Sioux County pioneer. (Fort Yates, Sioux County, N.D.) 1914-1929, 1922-07-06

Then j. that was few minutes
ago they heard the four loni
again. /. They'd tried to pick or
the other ship with radio before
-. Yes; we got that here. III.
Tried again and got no answer.
But they heard the blasts for half an
hour. ), They said they seemed
to be almost beside the ship once
But they didn't. see anything;
Then the blasts stopped ~. sud:
den, cut OF short in the middle al
though something happened.
She was blowing distress all right
:. The Richardson's searching
again now. IL. Yes, she's search.
ing for boats"
anyone else answered." Alan
asked.
"Shore stations on both sides.'
do they know what ship 1t is7"
mo"
"What ship might be there nowY'
The officer could not answer that.
He had known where the Richardson
must be; he knew Of no other likely
to be there at this season. The spray
from the waves had frozen upon Alan /;
ice cleaned and glinted from. the rail
and from the deck. Alan's shoulders
drew UP In spasm. The Richardson,
they said, was looking for boats; how
long could men live in little boats ex-
posed to that gale and cold?
He turned back to the others about
the radio cabin; the glow from within
showed him faces as gray as his; it
lighted face on the opposite side Of
the door-a face haggard with dread
full fright. Old Burr .jerked about az
Alan spoke to him and moved away
alone; Alan followed him and seized
his arm.
whats the matter?" Alan demand
ed, holding to him.
1.-THE four blasts !" the wheelsman
repeated. "They heard the four
blasts!" He iterated it once more.
"Yes," Alan urged. "Why not?"
"But where no ship ought to be; SO
they couldn't find the ship-.they
couldn't find the ship!" Terror, of
awful abjectness, came over the old
man. He freed himself from Alan and
went forward. &
Alan went aft to the car deck. The
roar and echoing tumult of the ice
against the hulf here drowned all 9TH
er sounds. The thirty-two freight
cars, in their four long lines, stood
wedged and chained and blocked in
place; they tipped and tilted, rolled
and .swayed like the Sanctions and
sides of the ship, fixed and secure.
Jacks on the steel deck under the
edges Of the cars, kept them from
rocking on their trucks. Men paced
watchfully between the tracks, observ-
ing the movement Of the cars. The
cars creaked and groaned, as they
worked a little this way and that; the
men sprang with sledges and drove the
blocks tight again or took an addi-
tional turn upon the jacks. i.
/. Alan saw did Burr who, on his way
to the wheelhouse, had halted to lis
ten. For several minutes the old man
SsOou AAOSAOAASSSS uS CdMS Ou dSd1u
and stopped to listen.
"You hear 'em?" Burr's voice qua
vered in Alan's ear. "You hear 'em?"'
"What?'' asked Alan.
"The four blasts! You hear 'em
now? The four blasts y
Burr was straining as he listened.
and Alan stood still too; no sound
came to him but the noise of the
storm. "No," he. replied. II don't
hear anything. Do you hear them
now?"
Burr stood beside him without maxi
ing reply; the searchlight, which had
been pointed abeam, shot its glare for
ward, and Alan could see Burr's face
in the dancing reflection Of the flare.
The man had never more plainly re-