A THRILLING INCIDENT AT SEA.

Maori Messenger : Te Karere Maori, Volume VI, Issue 136, 9 March 1854, Page 3

A THRILLING INCIDENT AT SEA.

SIXTEEN LIVES SAVED. (From the New York Tribune.) We have been favoured with the following extract of a private letter from Marcus Spring, Ksq., of this city, giving an account of tho saving of tlio crow of llio Scotch barque Jesse Stevens, by the steamer Pacifio on her last passngo from hero to Liverpool. We aresuro that 110 ono can fead this simplo narrative without something of tho emotions it so vividly expresses : " Ono morning, wliilo lying wrapped up in blankets, overcoats, &c., on tho sofa, the wind and sleet, and snow roaring round tho heaving ship, ono of tho passengors camo down and reported that a wreck had been seen in tho midst of tho storm, and men clinging to it, and calling out,' Savo us ® Save us !' Though so nearly stupificd as to caro for nothing, even if wo had been tlio wrecked one ourselves, ninl hardly believing, at first, it could bo so, I roused myself; and sro enough, all my own stupid and selfish feelings, all nausea and hcadacho, and all murmuring spirit in view of our own condition, wcro instantly dissipated, and gavo place to tho heartiest sympathy and earnest prayers for sixteen poor follows in a shattered barquo, with sails torn and streaming in tho wind ; masts all wrenched off and swept away, and the water rushing through tho sides of tho vessel, as slio rose no v and then 011 ft high wavo, tho sea rolling over her, a perfect flood, overy minute; "Our ship had stopped hor engines, and was hovering about, coming near enough, in tho brief intervals of the storm, for Captain Nvo to speak through his trumpet ft word of encouragement. The captain had been sick with a violent cold and infla" niation of tho lungs (tho first time, I think, siuca ho becaino a captain), but tliis had called him from his bed. and, dressed in his great tnrpauliu coat, with his hat drawn over his cars, a sailor holding him from falling as ho stood upon tho steep deck, tho ship tumbling almost over 011 its sides at every roll, liisfino faco (lushed with excitement, as tho wind and sleet dashed into it, and against him, as if they would take him o(r his feet; his trumpet in his hand, nnd raising abovo tho roar of the storm his voico of command to engineers, sailors, &c., to go 011 or stop, or go to tho other sido of tho wreck, trying to keep near it, and avoid dashing against it, to tho certain ruin of nil.

" All this lasted lor au liour or more, while wc passengers, 011 the upper deck, holding on lo ropes (o keep us frombeiiig dashcil overboard, and watching tlio poor fellows, when the mis I .*, and clouds, and spray gave us an opportunity to sec them climbing tho wave in their shattered bar.pie. all looking anxiously towards us, ail 1 waving hats and hand* The rolling of tho .-ea, somo movement on dock, and something I heard the captain say, made nie fear it was :i hopeless case, and we should have to go and leave them, when all at onee a gleam ol light broke] from above and a splendid rainbow appeared on a. dark ground of clouds behind ua. It seemed, indeed, a heavensent sign of hopo and promise, and I eagerly scanned tho upttivncd faces of tin; wretched crew, to see if they did not hail it as .such, j but I since learn they interpreted it in ac- j endancc to the sailor's adage: —■ J " ' A rainbow in the morning | Is the sailor's warning ; I A rainbow at night Is the sailor's delight-' ! '• While I supposed the bow of nivmi-e, j was filling their hearts, as it was mine, with joy and "latitude, tho c-iptuin fcized the moment of a lull in the storm to say to Tompkins, bis third oliiecr (bie.-.-sed be the noblc-hcarted fellow !) ' Are you willing to risk going in the life-boat totheir rescue V * Ready and willing,' was the prompt reply ; and soon the beautiful boat, with Tompkins and throe sailors, was bounding over the foaming waves. 1 hey had u lope soon drawn from ship to barque, passing through the life-boat. Tho brave little company were soon under the stern ol the wreck, re" ceiving with their open aims, as they were dropped or thrown down (for some were so s tupi(iedwith wet and cold, they had to be thrown into the boat), the dripping sailors of tho Jesse .Stevens. Tho waves ran so high it was tmsafo to lio near tho wreck, so Iho boat v.T.3 hauled up by rope, at intervals, near enough for them to drop in ono or two men—then they would slacken tho rope and let the boat before: (hireturning wavo should come and dash them together; tV.cn tliey would return, in like manner, for ono or two more; and finally all were safe in tho boat, and ■we only hoped that they would get it back to tho .ship with its freight of saved lives. lVoudly again it bounded over the billows -with its heavy load as if it had been a swan or a sea-bird, and though several times, when it went out of sight in the trough of the sea, wc tven blcl lest we had seen it for tho last time, it still mounted the top of the next wave and dashed down the watery hill side towards us. again to riso and descend till they lvached our ship's side, when u bundled men, with boisterous shouts and ropes let down, with nooses at the ends, soon hauled tip every man of them. And so sixteen nice, respectable Scotchmen, from Augustine, on their way home from Canada, with a load of lumber, are fellow passengers with us, with thankful hearts only and no lumber, and will reach home before tliey are lookc I for, to tell of their marvellous escape. " Since this incident, certainly the most heart-thrilling and sublime it has been my lot to witness, and well worth, we all say, all tho su/l'etings of the voyage, we have all been in better spirits, and have slept, 1 imagine, with more grateful and happy dreams. We had a meeting of passengers and raised five hundred dollars as a purse for Tompkins and tho three men who aided him. Tompkins looks very liappv as ho walks tho deck, and is a great UYourilc with us all."