Show tad adventurers CLUB HEADLINES FROM THE LIVES OF PEOPLE LIKE YOURSELF the harbor horror by FLOYD GIBBONS famous headline hunter H HELLO ELLO EVERYBODY frank V hann of hackensack hackenback Hacken sack N J is with us today to tell us the story of the shortest sea voyage he ever made its a yarn that proves that all seagoing sea going thrillers dont happen out on the ocean where the waves run high and the wind screams through the rigging for this particular trip ended in adventure and terrible tragedy before the ship was out of the harbor it was at halifax on october 23 28 1929 that the cruise started frank was first mate of the steamer larking which was due to sail that night it was a dark cloudy day and the loading gang was working at a fast pace to finish while it 11 was still light there were only a few cases left to come aboard when word came from the company agent that the two carloads of iron pipe had to be loaded the holds were full and the only available space for that pipe was on the open deck but orders were orders and the pipe had to come aboard the pipe arrived and the gang started loading it on the after deck that pipe was to give frank hann the most terrible moments of his life it was a bad night for navigation the ship finally got under way but darkness shut down just as they cleared the dock A drizzling rain had started to fall and visibility was poor traffic in the channel seemed to be unusually heavy that night and navigation on those dark murky waters was dangerous whistles or tugs and harbor craft were blowing on all sides lights were hard to distinguish through the rain but the larking got along all right until it was almost clear of the harbor limits then suddenly the officer on watch spied a small light directly ahead he called captain williams attention to it and the captain after studying it for several seconds made out a dark mass on the water decided it was a tow boat he gave an order to alter the ships course X williams was pinned to the deck house slightly to port the ships whistles were blown to signal the t tug ug the captain figured and rightly that he would clear the tug by thus thui altering his course but a minute later too late the men on the bridge saw a number of mud scows being towed along behind the tug and the ships headed straight for them the captain ordered full speed astern but that helped mighty little before the momentum of the ship could be checked they struck the hawser between the first and second scows the second scow swung around against the side of the ship and there was an ominous grinding and a ripping of steel plates big hole below the water line for a moment frank says we were all stunned captain williams shouted to me get below mr hann and see how badly weve been hit and how much water were taking I 1 dashed down the ladder and came back to report a big hole in the side below the water line with the water coming in like niagara even as I 1 was speaking the ship began to list captain williams seized the tube and called down to the engineer have the men draw the fires and all report on deck at once nothing in the world would save that ship the boats were lowered and the crew clambered in frank and the captain were just about to get in themselves when the captain remembered his papers and went back to get them the ships after deck was almost level with the water by that time her bow was already under and then a terrible thing happened the captain had just come out of the pilot house says frank and clambered down the ladder to the deck when suddenly the ship gave a sickening lurch and williams was thrown against the deck house and then as in a nightmare I 1 saw the iron pipe which had been stowed on the after deck shift with the movement of the ship captain williams terrible plight 1 I saw williams pinned to the deck house up to his knees by tons of iron pipe his legs must have been broken instantly for his eyes almost started out of their sockets his cries rent the air as the chief engineer and I 1 started toward him the bow of the ship was under water and moments were precious now in desperation we tried to move some of the hedvy heavy pieces of iron but our efforts were pathetic the sweat was pouring off our faces and our lungs almost burst under the strain our task was hopeless and to make matters worse e the water was already creeping up to our shoes we knew we could never move that pipe in time so we abandoned this effort and made a hys hysterical attempt to drag williams who weighed two hundred pounds clear of the pipe that was crushing his legs we took hold of his arms arid tried to pull him loose by sheer force then followed a scene that frank will never forget tears I 1 were streaming down captain williams face and his cries were terrible to hear aly god he be moaned why did you have to do this to me anti anil then he began shrieking over and over again get me loose get me loose I 1 dont want to die I 1 says frank 1 I had never witnessed such terror in my life he was half out of his mind by this time suddenly he clutched e each vech of us by an arm with all the fearful strength of a man bereft of his senses we were standing higher than he be was but his grip was terrific I 1 knew he was doomed and if we could not break away we were doomed with him already the water had passed our knees and was working up to our waistlines waist lines Iines still we tried with ebbing strength to break away from him but it was no use the water was up to their chests now the ship would go under any moment the water began covering the captains face still he hung on it seemed an interminable time before his grip relaxed then frank and the engineer their strength almost gone turned and swam to the waiting lifeboat so in the calm waters of the harbor a captain went down with his ship and frank harm hann finished the shortest voyage he ever made copyright service |