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

NE Imprisoned In a capsized
vessel. gnawed by hunger, tortured
by thirst. stepped in horror OF help
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 8, 1877, the
schooner Cod-Seeker. bound from Hal
flax to Darlington, 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.
Capt. 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. / didn't like the look
OF things. but was little more than
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 fiat 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 we'll 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.
| 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 few seconds more I was strug
Cling in whirlpool of icy waters
beating my hands against the flotsam
OF the forecastle, unable to see any
thing or TO get footing. AS the ship
he In fhA 1a
rising rapidly, surged back and forth
and once | became entangled in some
half floating blankets and nearly sue
ceeded in drowning myself. Like al
fishing vessels she had a 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. only thought of keeping my
head above water.
But presently the ship seemed tc
grow quiet for little, and | thought
of getting a grip on something. Strik
ing out | ran against a wall with al
under slope, felt around, realized tha
IT was the deck and, as there was
nothing to hold there, turned abou
and swan to the other side.
| padded about for quite a time
But at last, stretching my hands ou
of the water, | managed TO catch holC
hold of the edge of board-the face
board of one of the weather hunks
AS | held on, taking breath, the wa
ter rose and lifted my head and shoul
ders into the mouth of the berth
] hastily scrambled on to the inne
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
that?"
1t was Sam Atwood, young fellow
about my own age. He was lying ol
his stomach on the inner or top sid
of the face board of what had beel
q lower bunk When the schoone
was hove down he had been aslee
in his bunk, but somehow he ha,
managed TO cling to the face-board
tuOuku lut ndllltSS anu DOllOI
boards had been rolled out into tn
forecastle. A man can face dealt
better with a friend near him. | grey
composed and began to take stock O
the situation.
The schooner had settled as the wa
ter got in her and. happily for us, tn
bows were the highest part of her
We learned afterward that she ha
drowned two men in the after cabir
The way she lay, the round of tn
'star-board bow was the highest par
Of her, and we were in the after tie
of hunks, built against the bulge O
the bow. But our position was pr,
carious enough, and neither dry no
comfortable.
Sluggishly she rose and fell TO tn
heave Of the swell, and we were afrai
she would sink or turn turtle alto
gether.
After a time she seemed TO brin
up against something with a violen