Year: 1866

ON board bound for Charleston and Mobile
loaded principally with lumber and pota
toes: J. 7. Morse, master and part owner,
and Cyrus Morse, Gilmore Marr, Joseph
Anderson and Henry W. Small cook and
sailors, were the names Of those on board.
She encountered some rough weather before
reaching Charleston, S. c., but behaved
well, and arrived there in eleven days in
good condition. After discharging por-
ton of her cargo, consisting mostly of pota-
toes, taken from the hold in the after part
of tho schooner, she sailed from Charles
ton on the Sth of October, for Mobile.
Everything went finely until the 22d, when
| the wind, which had been increasing for
some hours, began to blow severely, and
soon became terrific. All on board trem.
| bled for the little craft but as she stood up
| finely, and rode out hours of the sweeping
| gale confidence in her safety increased, and
| the men became cheerful and well assured.
But the wind increased to gale, and the
gale grew to hurricane. All day the sit.
uation was one of great peril, aud growing
worse every hour.


Still the schooner was staunch, made on.
| ly about twenty-five strokes Of water in an
hour, and all on board believed she would
weather the storm. At this time they were
off the Abaco Islands and kept very nearly
to their course with the little sail they were
able to make. Thus things continued until
evening, when, though the sea rolled tear
fully, there were ind cations that the gale
had spent its greatest force and leaving
but two on deck the others retired to the
small cabin prepared to sleep, iu hope of a
| bright tomorrow.


At eleven o'clock, one of the men whose
watch was on deck came into the cabin for
a drink of water, and reported everything
outside as favorable as could be expected /;
and taking a piece of bread in his hand he
sat down on the stairs leading to the COM
pauion way, and while eating talked of their
s tuation, as if the danger was already past
The Captain improved that moment to re-
mind the others Of the gratitude which was
due to Him


"Who plants his footsteps on the sea,


And rides upon the Storm"


Many a poor fellow" said he, -" has been
dashed upon the rocks or gone down be-
meath tile mountain waves that we have de-
fed. Many proud ship has failed to with
stand this war of wind aud waters, which
our little craft has passed through 80
proudly. Keep sharplOok out, Anderson.
and the other boys will be ready for their
watch after an hours sleep"


Anderson, for he was the one taking his
lunch, was just rising to go on deck, when
a sea, mighticr than they had felt before,
struck the schooner, tripped her, and almost
instantly she was bottom upward. The
Captain Cyrus Morse and Henry Small
were thrown from their berths, almost ma
ked they having taken off their clothes on
retiring, to dry them. as they had been wet
through for several hours. They rushed
for the companion way and tried TO open
it, but the pressure of the water was so
great it could not be moved, and they were
shut in beyond the possibility of escape,
the water was slowly coming 1T upon them,
and in few moments it was two feet deep.
They were in utter darkness and hopeless
of ever seeing the light of day. They
talked of young Marr, the one who was Oh
deck at the time of the disaster. and felt
that he was the only one who had any
chance of escape. He might 90 off with the
deck load of lumber, and possible cling to
it, or parts of it, till he should be picked up.
For some time they scarcely thought OF
praying for themselves, so intent were they
in their petitions to God that Marr should
bessaved to tell the story of their sad fate
to dear friends at home.


o. what thoughts loaded the soul in those
fearful moments. Tho who.e past flashed
upon them in an instant and they saw
:heir lives clearly mapped, apparently with
out the loss OF a single event.


Home never before so truly appreciated
friends, whose smiles and words of love
were never half so precious as when in
that extremity-memory reproduced them
work well done, and work unfinished 4;
hopes ripened into fruition, and others long
cherished, now lost in despair, and still
others, cherished more fondy than in their
brightest days, pointing as they did to i'm.
mortality-these, with their full power Of
Joy or sorrow, satisfaction or regret, were
strangely real to them, as in the hands OF
the angry waves, they waited for the next
sea to crush the schooner and change their
cabin to tomb.


The water was rapidly rising, and soon
filed half the space of the small room. The
sea, still lashed by the tempest, tossed the
wreck about with great violence, and as
the men cIung to the sides of the cabin, the
only way they could keep their feet, the
wafer would completely cover them, and
they were sometimes obliged to let go their
hold and rise to the surface to avoid drown
ing. Then they were in danger from the
waters that might Instantly dash them to
the other side, and being in utter darkness
they could not ward off the blow or lessen
its force.


| WHY QlQ bnSY U0I lie uOWU III lu0 WdLVl
and die at once? Why did they so contend
against what seemed to them an inevitable
fate? They expected to perish in ar hour
at the furthest, yet they clung to every
moment as if an eternity of being depended
thereon. o, love of life, how strong, how
universal are thy mysterious ties


In this situation the captain conceived
the plan of cutting through the bulk head
into the hold of the wreck, where they
would have more room, more air, and
escape the increasing waters a while longer
This idea was suggested by coming in con-
tract with small hatchet that was in th G
cabin, and feeling hs way to the spot
which in his opinion promised most speedy
success, he commenced cutting through.


He could not see where to strike. He
could not stand firmly on the place where
he made the attempt yet he worked with
all his remaining energies. The other men
were anxious to help him, and coming near
he cautioned them to hold on, where they
were, lest they should be thrown against
his Ratchet; yet in moment afterward
Harry Small was dashed that way, and put
ting out his hand TO save himself, il came
directly where the Ratchet was falling, and
was cut in a most fearful manner. He was
disabled and from that moment could
render no assistance to his companions in
peril. .,..


The others helped the captain, and in less
than an hour, as they believe, they cut
through the finish, through the two-inch