Manchester Democrat. [volume] (Manchester, Iowa) 1875-1930, 1914-01-14
] WAS, v NO / HIS ]: TIME | NJ 10 ( DIE
Captains Marvellous Escape From
X Death When Swept Overheard I;
During Tremendous Gale.

Few living. men have ever looked
death SO square in the face as q Ger.
tain Captain Hodson. who was for
years connected with the customs
service at Honolulu. Before that he
was a shipmaster, and the remark.
able adventure Of which he was the
hero occurred while he was in COM
mand of a schooner that traded in the
Pacific; 81 :as33 .5 ~
On this occasion, the vessel was
several days out from land in the
midst Of the ocean, when It was over
taken by a severe gale and thick
weather. For time Captain Hodson
tried to keep the schooner's head up
into the wind, but the storm became
80 violent that there was nothing for
1t but to run before the gale. He
brought the vessel about, and, pur-
sued by a heavy following sea. they
scudded under almost bare poles to
the northward. ss5.5 Ri.
The captain himself stood by the
wheel, to give the helmsman direc-
tons; the rest Of the. crew, having
made everything as secure as posi-.
bic, were crouched in the lee OF the
deck-house. CIV. "a n
a flaw in the wind took the schoon-
or aback for a moment, and in that
instant tremendous wave that was
following close behind mounted over
the bulwarks. and swept several feet
deep from stern to bow.
Every one but the captain had
something at hand to cling TO-, al
though the wave wrenched the man 1t
the wheel from his hold. and threw
him on his face. However, he brought
up against the deck-house, and scran-
ybled to his feet just in time to see
the rushing water carry Captain Hod-
son overheard. 81,
Hodson's case was as nearly hope
less as it could we'll be, for it was,
Of course, quite impossible to put out
a boat in such sea, or even to bring
the schooner about to pick him up
But at the very moment that the
catastrophe happened, the ropes that
held the gan OF the foremost in place
broke, and let the stick drop to the
deck. One end hung out over the.
side of the schooner, and several
broken ropes dangled. from it. AS Cap
tain Hodson swept by, these rope ends
struck him on the head. Instructive
" he seized one Of them, and chung
1T with desperation. s;E;,s
The schooner tore on through the
water, and her master, at the end OF
the dangling rope, was drawn in, close
under her bulwarks, and dragged
along through the waves. He could
not have long withstood this sort Of
treatment, for the sea beat him about
nercely, and flung him again AMI
again against the side OF the vessel.
But presently a gust Of wind lurch..
ed the schooner well over; her lee
ran plunged beneath the water, and
at the same instant another wave
picked the captain up, and tossed him
;sprawling on the sloping deck. Bat
tered as he was, he had enough
strength left to seize the standing rig
gtng and cling to It, while the water
poured back again into the sea.
The helmsman had seen Captain
Hodson swept away to death, as he
firmly believed, and Mis- establishment
ts& seeing him back again on deck
may be Imagined! Hodson was not
seriously injured by; his experience,
and his vessel weathered the storm
and brought her cargo safe into port.
Youths Companion. b III ss 81