Adventure Magazine Cover — page 79: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

‘“Midnight”’ Johnson with the intention of spending the Christ- mas holidays with relatives in Seattle. At ten in the morning, in the teeth of a howling southwester, the steamer put out through the Golden Gate. To avoid the creaming combers on San Francisco Bar, which is several miles off the Cliff House, Lindstrom headed out by the north channel outside Duxbury Reef. Soon Point Reyes was sighted. Losing this landmark, Lindstrom laid a compass course as the Charlotte ran north- ward with the gale, a heavy screen of flying spume rendering the shore invisible. Point Arena was picked up dimly through the flying haze, then for the rest of the day © Lindstrom was forced to depend on dead reckoning, with no chance of checking up by landmarks. At ten o’clock that night Lindstrom sig- naled the engine room for half-speed, and the steamer loafed along. According to dead reckoning she was at that hour a mile or so outside the Blunt’s Reef lightship. Uncertain currents and the still more variable element of leeway in the shifting gale made Lindstrom anxious to verify his calculations by the lightship. With night binoculars to his eyes, he braced himself on the reeling bridge and endeavored to pene- trate the curtain of wind-driven spray and rain to the eastward. In sudden panic Jennings, who was now Lindstrom’s first officer, rushed across the bridge. To make himself heard above the shriek of the gale he bellowed through cupped hands: “My ——, captain! The light is off the port beam!’ i Lindstrom turned in haste. Binoculars were unnecessary. About two miles to the westward, visible through a momentary rift in the scud, danced the lightship’s beacon. The steamer was in dire peril. He bawled out an order— “Starboard the hel-lum!”’ - This inthe misleading phraseology of the sea means to turn the steamer to port. The Charlotie swung to the westward. Too late! A sudden shock and crash threw both officers from their footing. The steamer shuddered throughout her length as if she had received a death blow. Another tearing, gouging crash against the sharp pinnacles of the submerged reef! Then a lesser bump. Followed several agonizing moments of 73 uncertainty in which the men on the bridge scarce dared draw their breath. But there were no more shocks other than those of tremendous seas smashing abeam. “The bottom must be ripped out of her!’’ shouted the mate, trembling. Lindstrom turned to a speaking tube and blew a prolonged blast. Came a response. “Start the pumps, and sound the well!” were the orders. The Charlotte had steamed clear of the threatening reefs, but soon from the engine- room came a report to the effect that water was pouring in faster than it could be han- dled by the pumps. Several plates in her bottom had been started, and each abrupt ~ fetching-up of the steamer as she slid down the slope of a mountain swell was such a strain that more rivets were pulling out. “Tt’s getting worse! We can’t last two hours! The. fires will be flooded before that!” was the next report from below. His face haggard and drawn, Lindstrom dropped the speaking-tube. In all, the steamer carried two hundred and sixty- seven people. He was responsible for their safety; and now, if the chief’s report werc true, they stood no chance at all. In the life-boats lay no hope, for no small boat could live a minute in the hungry, breaking seas that were running. Shuddering, Lindstrom grasped the bin- nacle for support. He felt suddenly lifeless. Now that he wished to use his brain it seemed benumbed, frozen. On to the bridge, clad only in overcoat, pajamas and slippers, rushed Madison. ‘“‘What happened, captain?” he shouted. And in the dim light of the binnacle he caught fair sight of Lindstrom’s face. “Man, you look like a wraith! Is there danger?” i “Danger!” “te Hollowly Lindstrom echoed the word, then laughed bitterly. “We struck a ledge off Blunt’s Reef. We'll last an hour or so—that’s all.” “Run her ashore! Get out the boats! Man, do something!’ “Run her ashore? On this coast? With this sea? That’s murder to attempt. And to try the boats is worse.” Lindstrom’s voice carried a thin note that made it seem to be coming from a dis- tance. ‘“‘Can’t you make port? Some port—any port?” NOOK (©