OCR Text |
Show THE BEE yawl to escape with his life, llo escaped, but many a vessel and crew similarly (caught have never left that Mmn prison. In telling tho story of his adventure to the Chicago Chronicle Captain Andrcanon sail from America for (wiy that ho Four Centuries of Shipwreck In CoKnh.gn with a cargo of corned meats 'and fruits which subsequently saved tho Grim Sargasso. lives of hiuiM-land crew. A little umre n week after (than leaving jiort the wkmI Iran right into a furious northwest gale. TRAGIC FATE OF THE BANK NAKk'A jOllieers and men feaivd this but little, for their liip hut weathered many an'Aflan-(tistorm. They shortened sail and cased o!T, still Mating up against tho stonu To al About tbo Sat For Six Long jher and making fair way on their course. But Monlht Ghottlj UaralicU tod Fata I for once tho littlo ship was overmatched. land Oceau Mooilart tod Human For nearly a woek tho vessel was tossed aMut with no signs of rescue. Tho Skeleton Enmcibad Together. men bravely held up, still hoping for tho When Columbus, with hi little flot of (coming of a sail. The wntchs wire set, Move small ships, was making his war (and not a jxirtioii of the horizon eeaHxjl westward four centuries ago, he ran into the vigll.inceof tho watchers. Butall was a seaweed soa. His crews feared rocks and junavalUng, for they wens rapidly drifting into the seaweed sea, where no ships shoals, for they had always associated would veil turn to give them aid. Heat au such vegetation with the coast. No man to Is: a serious addition to their woi-s- . befotv the coming of tlio daring adventur- Water rations wero reduced, for they could er had ever seen masses of seaweed so not tell how long they might flout thus, many miles from any shore. As the littlo aud provisions must M husbanded for fleet plunged In the captains and crews safety. Then one morning tho forward rose in mutiny, fearing their own and lookout hailed: Seaweed on tho Ixws, sir! their ships destruction in an unknown Tho same hail came from aft. Captuin and unfriendly sea. Tropical storms add- and crew rushed to tho sides of tho sliip. ed to the terrors of .superstition and Ig- There they saw tho flouting meadows ties-jinnorance. The admiral was implored to in around their vessel, and then they back he turn was threatened but with jkliew that they wero in the dutches of tho the constancy of purpose which formed Sargasso. Captain Andreuson made a his chief attribute ho held steadily on ids hasty calculation to verify ills fears. The Instruments told tins tale they were lneked course. the embrace of tin: floating .seaweed sea. !in For several days tho fleet made its dilli-cuThey were destined to remain in that way through those masses. TIiom, as deadly embrace for six long, weary, heartsuddenly as they had entered, their povs breaking months. cut the western border and once more Long weeks passed, with no change exsailed in an oien sea, still remote from the ever increasing intensity of land. Then, after days of sailing ami nnx- - cepting the heat. The ship's provisions gave out, and the men were forced to resort to the cargo to sustain life. The blazing tropical jSun poured its fiery rays upon tin decks and started the seams of the vessel. Men were prostrated uml too weak to perform the perfunctory tasks set them that a mal ady even more terrible might not attack them. Minds were giving away under the heat and strain, so the captain kept them busy so that' insanity might, not. add its horrors to the aecummulated and miseries of their condition. One day when the men were lounging about the vessel they spied a stately ship apparently Maring down tiixm them. Her sails flapped lazily, as if little care was upon tier, but tho sailors of the Narka were too overjoyed to notice what in ordinary times would have excited their suspicions. They rigged up additional signals ami frantically waved everything aboard which might do duty as a sign of their distress. The ship sailed sullenly along, drifting, like their own, under the impulse of tho currents. Not a sign of life could be seen aboard her as she drew nearer and nearer. Nobody was at her wheel; nobody was on her decks; not a living creature was observed. Then she shifted and passed tho Narka withiu easy distance. At the wheel were the scattered bones of a human t.kel-itoAt the mainmast foot coiled a huge python, who lazily lifted his horrid head, twisted his folds and darted a red and forbidding tongue at the horror stricken sailors. The weather beaten sides of the vessel had long lost all trace of paint. No 6ign of her name, origin or destination could be seen. She was a derelict, all that remained of her crew being tho few bones scattered about the deck. ABANDONING THE NARKA. The crew of the Narka laughed, cursed, swore and shed hot tears of disappointfor commander and crews, land was lety ment and rage. Imprisoned like themmade, San Salvador was occupied, and the the big ship drifted away and was mutiny was chang'-- ' a rejoicing and ap- selves, lost to sight. Then the crew saw what ..10 admiral. Columplause of the skii. seemed to be land. Again hope sprang bus passed tluuuga the great seaweed sea as many a navigator has since. Captain up in their hearts. But, alas, tho land Andreason of the Norwegian bark Narka was merely a floating island, as unfixed was caught in its embrace nearly 400 years and untenable as their own vessel. Verlater and was forced to take to the ships dure vines and trees )vered the island. 'mm m. J j st f c ; Ik-g- g j lt 1 1 aecum-mulatin- g lie-stow- n. CouuiL-bird ul bright plumage, naclimes uf tive remote from their Maud Meruicl home, fluttered In mid out. chattered mid scrambled riMut In the bought. Snake crawled alout in the trees or lay liaklhg on logs which floated iu the name IMles manner. It was all a dream urciulogly, for o human could obtain foothold on that laud, and none oould survive the attacks of deadly rep- tiles If a landing could M effected. Three months from the day tho ship entered the dense mas the first mate reported the startling newsthat the heavy weed clinging 0 closely to tho hull was lowly hut certainly dragging it down to a watery grave. Thus a new and still more frightful jhtII was udded to the horrors of that floating prison. Explosives were alsiard, and tho captain determined to utilize them to blast away the tendrils which, like the tentacles of the dovIlfMi, were dextroying their only huixi of escape. Kudo shells were rigged up, fuses attached, ignited and sealed and the missiles tossed overlxMird to work their will on the closely jiaeked weed. Explosion after explosion followed, aud t lie mass se parattsl and idly floated awuy from tho ship. But it was soon seen that what was castoff was secdily replaced by other masses and the sril renewed, with the shin weakened from the shocks. But tho vessel was easM of her weight and thereafter at regular intervals the captain resortd to his explo slves to relieve them from t ho haunting fe'r of Ming drugged to the liottom. One day two of the 14 men, in their eagerness to observe t lie effect of a largo shell that had Ism Used, leaned too far over the ships side. The shell exploded with terriflo force, driving tho ship backward and toppling tho two sailors overboard into the sea. Instantly, before the horrified eyes of t hoi r diipmntes, tho unfortunate men were clasped by the tendrils nml engulfed. Swimmers could make no progress iu the dense muss. No human heartened the almost dnijwitrlng men. Shift were arranged at the oar, and not a moment of rct wait Indulged In. Hundred of mile Intervened U tween them aud the nearest land, and it behooved them to sjKire no effort, but It wa killing work after the month of privation and horror, and their progress wa slow. But help wa not far away. On tho morning of the seventh day a sail wa sighted, and the crew wa picked up finally and carried to lorto Uleo. ; STOPPING DEATHS DOOR. For Hour Between the Thumb and Finger. A lieutenant lay. wounded on tho field, binding from an artery In hi shoulder, during a night attack on an English camp at Malakaiid. in India. Surgeon Captain jF. V. Hugo found him and at tho risk of I is life lighted a match and discovered tho A Mkoi Life Held j i strength was sufficient to release t hem. Down they went to the liottom, two more victims of the Sargasso. Five mouths passed away. II ml nxls of vessels were seen far and near. All were abandoned, tenant less excepting for tho creatures, mans natural enemies. Island after island was passed. Birds in myriads fluttered about, at times settling on tho ship. Monkeys, boa constrictors, pythons and smaller snakes abounded, seemingly being added that the picture of inferno might bo, complete. Horrid as was their situation, nature seemed to have outdone herself in providing horrid objects that mind might go with failing vigor. Food was growing scarce, but the awful monotony of the fare prevented as rapid exhaustion as would have been the case oth11 KEEPING LIFE IN. nature of tho wound. For three hours, while the English resisted tho attack, he held tho artery between his finger and thumb, and when the enemy broke into tho camp ho took the lieutenant In his arms, still holding the wound, and boro him to a place of safety. Shortly before his death, wnicn occurred in 1800, Massimo dAzeglio, statesman, orator, poet, tho painter of Orlando Furioso, but, above all, the trusty friend and valued counselor of Victor Emmanuel, was talking to a Frenchman, who congratulated him erwise. upou the unification of Italy. we have was the reply, Yes, Explosives were almost exhausted when tho captain determined to make ono last made a new Italy; now we must eneffort to escape from that prison. Ho de- deavor to make new Italians. termined to add the Narka to the list of derelicts, and with the yawl make a desperate effort to break out into the open sea. Carefully the yawl was loaded with provisions and water. The remainder of the explosives was placed aboard and then, with a prayer for guidance to safety, the survivors dropped into the little boat. The Narka was left to her fate. By dint of terrific exertion, the use of explosives and the guiding hand of Providence that little craft made her way out of tho seaweed sea in the blue depths beyond. Lustily the men rowed her, the captain setting his course for the West Indies, hoping either to make some port or run across a vessel which would pick them up. But the dangers were not all over yet for the little band of mariners. Seven days and nights they tossed about on the sea in an open boat, heavily loaded with food and a crew much too large for her. She must bo lightened if all were to be saved, so a portion of the food was tossed overboard. Threatcnings of storm showed them ono more danger. It seemed as if they had left a prison to find death. But the mere fact that their own efforts wprfl aidinc them to reach a port of safety Providing For an Emergency. What will you have? inquired the waiter as Mr. Ileyroob scanned the French bill of fare. ho answered, placing his Waal, over an item, ye kin bring me finger some o that. But dont go away, cause if it tastes like it looks in print Ill have to try somethin else. Detroit Free Press. "1 see, the editor said, that yon have rhymed again with rain. Yessir, the office poet assented. Well, it doesnt go. It may be all right in the weather report, but you are hired as a poet Cincinnati Enquirer. Smoke ai They Wash. Cigarette smoking is a common prac- tice among the colored washerwomen of New Orleans. They lean over the tub and make a quaint picture as the smoke rolls from their lips. Nebraska State Journal. |