The Mount Holly news. [volume] (Mount Holly, Burlington Co., N.J.) 1891-1942, 1917-07-03

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northeast wind blowing his ship south
westward it would go ashore by day
light.
While this flashed into his mind the
vessel was turning and In few mo-
ments was rolling In the trough of the
sea. Orders were issued to get up such
sails as would be Of service ia steer
ing. With the help Of these, though
the ship steadily lost ground, those
aboard Of her gained time Morning
came, and there was the shore like q
faint cloud resting on the horizon, and
with powerful glass a white line
could be seen breaking against it.
Some steering gear must be rugged
or within a few hours the ship would
be breaking up under the waves roll
ing on that coast.
An investigation was made, and the
rudder itself was found to be sound,
though the stock was shattered, leav-
ing the huge steel mass, weighing thrSe
tons, swinging from side to side with
every wave and threatening to stave
a hole in the vessels stern To save
the ship and the lives Of those aboard
Of her it was necessary that the rud-
der should not only be secured, but
that 1t be again converted into a means
Of steering the ship.
The captain conceived q plan, but
owing to the rolling Of the ship did
not consider It's execution feasible. 1t
was to make fast two chains, one on
each side Of the stern, to ring ON
the outer edge Of the rudder. Had the
vessel remained on an even keel this
ring would have been about four feet
under water. AS she pitched some
times 1t was high In the air, sometimes
far down below the surface. At the
rudder's rise a man could be lowered
on to 1t in the hope that he might put
the chains through the ring, but before
he could do so he would be buried many
feet in the brine.
The captain lined the crew up on
deck, told them Of his plan, admitting
that several men might be lost in the
attempt, and called for volunteers. Half
a minute passed before man moved;
then the convict stepped forward and
said:
aid rather be drowned down there
than go back to prison. I'll make an
attempt"
IF you succeed" said the captain,
you'll never return to your stripes If
can help you"
One end of a rope was attached to
the end of the mizzen boom, the other
end being looped under the convict's
shoulders. Just before he was lowered
| he said:
TELL the world that I, Arnold Tur-
ner, convicted Of bank defalcation,
about to die, declare my innocence
know the guilty person, but decline, as
! have always declined, to tell"
Turner stood on the gunwale and as
the stern rose was quickly lowered with
o wire rope and, perching himself ON
the rudder, endeavored to pass it
through the ring. Before he could do
30 the stern descended, bearing him
with it. Necks were craned over the
rail to see, when the rudder rose again,
IL he would still be there. Few be-
lieved that he would. But as the stern
came up there he was, his knees press
ing the vessels sides, his hands clutch
ing the ring.
a wave swung the rudder 10 star
board, and the man on it would have
been dashed against the side Of the
ship had he not saved himself by throw
ing himself on the other side. Before
1t was swung In the reverse direction
down he went again toward the bottom
Of the ocean When he came up, hold
ing the ring by one hand, he tried to
pass the rope through 1t, but the rudder
was not still long enough for him to do
so. He was not only becoming benumb-
ed with the cold bath, but must be ever
watchful to avoid being banged against
the side of the vessel, which would, to
say the least, have dislodged him.
And so he continued to fight for the
lives Of the fifty or more people slow
ly drifting toward the breakers, whose
distant roar could now be family heard
above that Of the wind. Every time
he was carried down he came up with
shorter breath and more exhausted.
But every time be renewed his attempt
to put the rope through the ring of the
swaying rudder Then, when he had
failed and gone down again, on rising
he let go the ring to rest, swinging,
soaked with ice water and pierced by
the cold wind.
At last, watching his opportunity
when the ship plunged and the stern
rose, swinging with the ring, he grasp
ed at 1t, caught it and this time passed
the rope through It.
Half his work had been done.
Another wire rope was given him,
but how could he hope, having lost so
much of his strength and benumbed
BY the cold, to succeed when 1t had
taken so long to attach the first rope7
II was a period Of terrible suspense for
those drawing near those dreadful
breakers, whose roar was now every
moment growing louder. Again he
made his dives; again he chung to the
rudder, watching to avoid being dash.
ed against the ship, trying to put the
second rope in place.
And so, sometimes swinging at. the
end Of his rope and sometimes taking
his cold baths, he kept on trying. The
knowledge that lives depended upor
his success gave him strength, bu
whenever he felt that he could not en-
dure another swing in the blast or an
other dive in the ocean he would thinl
of that life behind bars which was de
throning his reason and he would per