
bered fourteen hands all told
A while before nine o'clock the
lookout reported breakers ahead.
Caps. Brown claimed that the white
spaces seen were only the reflections
Of the Cape Light upon the waves;
and he kept her going, though some
of the older men criticized him sharp
ly for doing so. l didn't like the look
of things, but l was little more than
a boy then.
The schooner stormed along, grow
ing wilder in her motions, but as moth
ing happened l soon went down in
to the forecastle for a drink.
Before l could raise the dipper to
my lips the schooner gave a wild
lurch and flung over on her beam
ends, and l went sliding to leeward.
The schooner lay on her side, with
her spars fat on the sea, and the wa
ter roared into her through hatch
ways and companions. Getting to
my feet hauled myself up toward the
companion, and tried to get out.
might as well have tried to crawl
through a sluice-gate. The rush OF
the water splayed my fingers apart.
Soon the bows plunged downward,
and the water whelming in with great
er force swept me out of the compan-
ion.
l fell down on a heap Of wreckage
on the side of the ship, struck my
head against something and was
stunned for a space. When l got
my wits | was standing up with my
feet In the mouth of a berth and
against the ships side, and the water
up to my armpits and rattle of float
ing wreckage about me.
In a few seconds more was strug-
Cling in a whirlpool of icy waters,
beating my hands against the f1otsam
Of the forecastle, unable to see any
thing or to get footing. AS the ship
moved, the food in the forecastle,
rising rapidly. surged back and forth.
and once | became entangled in some
half floating blankets and nearly sue
ceeded in drowning myself. Like all
fishing vessels she had large fore
castle down in. the bows of; her, in the
utter darkness / could not tell my
whereabouts.
Imprisoned In capsIzed Schooner.
For a time / was too frantic with
fright to think Of getting hold of any
thing. l only thought of keeping my
head above water. -. o.,
But presently the ship seemed to
grow quiet for "a little, and |, thought
Of getting grip on something. Strik-
ing out / ran against q wall with an
under slope. felt around, realized that
1t was the deck and, as there was
nothing to hold there, / turned about
and swan to the other side. -
. l padded about for quite a time
But at last, stretching my hands out
of the water. managed to catch hold
hold Of the edge of board-the face,
board Of one of the weather hunks.
AS / held on. taking breath, the wa
ter rose ana fitted my head and shout
ders into the mouth OF the berth.
i hastily scrambled on to the inner
side, then the top side, Of the face
board.
While waited appalled,, for knew
not what, became aware of a moan.
Ing sound. and cried out, Who's
that?" =: ~ ', .., .-.--.-
1T was Sam Atwood, a yeuns fellow,
about my own age. He was lying on
his stomach on the inner or top side
Of the face-board OF what had been
lower bunk. When the schooner
was hove down he had been ,asleep
In his bunk, but somehow he had
managed to cling to the face-board,
though the mattress and bottom
boards had been rolled out into the
forecastle. A man can face death
better with friend near him. grew
composed and began to take stock of
the situation. =,
The schooner had settled as the wa.
ter got in her and, happily for us, the
bows were the highest part of her.
We learned afterward that she had
drowned two men in the after cabin.
The way she lay, the round of the
star-board bow was the highest part
OF her, and We were in the after tier
OF hunks, built against the bulge of
the bow. But our position was pre;
.carious enough, and neither dry nor
comfortable
Sluggishly she rose and fell to the
heave of the swell, and We were afraid
she would sink or turn turtle alto,
gether. - 49,:
After time she seemed to. bring
up against something with a violent
Jerk, and her head was dragged down
ward, while the water in the forecas-
tie surged afterward.
Nightly, alarmed we sat a-straddle
on the face-boards, and pressed our
noses against the skin of the shin in
the QnOln rnoIo H., A.