The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1929-03-22
Of Romance Of TIE Great Lakes
BY KARL w. DETER
w.NU Service
CopyughS ~ The Bobhs-Merau Ca
CHAPTER XIII-Continued

threatening fiywheel and slowed him
forward under the Low deck, brac-
Ing him down with --ts and cork belt
AT the stern be lifted the trap and
staggered out again into the sightiess
immensifies of the night
II was hideo-s this time A mo-
ment Norman faltered. Then he
slammed down the trap brazen
sea slapped his face. The rlier,
yanking ar fits lines under foot.
banged against his left ankle. He re-
leased the lines and gripped the oak
bar between b heels The boat
gladly ans ered the push of its pro-
Peller. Norman. clinging 70 the hand
rail felt the water as il swept over
him, tearing the sou'wester from his
aching head
When ne opened his eyes, kSs IA
Tiers craft was rising high on tie
top of another roller. The horizon
lay black on ali sides. What did that
mean? What could il mean? One
thing. one only. Fog!
whats a BIT of thick weather.
he asked himself groggily. whats
hit of thick weather 10 an Erick-
SOM"
II had become bitterly cold The
night was far along. How many
hours had he worked on that blasted
mofori Two anyway, or perhaps
three Daylight must be near. But
how far had he drifted? Was the
shore mill ahead. or ten mics?
Was IL sand or reefs?
En-? What was thai?
He heard a sound down the squall-
ing wind. an infniresimal sound, far
away. Wind? No, not wind. Ii came
too steadily, a distant and indistinc1
snore Battle Az fog signal? Blind
Mans Eyer No. too long a note for
either OF them He heard il again.
resell That's what il was! A
vessel one long unbroken
suppIiant blast
Distress :" Norman told himself;
he squatted low against the cabin
Vessel in distress Continuous
bias"
His tired eyes picked through the
darkness. The night laughed. II
slapped a million new winds. booted.
roweIed winds down upon him.
faint lumiDance shone above the port
bow. Il was day. The horizon ran
backward, halted al two hundred
yards. ana held fast
Five minutes blew past Then
blur of dark soidity broke out of
the watery walls He could make
Iothing Of II for moment. Shape
less. high a bulky University. il
moved with slow even motion. Then
from one side an iron propeller toox
sLsPe.
II was the stern OF a freighter.
bow heaved into view. low in the wa
fer. with breakers smashing across the
pilot house, flooding the observation.
Al ore carrier. she proved 10 be. of
old build and eight or ten matches;
sinking. sinking by the bow.
The storm pushed her toward Nor
man. His eyes strained. The misty
forms Of five men chung to the taft
rail- Forward Of the coal bunkers.
hanging 10 a line. he made out 9th
ers He saw empty davits swinging
like supRlicating arms above the deck
houses Empty. Their lifeboats had
beer lost, then smashed no
doubt.
Little smoke showed from the fun
nel of the water-lOgged vessel. Fires
were dyin. evidently. Norman
strained his eyes for the name of the
wreck.
he made II out al last The Ad-
miraI Burkett Of Duluth. She wal
lowed like a toy. Norman pitied her
there in that malignant water. His
own boat 7as getting nowhere. South
west or east which was he headed?
Once more the fog parted. Nor
maD squiDted his eyes He did Do1
believe what he saw a: first. Straight
ahead, not three niles. doomed the
dunes of the Michigan coast. AT the
same time, through the murky half
lights of early morning, a great req
glow burst forth upon the beach.
Coston signal
Life-savers coast guards
men ! They had heard the Admiral
Burkett's distress call.
The men on the freighter waved
their arms The fare was a warning
10 their captain Ii told him that he
was near shore Ii might mean rocks
ahead and the loss of his vessel Ii
might mean safe rescue. or perhaps
wet death With his propeller high
above The water and boiler fires out,
be was helpless
Six men, clawing along q lifeline on
the Burkett's deck, teetered through
seas 10 the flooded chain locker IN
der the texas. They tumbled from
sight and Immediately afterward a
bow anchor dropped Ii slipped low
er and lower into the water. dragging
its chain down through the hawse-
hole
The captain OF the Burketf had let
60 the anchor TO keep from dragging
ashore The iron found bottom.
Would she hold;
Norman brought his boat into the
wind for the third time Again he
remembered the doctor. II had been
hours since he had heard q sound
from him Mccarthy might be
dead.
His own plight had become thing
apart from him His own life and
Gustsf's boat were Insignificant
Scared? Sure. he was scared! Who
wouldnr be? He remembered what
Delong had said Those men on the
freighter were they scared. too? OF
course they werei
The ore carrier snapped al her
anchor. Fighting against II she