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Page 99
"Your voyage has come to an unfortunate conclusion," said Mr. Lowington.
"Yes, sir; I have lost my ship, but I thank God my wife and children are
safe," answered the weather-beaten seaman, as he glanced at one of the
women while the great tears flowed down his sun-browned cheeks.
"Poor children!" sighed Mr. Agneau, as he patted the little girl on the
head; and his own eyes were dim with the tears he shed for others' woes.
Captain Greely told his story very briefly. His ship was the Sylvia,
thirty days out of Liverpool, bound to New York. She had encountered a
heavy gale a week before, in which she had badly sprung her mainmast.
Finding it impossible to lay her to under the foresail, they had been
compelled to set the main-topsail, reefed; but even this was too much
for the weak mast, and it had gone by the board, carrying the second
mate and five men with it. The Sylvia was old, and the captain
acknowledged that she was hardly sea-worthy. She became unmanageable,
and the foremast had been cut away to ease off the strain upon her. Her
seams opened, and she was making more water than could be controlled
with the pumps. For eighteen hours, all hands, even including the two
women, had labored incessantly at the pumps and the buckets, to keep the
ship afloat. They were utterly worn out when they discovered the Young
America, were on the point of abandoning their efforts in despair, and
taking to the boats, in which most of them would probably have perished.
After the boats started from the Young America, Mr. Lowington had
ordered the cooks to prepare a meal for the people from the wreck; and
as soon as they came on board, coffee and tea, beefsteaks, fried
potatoes, and hot biscuit were in readiness for them. Tables were spread
in the main cabin and in the steerage, and the exhausted guests,
providentially sent to this bountiful board, were cordially invited to
partake. They had eaten nothing but hard bread since the gale came on,
and they were in condition to appreciate the substantial fare set before
them.
By the forethought of Captain Greely, the clothing of the women and
children had been thrown into one of the boats. The bundle was opened,
and its contents dried at the galley fire. The doctor and the chaplain
gave up their state room to the captain, his wife and children, while
Mr. Lowington extended a similar courtesy to the other woman, who was
Mrs. Greely's sister. Mr. Fluxion was the first to offer his berth to
the mate of the Sylvia, which was reluctantly accepted; and all the
professors were zealous to sacrifice their own comfort to the wants of
the wrecked visitors.
In the steerage, every boy, without an exception, wanted to give up his
berth to one of the seamen from the Sylvia; but the privilege was
claimed by the adult forward officers, the cooks, and stewards. The
principal was finally obliged to decide between them: and for obvious
reasons, he directed that the guests should occupy the quarters of the
men, rather than of the boys. The people from the Sylvia needed rest and
nourishment more than anything else. They were warmed, and fed, and
dried, and then permitted to sleep off the fatigues of their severe
exertion.
At three o'clock, though they had slept but an hour or two, most of the
shipwrecked people appeared at divine service, for this was a privilege
which they had long been denied, and it would be strange, at such a
time, if the hearts of those who had been saved from the angry flood
were not overflowing with gratitude to God for his mercy to them. Mr.
Agneau, whose sensitive nature had been keenly touched by the events of
the day, made a proper use of the occasion, delivering a very effective
address to the students and to the shipwrecked voyagers, who formed his
little congregation.
The next morning the wind came up fresh and warm from the southward,
knocking down the heavy sea, and giving a delightful day to those on
board the ship. The passengers appeared on deck, and were greatly
interested in the Young America and her juvenile crew. Captain Greely's
son and daughter were little lions, of the first class, among the boys.
All hands vied with each other in their efforts to do something for the
guests of the ship, and it really seemed as though the era of good
feeling had dawned upon them. Even Shuffles and Pelham forgot, for a
time, the interests of the Chain League, and joined with others in
petting the children of the wreck, and in laboring for the happiness of
the involuntary guests.
On this day, observations for latitude and longitude were obtained, and
at noon the ship was found to be in latitude 42�, 37', 5" N.; longitude
64�, 39', 52" W. The position of the ship was marked on the chart by the
masters, in council assembled, and the calculations made for the course.
Bowditch's Navigator, an indispensable work to the seaman, was consulted
frequently both for the rules and the nautical tables it contains. The
course, after allowing for the variation of the compass, was found to
be north-east by east, which, agreeing with the calculations of Mr.
Fluxion, was given out to the quartermaster conning the wheel.
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