Show K Ji P lf AFLOAT ON THE f I STORMY GULF GOLF GOLFA GULFA A Puzzling Incident of the Galveston Fl Flood od Im I'm only a n pilot but there are arc things I know as IS well as u tb the bi Best t science A man toen And this I 1 ku know that know that that were weri affected by bf Influences we Vo dont don't see sec Some SoUle people call cm em spirits others other calls em cm transfusion or something like that of ot thought 1 I dont don't know what they are But Dut one thing I do know knows and ond that is something a good many people that know a lot more than I do I J know these e things that Influence us are arc there Cant Can't nobody fool tool me on that point and ond why I know it 1 Is Ls 1 this The bl biggest thing I ever was let Into was the hurricane that swept Galveston Calves Galves ton in 18 1803 1853 3 I happened to be In Chi Chicago Chi cago sago during daring the tho great fire of oC 1871 1811 as 1 was there running a n tug on the river and lake but it Jt was nothing but stage spectacle show compared with the Galveston Gal Gai- veston flood Im I'm not going to tell about that only an incident that occurred oc in n connection with It which has bas made mo me dead sure ever since that something or other we wc dont don't see often steps in and gives us a n pointer We were some time getting our ur bearings after atler the thc storm was over and it was a week before we e began to rec rec- the gulf gult to to- find out what wreckage from the thc harbor might be floating around wound there I 1 was part owner owner own own- er of a Il trim little steamer that wasn't wrecked and I decided to go out to see seo what I 1 could find There was a good chance for salvage though if It one saved 1 anything there was no money left to pay us for Cor doing it Anyway I wanted to seo see what was out there The Thc water was full tull of t driftwood and wreckage but there was nothing of any value alue for tor most everything had ad been split into kindling wood Most of ot the stuff we wc saw was wreckage from cabins that had bad lined the shore Pretty Pretty Pret Pret- ty soon one of ot the men sighted a government gov government emment buoy over to the thc southwest It was out In deep water and had evidently evidently evi evl evi- evi dently broken loose from Its moorIngs moor moor- Ings tugs The alan uan who discovered it its It a and ld the others for tor that matter thought we might turn an honest penny by going for it and towing it In Now they were right about It We Wo might go farther tarther and fare worse There wasn't any sense In letting go goof goof goot of ot a haul that was sure to pay to hunt bunt for tor something that probably v wouldn't t pay at all The government was the only owner that could be count counted d on n Nevertheless I refused to go for the buoy Keep her straight ahead I l Isaid said and why I said it I dont don't know As I 1 have bave remarked the thing to have hn done was the other thing It wasn't long before we wa saw among the wreckage dead ahead something that looked like a raft I brought a n glass to bear on it It and after atter examinIng examining ing it awhile T r 1 concluded it was the tho floor of ot some cabin that the storm had wrecked But Dut what startled me was a n aboy aboy boy on it lie He was sitting it with his head hanging down on his breast clutching the planks plank with hIs Ills hands I ran up to within sixty yards of the tho raft The 1110 boy didn't change his position position tion and I didn't know wh whether ho bo was dead or asleep till 1 I 1 rang the beUto bell beU to stop her ber Then he straightened up and stared at us with his hollow hungry hun hun- gi gry Kg eyes eves He tie had on no clothing but a n shirt shirt shirt- indicating that he was In bed when the tho storm swept down on him and was either alone alono or the tho others with him had been lost He lie sat there with without out nut change of position staring at us while we wo lowered a boat bont and pulled palled for tor lilt him Wb When n we reached him ho he had strength enough to climb into the tho boat but before we wo get him Int Into the tho ship he fainted tainted Not having baYing a morsel of ot food aboard I headed for tor land On the tho way we wo hailed balled a n and got some brandy and a n can of ot condensed milk A few spoonfuls of the milk rom had bad a very strengthening effect on the boy This sufficed until we reached quarantine where I turned him over to to the doc doc- tor In he be was all right o again gain He Ho was the tho son of at an oysterman who lived ed on Grand isle and when the tho storm came was alone in his fathers father's cabin It tare the hut but to pieces but butlett left lett the boy boyan on the floor unhurt Then came the waters and ond floated him on his raft But how bow or when he drifted a away way is a n mystery lIe He could not have been In the turbulent waves during during dur dura ing the tho storm or he be never ne could have kept his place But Dut think of the tho little fellow tellow drifting for seven se days without food tood or water at nl the mercy of t the sea Rea seal There are arc more thin things to be explained explain ed in tills this case caso than thun any I 1 have bave ever met with How did the boy bof come to tobe tobe tobe be left lett on the floor of ot a cabin wrecked wreck d doer over o his head blInd b by a hurricane How lIow did he escape the trl frightful waves wave that hurricane stirred up How lIow did he bo survive o so lon long without food or orVa water wa wa- water Vater ter shelter or or surviving have hl the strength to hold bold on while danced about bout on the gulf You may search accounts of ot either cither land hand or sen sea disaster and In neither will you find so remarkable remark remarkable able an escape as this which pertains to both loth land and water The c lion ion is that truth Is stranger than fic nc tion The incident was an on actual o oc oc- currence No one can con make mako he be believe that there was not something we something we used to call can it n a guardian arolan nn that QI that knew of or that poor boy who if It not rescued l within a fow hours bours would die Maybe May May- tn be it was n It second sl sight bt In me of which I was wag not conscious that led me to refuse to go after that buoy and kept me on the track to relieve o othe the lutterer 1 t 1 i t |