The daily Alaskan., 1922-07-22

searchIight pointed forward again. A gust carried the snow In a fierce furry which the light failed 10 pierce; from the furry suddenly, silently, spar by spar, a shadow emerged-the shadow of a shin. It was a steamer, Alan suw, a long. .ow-lylng old vessel without lights u.I without smoke from the fun ueI s.uutIng up just forward of the after deckhOuse; It rolled in the trough of the seu. The sides and all the lower works a'named in ghostly phosphores- grure. lt wus refraC.iOn of the search light beam u.rm the Ice sheathing all the ship. Amn'S brain told him; but the sight of that countless, shimmering ship mater!aizlng from behind ihe screen of snow struck a trcmor through him.
 ship" he hailed. "Ahead! Dead ahead. sir! Ship"
 The shout of quick commands echoed to him from the bridge. Un- dcrfoot he could feel a new tumult of the deck; the engines, instantly stopped. were being set full speed as tern. But Number 25 instead of sheeriug or to rIgh, or left to avoid the collision. steered straight on.
 The struggle of the engines against the momentum of the ferry told that others had seen the gIeammg ship, or at least, had heard the hail. The skip per's instant decision had been to put to sturbuurd; he had bawled that to the wheelSmun. "Ilard over. .' But though the screws turned full us,ern Number 25 stprrrd straight on. The furry was blowing before the bow again: back through the snow the ice shrouded shimmer ahead retreated. Alan leaped away and up Co the wheel house.
 Men were struggling there-the skip per. a mate. and old Burr who had held the wheel He rlung to it yet. as one In a trance. fixed, staring ahead; his arms Stln. had been holding Num- Der 25 Co her course. The skipper struck him and beat him away. while the mate tugged Ur the wheel. Burr was torn from the wheel now, and he made no resistance Co the slippers blows; but the skipper, In his frenzy. struck him again and knocked hIm to the deck.
 Slowly. stpndny. Number 25 was re- spending Co her hplm The bow point- ed away and the heam of the ferry came beside the beam of the silent steamer: they were very close now. so close that the SrarChIight which had turned tU keep un the other vessel shot above its shImmering deck and lighted only the Spars; and, as the wa ter rose and fell between them, the ships sucked closer. Number 25 shook with an effort; 1t seemed opposing with all the power ar It's screws some force fatally drawing it on-OppuSlng with thp last resistance before giving way. Then. as the water fell again. the ferry seemed to slip and be drawn toward the other vessel; they mounted side hv side crashed recoI.ed crashed again. That second crash threw all who had nothing to hold by flat upon the deck; then Number 25 moved by; asreru her now the silent steamer vanished In the snow.
 Gungs buomed below; through the new confusion and the cries of men, orders began Go become audible. Alan. scrumbling to hIs knees, put an arm under old Burr. half raising him; the form encirclpd by his arm struggled up. The skipper. who had knocked Burr away from the wheel ignored him now. TEr old man, dragging himself up and holding to Alan. was staring with terror at the snow screen behind which the vessel had disappeared His lips moved.
 Tt was a ship" he said; he seemed speaking more to himself than to Alan.
 "Yes." Alan said. Tt was ship; and you thought"
 'It wasn't therew the wheelsman cried. "Irs-ITs been there all the time an night, and Td-Td steercd through 1t ten times, twenty times. every few minutes; and then-that time it was a ship"
 Alan's excitement grew greater; he seized the old man again. You thought ft was the MIwaka " Alan exclaimed. 'The Nuwuka, And you tried to steer through it again"
 "Thp Mlwukaw old Burr's lips reit- erutpd the word. "Yes; yes-the Ml- waka ]"
 He struggled. wrlthing with some agony not physical Alan tried to hold him. but now the old man was beside himself with dismuy. He broke away and started an. The captains voice recaupd Alan to himself, as he was about to follow and he turned back to the wheelhuuse.
 The second officer, who had gone be low to ascertain the damage done to the ferry, came up to report Two of the compartments. those which had taken the crush of the collision. had flooded instantly; the bulkheads were huldiug-unIy leaking d little the off. cer declared. Water was coming into a third compartment. that at the stern; the pumps were fighting this water The shock had sprung seams else where; but If the after compartment did not GIl, the pumps might handle the rest