Adventure Magazine Cover — page 131: what you’re looking at

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

Wrecks of the Long island Coast THE ESCAPE OF FOUR FROM THE “CIR- CASSIAN ’”’ "THE wreck of the Circassian was unique in the fact that at the time of her strand- ing her crew of forty-nine was landed with- out the loss of a single life, the twenty- eight who perished in her losing their lives two weeks later. She was an English ship, 280 feet long. Formerly she had been a steamer and was captured as a blockade-runner during the Civil War. Her entire career had been ill- fated. Three times within a year she had gone ashore, and each time she had been floated, twice at the cost of life. Her bones still lie beneath sand and water at Bridge- hampton, Long Island. A southeast gale drove the ship ashore on the night of December 11, 1876. Her crew was landed in surf-boats by life-savers the next day, and arrangements were at once made with a wrecking company to float her. With this in view thirty-two men, including her officers and four engineers from New York, went on board her to remove her cargo. She was an iron ship, and lay across the bar several hundred yards offshore, her bow and stern afloat—a dangerous position in heavy weather, as vessels often break in two under such circumstances. Heavy anchors and cables were warped offshore of the ship. Steady strain was put on these, and with the aid of the high tides, the vessel was slowly worked outward un- til, on the 29th, those in charge thought that she would float on the next high water, which was due about midnight. By after- noon a strong easterly gale was blowing. All day the lighters had been taking car- goes ashore from the ship, and as the wind increased, those on shore wanted to run a line aboard the vessel so that in case of emergency the thirty-two men aboard her might be taken off. But the wrecking com- pany refused to allow this, fearing that the men on the ship might become frightened in the event of a storm and come ashore on the line just as the moment arrived for floating the vessel. This refusal to run the line was the cause of the disaster. As the afternoon advanced, snow set in, and those on shore could see the great hulk of the ship pounding heavily on the bar. It was also seen that the hawsers to the offshore anchors had been slacked, and it was then realized that those on board 887 recognized danger and had slacked the cables hoping that the ship would drift nearer in, where their position would be less perilous if the storm increased. But the Circassian did not drift in, and toward nightfall it was noticed that she had settled in the water and the hawsers still remained slack. It was not until seven o’clock at night, however, that she dis- played distress-signals. Preparations were then made to do what could be done for those on board. By this time the beach was an awe- inspiring sight. The waves were sluicing over the sand hills in seething reaches. The chimney of a lantern on the beach was con- verted into an excellent example of ground glass by the driven sand which swept piti- lessly along the level distances. Men crept on hands and knees to keep from being blown prostrate. The surf-gun was brought out and an attempt was made to shoot a line aboard the vessel, but it was evident — that no gun could carry a line the distance to the vessel in the teeth, of such a hur- ricane. All night the life-savers struggled while thousands of tons of water crashed over the hull of the doomed vessel. Dawn re- vealed a terrible spectacle. All but the mizzen mast had gone by the ‘board and the ship had broken in two, her forward section almost covered by breakers, the after section careening to one side with the mizzen mast tottering above it. And the mizzen mast was full of men. Occasionally cries for assistance were picked up by the wind and carried to those on shore. At two o’clock in the afternoon the mizzen mast with its human freight began to sag toward the water to leeward. Very slowly it moved. By three o’clock a marked change in its position could be noted. By four it had reached the water. Ten minutes later it sank from view, carry- ing its cargo of poor wretches with it. At that instant hardened men on shore turned away their faces from the horrible picture. The life-savers organized a lantern squad to search the surf in the hope that some of those who had gone down might come ashore safe. And the hope was not wholly in vain. Four mendidcome ashore. They were the first and second officers of the ship and two seamen. The others came ashore too, but they were alldead. Twenty-eight had perished. © MICLOOKS (©