American Falls press. [volume] (American Falls, Idaho) 1907-1937, 1914-02-12
II WRECK OF
II COD-SEEKER
BY COLIN M'KAY

IN my brain. The schooners head
rose swiftly. the water receded and
we found ourselves able TO breathe
again. oh. but the air was good
Trembling. dizzy. exhausted. we
stretched ourselves along the face
boards and rested.
What had happened was this
When the schooner was hove on her
side the anchor chain. slowed In a box
on deck. went overheard, and present
ly, as she swept along with the tide.
the end fouled the bottom and drag
ged her head under water. Then a
miracle occurred; the big link In the
shackle OF the other end near the wild
lass broke and allowed her head to
come up again.
The schooner wallowed on her side.
She rose and fell to the heave OF the
swell. In a heavy. s%ickening way. but
she did not roll much. Often we
were ducked under; and the noises
we're frightful; roaring. snarling
sounds OF surf: blood-thirsty gurg-
lings. the dull booming sound OF
things beating against the skin of the
hold.
| was numb with cold, and awfully
weary and before long, In spite OF the
noises. the fear OF slipping of my
perch. the horror OF II all, l dropped
on into a doze. And as | dozed |
dreamed the schooner was hove down
while | was on deck; dreamed that |
saw my chum win Kenney washed
overheard and dived after him.
Thirst, Cold and Horror.
Then ! woke up to find myself
struggling under water. II was was
still pitchdark and for a moment or
80 ! had no idea where / was. AS
my head zane above the water |
struck something hard, and down I
went again before | could get my
lungs full of air. Half stunned I strug-
gled up again, and rammed NY head
through a small opening, 80 small
that | could not get my shoulders
through. My mouth was just above
water. When | tried to struggle
through the opening, the thing resting
upon my shoulders would lift a lit
tie and then press me down till
could not breathe. | struggled fran
tically. and the harder / strove TO
keep my mouth above water the more
| seemed to be forced down.
! could not imagine what kind OF a
trap ! had got into. and my imagipa-
ton was mighty active; just as they
say OF a drowning man. A moving
picture OF my whole life seemed to
fash before me. Every deed OF a sin
full nature ! had ever done seemed &c
rise up against me, crowding out al
hope OF salvation.
AT the same time my mind was
wildly searching for an explanation
OF my plight. and at last. when l was
nearly done for. 1t struck me that the
thing that was drowning me was tn,
step-ladder Of the Overwhelmingly
That was II: the ladder was floating
and ! had got my head between tn,
steps. | knew what to do then, blu
II was not easy to draw my heat
down and out, for the bevel OF tn,
steps held my head as In a trap.
But at last | managed 1t, and hook
ed my arms over the floating ladde.
till | got my wind.
yelled for Sam, but got no answer
or course | could not tell what part o
the forecastle | was In, but | paddlet
around and finally. as a sea lifted mt
got hold OF the bunk side board an,
hauled myself up inside the bunk. Az
wood IA still sleeping. l touche,
him. but he did not wake. | got hol,
OF some pieces of boards floating jus
below me. and propped them across
the mouth OF the berth so | woul,
not fall through. and soon | guess
went to sleep again.
The Yankee Captain Volunteers.
When the schooner was flung OF
her beam-ends, n dory took the VIZ
ter right side up and somehow Capt
Brown. Nat Knowles the cook an
, John Smith managed TO get into II
Whether they tried to row back an,
pick OF any OF the other men lef
clinging to the weather rail | don
know; probably IL would have beeI
madness to have tried II In the SCI
then running. Anyway. they drov
before the gale for several hours, an
then. after passing through a quartz
of a mile OF surf. landed on the south
ern side OF Cape island. How the,
managed to live through the surf ha
| always been a mystery: but they d.
and were soon az the house OF PelicI
Nickerson telling their tale.
Nickerson SOC carried the news {,
ciark's Harbor. and the hardy fisher
men OF that place were reused ron
+ their slumbers TO consider means o
rescue. The American fishing schoon
or Matchless, Capt. Job Crowell, wa
lying In the harbor, where she ha,
4 come for shelter from the gale. an,
p when told OF the disaster her skippe
was quite as ready TO go 10 the res
cue as the men OF the port.
I His crew was scattered. but Their,
were plenty OF men ready to volun
; teer. SO. by the FIRST streak OF dawn
the Matchless with a picked crew
Q aboard was standing out to sea undeI