At that time there was no-one on Tate Hill Pier. Everyone who lived near there was either in bed, or was watching the storm from the heights above. There was a coastguard on duty on the eastern side of the harbour. At once he ran down to the little pier and was the first to climb aboard the ship.

The men working the searchlight continued to search the entrance of the harbour but did not see anything more. So they then turned the light on the abandoned ship and kept it there. The coastguard ran aft, and when he came beside the wheel, bent over to examine it. He jumped back at once as though this jump was caused by some sudden emotion. Everyone wanted to know what he had seen, and quite a number of people began to run to the ship.

It is a long way round from the West Cliff, but your correspondent is a fairly good runner. Therefore I arrived well ahead of the crowd. However, I found many people already assembled on the pier. The coastguard and police were refusing to allow to let them come on board. Because I was a journalist, the people in charge permitted me to climb on deck. I was one of a small group who saw the dead seaman whilst he was actually lashed to the wheel.

Vocabulary:

Pier: A place to tie ships to the land
Abandoned: Left alone, to look after itself
Aft: Towards the back of a ship
Emotion: A feeling, like love, or horror
Your correspondent: The person writing the story
Assemble : Gather together
On board: On a ship
Permit: Allow to do
Deck: The floor of a ship
Lashed: Here it means 'tied'