504 
IMMINENT DANGER OF THE COOPER. 
tatoes at the Aleutian Islands, while surveying their 
rugged coasts, and began to think th.e}^ were going to 
have quite a fine time, when one day they were en- 
countered by a severe gale which came very near casting 
them on shore. They had anchored before its com- 
mencement, and now let go a second anchor; but she 
dragged them both with their chains veered out to the 
bitter ends, — the sea was so very heavy that passed them 
and broke upon the black-looking rocks not more than 
twenty yards astern: they were dragging upon a lee shore. 
The crew became very much alarmed, but were calmed 
by the admirable firmness of their officers, (Lieutenant- 
Commanding Gibson and Lieutenant Kennon,) and, just 
as all hope was about leaving them, they were rejoiced to 
find that the schooner had “brought up.” One of the 
anchors, while dragging along the bottom, had caught 
under a rock and arrested them upon the very verge of 
destruction. Their reed also had been strengthened. 
There were three pieces of news which reached us 
that first night, any one of which would have been suffi- 
cient to put any disease but scurvy to an ignominous 
flight. In the first place, our friends, as a general thing, 
w’ere well. Secondly, a naval retii'ing board had bcen^ 
ordered by Congress, had already acted, and we were 
now “ commissioned” instead of “ warrant” officers. And, 
lastly, the “old John,” whose reputation had at length 
worked its way through the walls of the hTavy Depart- 
ment , — ^Hhe old John'' was ordered to be turned over 
to the navy-yard, and such of her officers as were not 
wanted to fill vacancies on board the Vincennes and 
Cooper were to be ordered home over the Isthmus. I 
