The Olneyville times. (Olneyville [Providence, R.I.]) 1887-1917, 1914-01-30


rove a 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 a heavier sea, making
a 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 a sail.
AS the morning wore on the buffet
ings of the seas. the numbing cold.
began 10 tell on their strength, and
along about noon a towering comber
bursting over them swept one poor
fellow, Crowell Nickerson by name.
from the lifelines. and he was drown
ed before the eyes OF his mates. pow
erless TO help him. His body became
ertangled 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 re-
QUEEN TO the dead man TO leeward, be-
gan TO sing:
Jesus, lover OF my soul,
Let me TO Thy bosom fly"
All the men Joined in the good old
song.
And then. Just as they finished the
last verse, VIII Kenney cried: Look!
Look! A sail!"
The schooner sank into trough
The men waited their hearts in their
mouths. And when she rose again
all saw the sails OF a schooner swing
ing out of the mist hardly half a mile
TO leeward
Knew Nothing Of Rescue.
il 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 seineboat was
manned. 1t dropped under the lee OF
the wreck, and the men were picked
off by being hauled through the sea
with a line about their waists.
The Matchless picked up her boat
without mishap, and then. because
IL was blowing a gale OF wind with a
heavy driving mist making IL 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 and
| Stripes flying at her masthead as q
sign to those on shore that she had
accomplished her mission.
Meantime Atwood and |, inside the
hulk, knew nothing of this rescue, and
nobody suspected that we were alive
As Thursday dragged along we be
gan to feel the pangs of hunger and
thirst, and our flesh began to feel be
! cold baths. But we dared not move
from our perches. In spite OF It all
would fall asleep and dream OF the
disaster, or OF home and loved ones
and then awaken with a start TO q
keener fear and horror OF our plight
The time dragged along and as the
thirst took a fiercer grip on us, we
ceased TO feel the pangs OF hunger
Our tongues swelled and burned: grip
ing pains took us by the throat ouI
muscles ached as II pricked with hot
pins. Having swallowed so much salt
water, | suffered more than Atwood
and that afternoon | grew so wild
cut the ends of my fingers and sucked
the blood. But that did me no good
When Saturday morning came We
were half stupefed with suffering
Several times we talked OF droppinG
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 hoped
against hope that we would be res
cued, and determined to hold out ai
long as we could.
That afternoon the long swell begar
10 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 goinJ
down brought us face to face with {
new cause OF fear-the fear that soor
there would not be sufficient trough
TO the sea 10 cause the main hatcl
TO blow. and give US fresh air
But we did not worry greatly owe
the prospect OF being stified for lacl
OF oxygen; we had about exhausted
our capacity for fear; we were too
sick and miserable generally TO b.
much troubled by the appearance o
a new peril.
After Saturday noon II was just SUI
fering and endurance. We seldom
talked; our parched throats ant
swollen tongues made speech painful
and our voices sounded weird and un
natural Nor did we think much Mos
OF the time we lay as in a stupor Nov
and then we dreamed OF beautiful ship
all around US, all coming 20 our res
cue. and would awake with start u
wonder II we we're going mad. w,
lived as In a nightmare, lost count o
time felt as II we had suffered
. Il