AiuiikttMiaHlillHI
THE HESPERIAN.
a few moments the captain rushed forward, ntng the bcll(
and called the crew to snvc themselves. 1 jumped to
the wheel, hoping that we might tack before she
struck. Hut before our ship would answer the helm, the
steamer had struck us in the starboaid bow, had torn away
our chain plates, and cut clean into the foremast. Our head
commenced to settle right away, and in a moment wc were
sinking. Most of our crew sprang upon the steamer's bow
and jib boom. 1 hurried forward and c ught hold of her
bobstay just as the "Minnie Swift" went down. The shrieks
of the crew who had hardly had lime to get out of their hunks
and on deck, were the most piteous thai could be heard. Hut
they were all huhccl in a few minutes, lor the suction of
the sinking ship j. - a whirlpool which dragged them down.
From the time wc won- struck by the steamer, until our ship
went down was just about two minutes.
I climbed to the deck of the steamer to see who of our
crew were there. The first face I saw was that of the cap
tain. How glad I was that he had not perished, for he was
a dear friend of mine. We soon got together and found that
only fourteen of us had been saved. Twenty-one who were,
only an hour ago safely asleep, now lay in a watery grave.
Our captain was enraged at the conduct of the steamer. He
soon found the captain of the vessel and demanded an expla
nation, but the .steamboat captain being a Frenchman, he
could get very little satisfaction. Wc soon found that the
steamer herself had received some injury, and was settling.
The pump was set to work to keep her afloat. Wc found the
water gaining on us rapidly. Wc saw no hope but to lower
the boats. For eight hours we kept the donkey engine at
work throwing out the water as fast as it was able; but by this
lime wc saw how useless it was to stay any longer. The
icmnant of our crew was assigned one boat and provision
foi six days. Our own crew were the first to leave the
steamer, and shortly afterwards the steamer's crew shoved oil
in the other two boats. When we lclt the vessel, there was
eight feet of water in the hold and she was gradually settling
down at the head. Wc had not been adrift more than half
an hour when vc heard a terrible explosion, and wc saw the
hatches fly ng hito the air. The steamer gave a shudder, her
head disappeared, the stem seemed to rise and in another
instant all that was to be seen was the wide expanse of water.
Here were three boats on the wide sea, over 200 miles
from land, and almost in the middle of winter. Wc did not
know what would be our next misfortune. Wc had iust saved
our lives by climbing aboard the steamer, only to find death
awaiting us in the open boats. Oh the suffering of those few
days! Such suffering can be imagined only by those who
have experienced it. All that day the boats kept in sight ol
each other, but seemed to get farther away as the time wore
on. A sharp look out was kept for a sail, but no sail hove in
sight. At length night began to close in upon us, and the
other boats faded from view. We hoisted our light on one
, of the oars, which wc stepped in place of a mast. AH night
long we kept watch hoping to see some light, but none
appeared. Finally day break came and the weather moder
ated. The wind veered around to the nor'west, the weather
hegan to grow fine, but as it got better, the wind died out
and wc found ourselves in a dead calm.
The captain thought it best for us to ship the oars and
pull for land. To do this he thought we ought to divide up
into watches and take turn about, so he offered to keep the
first watch, while I should chose six men and ; eep the sec
ond. From the time we had left the "Minnie Swift" to the
present, we had not had a wink of sleen. Durintr ih- r.
vious night the weather had been so "dirty" and cold that it
Bras impossible for us to sleep. Now sjppe the weather had
moderated it gave us n chance for 1 est. I slept soundly for
those four houis in which the captain took the helm. When
we were called to take our turn I felt very much refreshed.
Our meals were served out to us every six hours, and
although wc were on an allowance of half a gallon of water,
six crackers and three-quarters of a pound of meat a day, we
looked forward to it as if it had been the best meal ever set
before human eyes. During that day we made about seventy
five miles. So, aftci reckoning up, we found that we were not
much more than a hundred miles from land, but our crew
were gradually giving out. Wc had suftcrd so murl, fm !,
cold w-ather and the spray since we left the ship that it was
utmost impossiDic lor some or the crew to rise from then
scats. We all watched anxiously foi some passing vessel and as
wc were in the track of coasters our hopes were encouraged.
About six p. m one of the men thought he saw a sail on the
horizon. Wc all strained our eyes in the direction named,
but saw nothing. As the night grew darker, one after
another of the crew fell asleep on their oars and gave up in
despair. We saw that it would be useless to force them to
pull for the land, as their strength had almost utterly forsaken
them, so the captain and I concluded to keep watch between
us, wnn tnc expectation ol heing picked up. At 8 p. m. 1 lay
down in the stern of the boat torcs't, but it seemed that I had
hardly fallen asleep when I felt the captain waking me up.
He pointed to wii dward, and there. I saw a liihl ihnf .i;,i
not seem more than a mile away. O what a welcome sight
it was,! Hut if she should not sec us what would wc do?
Calling up the sleeping sailors, they hailed the light with joy.
It seemed to renew their strength and everyone expressed a
desire to pull all that he was able. Hut the captain advised
that wc should all shout together and sec if wc could not
make ourselves heard, To our joy we saw the vessel's side.
1. gins. 1 nat was a sign the vessel was bending for in. In a
short time wc were alongside She was a three mastered
schooner running between Quebec and Philadelphia. There
were only a few of our crew that were able to get on board.
The rest of the poor fellows were so weak that they had to be
hoisted aboard, with a tackle.
After getting on board we were well taken care of. The name
of our deliverer was the "Cora Vanderbuilt" hailing from
the Delaware, under Captain Jones. We all felt under great
obligations to this man for his kindness, although it was only
his duty to do as he did.
Two days afterwards wc arrived in Philadelphia, and after
bidding adieu to the captain and crew of the schooner, we
found ourselves on terra firma once again. Only one of the
wmc , , lcll ,,, sleamcr was cvcr hcard of acain
'I hat one reached the shore at Portland, Maine, two days
after us with only four survivors. The other boat was found
bottom side upwards by a steamer coming into Philadelphia.
1 he crew must have perished.
The owners of the steamer tried very hard to get her
insurance, for they had sent her to sea in order that she
might sink herself, but our evidence was against them. Wc
received the full insurance for the "Minnie Swift," but that
did not give us back the lives that were lost. For a ship to
go to sea, and for the sake of insurance, to run another ves
sel down in the middle of the night without a moment's
warning, as the French steamer "Guadaloupe" did the
"Minnie Swift," is manslaughter in the first degree, and the
mst.gators of such crimes ought to receive their just reward.
Mr. Leslie Stephen, the English author and editor, has
proposed the raising of a fund for a monument in Westminster
Abbey, in honor of James Russell Lowell. The proposition
ds ready favor in England it seems.
