THE BELL FLOWER WRECK!

Evening Star, Issue 14629, 27 July 1911, Page 7

THE BELL FLOWER WRECK!

GORDON'S STORY. > THE CAPTAIN STICKS TO THE SHIP. j Daniel Gordon, the cook on the Bell \ Flower, told the following story to a re- j porter who met hiru at the top of Tumble- j Sown Gully:—" We left Duiwdin at about' 7 o'clock on Sunday morning. We had a j race breeze to take us up the channel to the j Heads. One© clear, all sails were set, and j a fair wind carried us nicely along, but ths | •wild increased considerably towards the i afternoon, and the captain to!d me that j she was doing up to 12 knots. Everything i that day went well. I went to bed, and j the skipper called me at 2 o'clock. He , said to me: 'Jump out, we'li be on tiie, rocks directly !* 1 heard a terrible connnn. j tion, and the skipper's voice giving old ere. | I grabbed what I could, and dressed quickly. [ 1 only got np to the top of the cabin steps, j when a sea caught me and carried me up j past the gallev. The captain came along I rind said: ' See if you can make wine j coffee!' Everything was wet, but I got. hold o£ a kerosene can, and got a lire going. and I made the ceffee pretty (prickly, f , took the captain a mug of <offee. lie,! thanked nie, saying: 'Well, old man, this is a bad business. Do what you can for | the bow.' I got back to the galley, and ; found "that the sea had put the me out j again. I obtained some kerosene and got it going once more. Then the captain called mo forward. It was very dark, and we started to let the starboard anchor go. The seamen were working like niggers, retting the chain oat as fast as they could. We got everv link out on the starboard side. I went back to the galley, and again found the fire out, and restarted it. Ims time I got washed clean out of the gat'ey Then the mate came aWng and said .- '« e d better let the other anchor go, sir '.' and eventually we got even- link of the port cable out- The captain again told me to get the gallev fixe coin-, this time telling me to get all'hands in there. It was warm in the ga lJev > and we were all hu , <ldkd " p there together. We had two or three seas in the gallev, which put the tire out time j after time. " I had plenty of kerosene, and "ot it going again. It was not Jong alter This that we got our first great Dump. Itwas now 4 o'clock, and we were fast somewhere. It was still very dark, huu we i crmld see the shadow of land very close to j n« At the first glimmer of daylight t-ne , boom was pulled out. It was pulled m j again, and the boat's masts lasned on to ; the end of it. 'Scottie' volunteered to go j ashore first. He made a rope fast to the j rocks, and the crew then all got ashore i with the exception of myself end the cap- i tain, who came to me and said: "Now,, von go.' I replied: 'No. I'll stand by; Vou ' I had a good fire going in the , gallev at this time. The captain came into "the gallev and sat down alongside- ot , me. He was very cold and wet. and he was shivering badlv. I made another drop ; of coffee for him. The boys again started i to skr? out to me to come ashore. I said : 'No;'l'm going to stand by the captain for , a while.' The captain said definitely, and 1 in an authoritative manner: ' I must be , the last to leave this ship!' The boys , were singing out for me to come ashore. | I could see' them ail in a terrible pUgnt i ashore, shivering with the cold. the cap- ; tain ordered me to go ashore. I said : \ •All right. What will you do: will you ; come'T ne told me that he would follow j me He tied a lifeline on me and shook i rands with me. The boys had the other j end of the lifeline, and they pmled m alonf the boom, and from the eno. ot the masfto the rocks. The captain then went ; to the cabin, put up his lianas, shut tue ■ two doors, and disappeared. That's the i last I saw of him."