Year: 1876

ism in NewIOundland.

 A little vessel, the Waterwitch, with twenty four people on board, four of whom were women, struck rock while endeavoring to double Cape St. Francis at the entrance of Conception bay. The water was deep and the vessel rebounded, but was presently hurled second time against the rocks few yards distant from the place where she first struck. Here nine of the men leaped for their lives and managed to cling to the surface of sharply slanting rock, over which at times the waves were breaking. The Waterwitch reeled under the tremendous blow, staggered back few yards and sank, carrying down with her eight men and four women.

 The situation of the poor fellows who were now clinging to the rocks was terri ble in the extreme. They were holding on to a slippery sloping rock, only few feet above the surface of the water, and barely large enough to give them room l to crouch on it's surface. The spray dashed over them with every wave, and l at intervals heavy sea broke over the rock, as huddled together, they clutched l it for dear life. They dared not move, | for the sea was all around the rock, and 0 few feet of they could see dark, per- pendicular cliff shooting up six hundred feet into the midnight sky. The huge waves were laundering at their feet, and the snow storm roaring overhead. A few feet from them they knew that some of their nearest connections lay dead at the bottom of the sea. The position of the captain and his two companions was not | ble though at great risk to scramble up from the shelf on which they first found footing. They heard the voices of the gulch, and cheercd them by telling them that they were about to make an attempt to scale the rocks and bring them succor. The nearest house was ai the distance of a mile, and the men had no knowledge of the locality; but with desperate efforts they claa bered up the steep rocks, forcing their way painfully through dense brushwood where there was no pah. At length, almt st ex. hausted, they got to the summit. II was pitchy dark, and they had no notion of the proper direction, but hearing a dog bark they followed the sound, and at length reached fish' rman's cottage on the outskirts of Pouch Cove village and awoke the inmates. It was now 80 o'clock. They told their sad tale, and described as well as they could the place where their companions were clinging to the rocks. Soon more than half the village we. astir; ropes and other appliances wee got ready, and a rescue party mustered to save if possible the shipwrecked n,er The Rev. R. M. Johnson, minister oe the Church o1 England in Pouch Cove, accompanied the party, bringing with kim "hurri- cane lantern,' which he fortunately possessed, and which was invaluable in such circumstances, and also some cordials to revive the sufferers.

 The task that lay before the rescuers was difficult and perilous one. They had te force their way through a path less wood in pitchy darkness, and they could not conjecture where the sufferers were to be found. With wonderful in stlnct, however, they managed to reach the top of the cliff at the bottom oi which the shipwrecked men were des. perately clinging to the rock. Their cries for help faintly reached the ears oi their deliverers out of the dark and awful abyss, 500 feet in depth. " "Helpi help for Gods sake rope we can't hold on much longer" What was to be done The sufferers were not visible, the exact spot where they were could not be made out ill the darkness. The wall of rock was an almost perpendicular height oi 500 feet. There was but one way oi saving them. Some one must go down into the dark chasm, at the peril of his life, swinging at the end of 8 rope over the edge of the precipice and thus try tc reach the perishing men. get rope round each in turn, by which he may be dragged up the fearful height. It was a desperate expedient, put it was the only one, as the wretched men must soon perish by cold and exhaustion, o1 be swept back into tho sea. The res. cuers look for few minutes into one another's faces. Who will go A stout hearted fisherman-a true hero-Alfred Moores by name-volunteers for the perilous undertaking. Fastening g stout rope round him, he is launched into the black abyss. Three times, how ever. he had to be drawn up again, being unable to get near the sufferers; but on descending the fourth time he finds g slight Assure in the face of the cliff down which he is lowered till he comes within thirty feet of the rock to which the men are clinging. He has 8 light hand-rope which, after several ineffec. tual casts, is at length caught by one oi ths men. By means of it stronger rope is passad down; one of the men fastens 1t round his body, and the word is giver to haul up. .,.... -.

 Several men, supported and guided by the stout rope, at the end of which Moores is swinging, have now crept down the face of the cliff, and stationed