The Washington herald., 1914-05-17

declaring to the master his determine
ton to stick by the weasel until the
last plank Ii gone
But for his change Of mind re also
must have perished within . few
moments.
The Inevitable soon happened. The
boat had scarcely tautened the 15t
feet of line that held It In sow when
giant comber pumped down upon II
and plotted IL out. In the dim light
thrown over the schooner's stern by q
ships lantern the master witnessed the
catastrophe and realized that he had
lost q wife and brotherras well as two
of his seamen. II they rose to the
surface or made any outcry, the gloom
of the night and the roar of wind and
sea mercifully hid them from his sight
and prevented their cries reaching his
ears.
Ry and by the schooner struck
Hem progress stopped, the seas beat
against and over her with redouoied
fury, carrying away much OF what re-
NAMED of her exposed load in de.
stroyine avalanche that demolished
house and bulFarks and worked gen.
erai havoc above deck.
Line Reaches Schooner.
As there was no longer any place
below in which the four men that re-
NAMED on board might be out OF i'm
mediate danger, all hands now sought
safety on the mizzen boom. They had
scarcely attained this refuge when the
report of a gun was heard from the
beach 200 or more yards distant, and
a line fell across the boom's outer end
Looking shoreward, they could see the
glimmering lights Of houses and street
lamps and a crowd Of persons assem-
bled abreast OF the vessel. which told
them they rad stranded near some
town. They surmised that the line
was designed to play part In their
rescue. but to their misfortune they
did not know how to turn II to best
account
The master, who was nearest the mast
when the line fell, called out the inquiry:
What does this line mean? For US to
get it and jump of?" On being assured
by Martinson, wrongly. Of course, that
II was for that purpose he scrambled
over the three sailors and got hold Of II.
Then he rose to his feet and balanced
himself on his unstable support while he
threw off his oilskins. As he was In the
act of securing the line, however. a sea
leaped UP and sent him headlong to the
deck Martinson. who was the only one
of the sailors left aloft that understood
English called to him to climb up again.
but received no answer. A moment later
a big mass of lumber, !mpelled with ter
rible swiftness by a boarding sea, tore
loose the lashings Of the mizzen boom,
turning the big horizontal pole into q
veritabie engine Of destruction. as 1t now
began to swing to and fro to the roll of
the vessel. On the first of its destroying
trips round as It pivoted against the mast
1t smashed a portion OF the ships rail
into kindling wood. Then suddenly
above the roar of the elements there
smote the ears OF the men In the rigging
the agonized cry: "Oh, my God! 1t has
taken my leg or"
Boom Kills Three.
The boom, in its sweep, had caught and
MORALLY injured the master before he
could regain the rigging. The sailors
could afford him no aid, for they. too.
were in imminent danger Of death In that
seething hell Of iumber-flled water below.
as was soon to be shown. Very shortly
another towering sea leaped up over the
boom and plucked Martinson from his
perch. This sea evidently carried the
master overheard. for he was not after
ward seen. Martinson thought his hour
also had come, but in moment he found
his feet on the deck. He lost no time In
climbing aloft again. 81