The Project Gutenberg eBook of The Wreck of the Mail Steamer
    
This ebook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and
most other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions
whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms
of the Project Gutenberg License included with this ebook or online
at www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States,
you will have to check the laws of the country where you are located
before using this eBook.

Title: The Wreck of the Mail Steamer

Author: Sir Wilfred Thomason Grenfell

Illustrator: Anton Otto Fischer

Release date: February 24, 2022 [eBook #67489]

Language: English

Original publication: United States: The Sprague Publishing Company, 1923

Credits: Roger Frank and Sue Clark


*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE WRECK OF THE MAIL STEAMER ***


                    The Wreck of the Mail Steamer

                        By Wilfred T. Grenfell


The Northwest coast of Newfoundland is no favorite with our seafarers
in the fall of the year. The long, straight, rock-bound shore line for
eighty miles in one stretch, offers no shelter whatever even to the
small vessels that ply to and fro along it in pursuit of their
calling. Yet, as great shoals of codfish frequent the cold waters of
the north shore of the Gulf, just as soon as the frozen sea permits it
in spring, swarms of fishing craft, of all sizes, from all the
Newfoundland coasts, and even from as far south as Gloucester, push
their way “down North” in pursuit of the finny harvest. On the
Newfoundland vessels women and children often come, the women helping
to cure the fish and cook for the men, the children because they can’t
be left behind.

Uncle Joe Halfmast had not been North for some years, for he had never
liked the sea and, like many another of our handy fishermen, he had
developed great talents as a carpenter. But this year the people of
Wild Bight were building a church, and had induced Uncle Joe to come
down and lead them. It was a late season; the fall weather had been so
wet and “blustersome” that the men found it impossible to dry their
fish for shipment as usual, and were consequently late getting ready
for the return South. Moreover the church had to be sheathed in before
Christmas, so that, when spring came round, the work would not have to
be done over again.

The one little mail steamer which served three hundred miles of coast
was unusually crowded with passengers and wrecked crews, and it had
twice passed Wild Bight without calling on the southern journey, owing
to the impossibility of making the Cove in northwest gales. Indeed
every inch of space aboard her had been already occupied long before
she reached us. Thus for three long weeks we had been waiting for a
chance to go South.

Winter had set in in real earnest. Ice was making everywhere, and to
offset our anxiety the whole Cove was secretly rejoicing that we might
be compensated by Uncle Joe having to spend the winter with us. He was
justified a little by the fact that everyone knew his attitude to
rough seas, and that if he returned he had promised to take back with
him Susie Carless’ derelict baby—a tiny piece of flotsam—with no
natural guardian to “fare” for it. And near Christmas is no time for
sending babies traveling round our northwest coast. Uncle Joe said
nothing—he never did—and the church grew steadily under his hands.

“I’m not worrying,” was Uncle Joe’s motto, “I leave that to Him that
watches over us,” he would add, if he was in a real talkative mood.

So as a matter of fact no one was surprised when, one day after
Michaelmas, a familiar fussy whistle broke the absolute silence of the
harbor just at the first streak of dawn, and kept restlessly repeating
itself as if to say, “Last chance—last chance—last chance for the
year. Hustle, hustle, hustle.” Sorry as they were to lose him, all
hands went to help Uncle Joe off, and give the baby those last touches
that only women’s hands are allowed “to be able for” on our coast.

[Illustration: All hands went to help Uncle Joe off]

The little vessel was crowded, for her accommodation; badly
overcrowded. But she was as fine a little sea vessel as money and
human skill could make her and through many a gale of wind she had
safely carried our friends. It was bitterly cold, the thermometer
being actually away below zero, and our weatherwise people knew that
something was brewing to windward that boded no good to a small boat
however staunch, with only our long miles of harborless coast under
her lea. Some at the risk of appearing self-interested, urged the old
man to stay right on through the winter, and with that unbounded
hospitality that is so universal a characteristic of our northern
people were offering him a home, “baby and all.” But Uncle Joe’s
philosophy is proof against any fears, indeed his faith is such real
simple working material all through his life that the cynic calls it
fatalism. So, as from those who saw St. Paul off on his long sea
journey from the beach at Ephesus, not a few prayers went up for their
friend and his helpless charge, as the little column of smoke once
more disappeared into the sullen darkness that hung on the horizon
under the southern sky, while the ominous soughing of the sea note on
the rocks sent all hands back to make everything fast, even about the
small homes on the land.

The storm did not actually break till after dark that night but slow
come is long last with us, and it will be still longer before the
memory of that Christmas gale ceases to blow in our memories.

The mail steamer was lost in it, violently blown out of the water on
that evil coast. But these happenings are not strange in our world and
we never got the story till the following year when one fine Sunday
morning I happened to drop into young Harry Barney’s home, a little
wooden cottage on the glorious sandy beach at L’Anse au Loup in
Labrador.

Harry was enjoying a morning pipe of peace, with his darky embryo
Vikings playing round the door. This was my reward for a Sunday visit.
For it is as easy to catch a weasel asleep as Harry with time to burn
from midnight Sunday till the next Day of Rest comes round.

A big liner had run ashore close to us only a week before, and was now
an abandoned wreck lying well out of water on the north side of Burnt
Island, so we fell to talking of wrecks, and the topic of the loss of
our mail steamer came up. To my amazement he said, “Yes, I knows about
her, doctor, I was fireman aboard when she was cast away.”

“You? What have you to do with steamers?”

“Oh, they shipped me and poor Cyril Manstock as they couldn’t get men
south. I’d acted runner before, but it was Cyril’s first voyage, and
he died after of consumption, as you know. They says it was that chill
did it.”

“Tell us about it, Harry. We heard that a dog saved all hands by
carrying a line ashore. I’ve been crazy to get the facts from an eye
witness.”

“I wasn’t much of an eye witness till we were high and dry, but I saw
the dog do his bit, doctor, and he certainly did it all right.”

                  *       *       *       *       *

“We knew below decks by six o’clock—that’s just at dark—that it would
be a fight for life,” he began. “What was left of our coal was all
dust, and we’d had trouble keeping steam with it even in smooth water.
We were anchored then, right on the straight shore, landing some
freight for the village at Cowhead. The wind was already rising and
the sea beginning to make.

“My watch was from eight to twelve. But I was a new hand and wanted to
give her every chance, so I went on at six to watch that the fires
were kept clear and a good head of steam when we made a start. It did
seem an awful time delaying, and I wished a hundred times that we
would throw that freight overboard.

“I guess I was a bit excited. But when at last the bell did go, we
were all ready below. It was a hard fight, however, from the first.
For the boat was small and we knew she couldn’t do much in a dead hard
sea. Her propeller comes out and she races, and it’s no soft job
trying to fire at the best of times. She wasn’t so bad first out in
the spring either. But like everything else, she had run down with
hard usage and at the end of the long season she couldn’t do her best
by a long way. However, as I said, we had a full head of steam when
the gong rang at last and, for a time, it looked as if we might make
it by standing right out to sea.

“The fierce dust in the stokehole from the powdery coal, and the heavy
and quick rolling soon made our eyes blind and our throats dry, and
before my watch was out at midnight I just had to go up for water. I
found the doors were all sealed up with ice, so had to crawl out
through a ventilator to get that drink. I hadn’t been up two minutes,
it seemed, before the chief sent for me to hurry down again, as the
steam was going back. I was only second fireman really on my watch,
but the first, a Frenchman who had been at it seven years, was an
oldish fellow and was getting all in. At midnight watches were called
but both of us stuck to it for we were losing steam again. Water was
now washing up over the plates of the engine room, and we were wet and
badly knocked about by the ship rolling us off our legs when we tried
to shovel in coal.

“At two o’clock the old man gave in altogether and went up, and I
never saw him again until it was all over. Cyril was in as trimmer,
and he came in to help me. Every time I opened the fire box door Cyril
would grab me by the waist and hold on hard, but in spite of it I got
thrown almost into the fire one time by the ship diving as I let go to
throw the coal in.”

Harry here showed me a big scar across his arm and one on his face. “I
got these that time,” he remarked, “just to remember her by.

“The water was rising then in the engine room, and the pumps had got
blocked so we couldn’t pump it out. We didn’t think she was leaking
but we heard after some port holes had been stove in, and she took in
water every time she rolled. We got the pumps to work again after a
while. But the doors being frozen up above we had no way to get rid of
our ashes, and they were washing all around in the engine room, and it
was impossible to keep the runways clear.

“The worst of it was that now the water was in the bunkers, and mixed
up with the coal making it into a kind of porridge. It was just like
black mud to handle, and you couldn’t get it off the shovel until you
banged the blade against the iron firebars.

“So steam began to drop again, and went so low that our electrics
nearly went out and we got repeated orders from the bridge for more
steam and more steam. It appears we were making no headway at all with
only 80 pounds pressure and, in fact, were slowly being driven
sideways into the cliffs. We worked all we could, but things went from
bad to worse, the water rose and splashed up against the fire box
making clouds of steam, so though the dust was laid, what with the
steam and the darkness, and the long watch, we couldn’t keep her
going. Moreover it seemed as if we would be drowned like rats below
there, and I tell you we wouldn’t have minded being on deck, cold as
it was.

“We heard afterwards that one of the stewards had been fishing on this
part of the coast. He knew every nick and corner, and said there was a
little sandy cove round St. Martin’s Cape, where a small head of rock
might break the seas enough to let us land, for they knew on deck now
that the ship was doomed. For my part I knew nothing, but that work as
we would the steam gauge would not rise one pound. Beyond that, what
happened didn’t even interest us. We hadn’t time to worry about
danger.

                  *       *       *       *       *

“One sea did, however, make us madder than others. Something had been
happening on deck. The heavy thumps like butting ice had reached us
down below. It turned out to be the lifeboat that had been washed out
of davits and went bumping all down the deck, clearing up things as it
went. Anyhow something came open and as we were getting coal from the
lea bunkers a lot of icy water came through the gratings and washed us
well down, sweaty and grimy as we were. Somehow that seemed to set my
teeth again, and we had the satisfaction of seeing the steam crawl
once more to 100 pounds.

“The bridge must have got on to it at once and noticed we were making
headway again. The fact was we were now rounding the Cape called
Martin’s Head. We knew they knew, for they again called us for still
more steam—thinking we had got the top hand. It so happened that a
long shoal known as the whale’s back was now the only barrier we had
to weather. But till this spurt hope of doing it had almost gone.
Well, all I know is that suddenly there was a scrape—a bumpety,
bumpety, bump, and then a jump that made us think we were playing at
being an aeroplane—and then on we went as before. She was making water
more rapidly, but beyond that we knew nothing. It was rising now to
our knees, nearly, and any moment might flood the fires. We had
actually been washed right over the tail end of the whale-back reef,
the tremendous ground sea having tipped us right over, almost without
touching.

“They say it was only ten minutes or so more to the end—it seemed
hours. The motion had changed and we knew we were before the sea. Then
suddenly there was a heavy bump, that made us shiver from deck to keel
on, then she seemed to stop, take another big jump, and then do the
whole thing once more. We were on the beach and the water was flooding
into the hold.

“Cyril had gone some time before, played out. I could see nothing for
steam but waded towards the ‘alloway’ into the engine room. There also
everything was pitch dark but I knew by feeling which way to go. It
seemed a long while, but at last I found the ladder, and made a jump
to hustle out of the rising water. My head butted into something soft
as I did so. It was our second engineer—he had been at his post till
the end.

“There was only one chance now for escape. It was the ventilator. I
was proud I had learnt that in the night. It did not take me long to
shin up through it and drop on the companion clinging onto the edge.

“The icy wind chilled me to the bone and sheets of spray were frozen
over everything. A sea striking her at that moment washed right over
me, but before the next came I was behind the funnel, hanging on for
life to one of the stays. Another dive between seas landed me in the
saloon and from there I dropped down, and climbed to the foc’sle to
get some dry clothes.”

“That’s all you know, I suppose?”

“About all,” he answered, “except that I had to go some miles when I
landed to get shelter, and got no food till next night.”

“Did anyone thank you for your work?”

“Not yet,” he answered with a smile.

“What steam had she when you struck the last time?” I asked.

“A full hundred pounds,” and a gleam of joy that endures lit his
eyes—that joy that assures us of the real significance of life.

                  *       *       *       *       *

I was admiring the church at Wild Bight this fall—having blown in—in
one of our periodical medical rounds. Nothing was further from my mind
than the wreck of the previous winter when suddenly I noticed the
familiar features of old Uncle Joe peering at me from behind a pillar.
In a moment I saw him again, leaving the harbor with his precious
baby, and I wondered how it had all ended.

“Well you see, Doctor, about daylight the ladies’ cabin got flooded
out and they were all driven out of that; all the passengers that
could crowded into the little saloon on deck. The baby did not seem to
mind it at all and as there was no use going on deck, even if we had
been able, that’s where I took it. After we struck, however, and the
seas were washing partly over the ship I went out to see if there were
any chance for us. The captain, who had never left the bridge, was
there. His cheeks were all frostbitten. He had already launched a boat
and was trying to get some men landed.

“It was broad daylight, a little after midday, and we were right under
a big cliff, so close that you could almost touch it. The projecting
head of the cliff sheltered the forepart of the vessel fairly well,
but a thundering surf was beating on the beach. The boat was soon glad
to be hauled in again. She was smashed and filled, and the men had
nearly been lost. So we all fell to it, and tried to get a line
ashore.

“There were men there now from the shore who had seen us. They were
watching us from above the breakers, and evidently understood what we
were doing. For when at last we flung the line into the water, they
rushed down and tried to get it. But the backwash carried it always
beyond their reach. One of them ran up to a cottage near-by and came
back with a jigger, and as the seas washed the rope along, tried to
fling it over, and hook the line. But they somehow couldn’t do it.

“Then I suddenly saw there was a big dog with them, rushing up and
down, and barking as they tried for the line. All of a sudden, after
they seemed to have done their best and failed, the dog rushed down
into the sea, held the rope in his teeth till the tide ran out, and
then backed with it till the men grabbed it. They took the line up the
cliff, and I helped rig a chair on it in which we tied the passengers,
and so sent them every one ashore safely. No, I didn’t even get my
feet wet myself. You see I had my rubbers on. The baby? Oh, I tied the
baby up in a mail bag and sent him ashore by himself. They told me
when they opened the bag to see what was in it, the baby just smiled
at them, as if it had only been having a bit of a rock in the cradle
of the deep.

[Illustration: After they seemed to have failed, the dog rushed down
into the sea, held the rope in his teeth....]

“We were home for Christmas after all. And somehow, Doctor, I had my
mind made up to how it would be about that when I said good-bye to
them that morning at Wild Bight.

“The folks all got together and gave that dog a hundred dollar collar
but the poor owner had to sell the dog, collar and all, a little later
to get food.”


[Transcriber’s Note: This story appeared in the April 1923 issue
of The American Boy magazine.]



*** END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE WRECK OF THE MAIL STEAMER ***


    

Updated editions will replace the previous one—the old editions will
be renamed.

Creating the works from print editions not protected by U.S. copyright
law means that no one owns a United States copyright in these works,
so the Foundation (and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United
States without permission and without paying copyright
royalties. Special rules, set forth in the General Terms of Use part
of this license, apply to copying and distributing Project
Gutenberg™ electronic works to protect the PROJECT GUTENBERG™
concept and trademark. Project Gutenberg is a registered trademark,
and may not be used if you charge for an eBook, except by following
the terms of the trademark license, including paying royalties for use
of the Project Gutenberg trademark. If you do not charge anything for
copies of this eBook, complying with the trademark license is very
easy. You may use this eBook for nearly any purpose such as creation
of derivative works, reports, performances and research. Project
Gutenberg eBooks may be modified and printed and given away—you may
do practically ANYTHING in the United States with eBooks not protected
by U.S. copyright law. Redistribution is subject to the trademark
license, especially commercial redistribution.


START: FULL LICENSE

THE FULL PROJECT GUTENBERG LICENSE

PLEASE READ THIS BEFORE YOU DISTRIBUTE OR USE THIS WORK

To protect the Project Gutenberg™ mission of promoting the free
distribution of electronic works, by using or distributing this work
(or any other work associated in any way with the phrase “Project
Gutenberg”), you agree to comply with all the terms of the Full
Project Gutenberg™ License available with this file or online at
www.gutenberg.org/license.

Section 1. General Terms of Use and Redistributing Project Gutenberg™
electronic works

1.A. By reading or using any part of this Project Gutenberg™
electronic work, you indicate that you have read, understand, agree to
and accept all the terms of this license and intellectual property
(trademark/copyright) agreement. If you do not agree to abide by all
the terms of this agreement, you must cease using and return or
destroy all copies of Project Gutenberg™ electronic works in your
possession. If you paid a fee for obtaining a copy of or access to a
Project Gutenberg™ electronic work and you do not agree to be bound
by the terms of this agreement, you may obtain a refund from the person
or entity to whom you paid the fee as set forth in paragraph 1.E.8.

1.B. “Project Gutenberg” is a registered trademark. It may only be
used on or associated in any way with an electronic work by people who
agree to be bound by the terms of this agreement. There are a few
things that you can do with most Project Gutenberg™ electronic works
even without complying with the full terms of this agreement. See
paragraph 1.C below. There are a lot of things you can do with Project
Gutenberg™ electronic works if you follow the terms of this
agreement and help preserve free future access to Project Gutenberg™
electronic works. See paragraph 1.E below.

1.C. The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation (“the
Foundation” or PGLAF), owns a compilation copyright in the collection
of Project Gutenberg™ electronic works. Nearly all the individual
works in the collection are in the public domain in the United
States. If an individual work is unprotected by copyright law in the
United States and you are located in the United States, we do not
claim a right to prevent you from copying, distributing, performing,
displaying or creating derivative works based on the work as long as
all references to Project Gutenberg are removed. Of course, we hope
that you will support the Project Gutenberg™ mission of promoting
free access to electronic works by freely sharing Project Gutenberg™
works in compliance with the terms of this agreement for keeping the
Project Gutenberg™ name associated with the work. You can easily
comply with the terms of this agreement by keeping this work in the
same format with its attached full Project Gutenberg™ License when
you share it without charge with others.

1.D. The copyright laws of the place where you are located also govern
what you can do with this work. Copyright laws in most countries are
in a constant state of change. If you are outside the United States,
check the laws of your country in addition to the terms of this
agreement before downloading, copying, displaying, performing,
distributing or creating derivative works based on this work or any
other Project Gutenberg™ work. The Foundation makes no
representations concerning the copyright status of any work in any
country other than the United States.

1.E. Unless you have removed all references to Project Gutenberg:

1.E.1. The following sentence, with active links to, or other
immediate access to, the full Project Gutenberg™ License must appear
prominently whenever any copy of a Project Gutenberg™ work (any work
on which the phrase “Project Gutenberg” appears, or with which the
phrase “Project Gutenberg” is associated) is accessed, displayed,
performed, viewed, copied or distributed:

    This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and most
    other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions
    whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms
    of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online
    at www.gutenberg.org. If you
    are not located in the United States, you will have to check the laws
    of the country where you are located before using this eBook.
  
1.E.2. If an individual Project Gutenberg™ electronic work is
derived from texts not protected by U.S. copyright law (does not
contain a notice indicating that it is posted with permission of the
copyright holder), the work can be copied and distributed to anyone in
the United States without paying any fees or charges. If you are
redistributing or providing access to a work with the phrase “Project
Gutenberg” associated with or appearing on the work, you must comply
either with the requirements of paragraphs 1.E.1 through 1.E.7 or
obtain permission for the use of the work and the Project Gutenberg™
trademark as set forth in paragraphs 1.E.8 or 1.E.9.

1.E.3. If an individual Project Gutenberg™ electronic work is posted
with the permission of the copyright holder, your use and distribution
must comply with both paragraphs 1.E.1 through 1.E.7 and any
additional terms imposed by the copyright holder. Additional terms
will be linked to the Project Gutenberg™ License for all works
posted with the permission of the copyright holder found at the
beginning of this work.

1.E.4. Do not unlink or detach or remove the full Project Gutenberg™
License terms from this work, or any files containing a part of this
work or any other work associated with Project Gutenberg™.

1.E.5. Do not copy, display, perform, distribute or redistribute this
electronic work, or any part of this electronic work, without
prominently displaying the sentence set forth in paragraph 1.E.1 with
active links or immediate access to the full terms of the Project
Gutenberg™ License.

1.E.6. You may convert to and distribute this work in any binary,
compressed, marked up, nonproprietary or proprietary form, including
any word processing or hypertext form. However, if you provide access
to or distribute copies of a Project Gutenberg™ work in a format
other than “Plain Vanilla ASCII” or other format used in the official
version posted on the official Project Gutenberg™ website
(www.gutenberg.org), you must, at no additional cost, fee or expense
to the user, provide a copy, a means of exporting a copy, or a means
of obtaining a copy upon request, of the work in its original “Plain
Vanilla ASCII” or other form. Any alternate format must include the
full Project Gutenberg™ License as specified in paragraph 1.E.1.

1.E.7. Do not charge a fee for access to, viewing, displaying,
performing, copying or distributing any Project Gutenberg™ works
unless you comply with paragraph 1.E.8 or 1.E.9.

1.E.8. You may charge a reasonable fee for copies of or providing
access to or distributing Project Gutenberg™ electronic works
provided that:

    • You pay a royalty fee of 20% of the gross profits you derive from
        the use of Project Gutenberg™ works calculated using the method
        you already use to calculate your applicable taxes. The fee is owed
        to the owner of the Project Gutenberg™ trademark, but he has
        agreed to donate royalties under this paragraph to the Project
        Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation. Royalty payments must be paid
        within 60 days following each date on which you prepare (or are
        legally required to prepare) your periodic tax returns. Royalty
        payments should be clearly marked as such and sent to the Project
        Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation at the address specified in
        Section 4, “Information about donations to the Project Gutenberg
        Literary Archive Foundation.”
    
    • You provide a full refund of any money paid by a user who notifies
        you in writing (or by e-mail) within 30 days of receipt that s/he
        does not agree to the terms of the full Project Gutenberg™
        License. You must require such a user to return or destroy all
        copies of the works possessed in a physical medium and discontinue
        all use of and all access to other copies of Project Gutenberg™
        works.
    
    • You provide, in accordance with paragraph 1.F.3, a full refund of
        any money paid for a work or a replacement copy, if a defect in the
        electronic work is discovered and reported to you within 90 days of
        receipt of the work.
    
    • You comply with all other terms of this agreement for free
        distribution of Project Gutenberg™ works.
    

1.E.9. If you wish to charge a fee or distribute a Project
Gutenberg™ electronic work or group of works on different terms than
are set forth in this agreement, you must obtain permission in writing
from the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation, the manager of
the Project Gutenberg™ trademark. Contact the Foundation as set
forth in Section 3 below.

1.F.

1.F.1. Project Gutenberg volunteers and employees expend considerable
effort to identify, do copyright research on, transcribe and proofread
works not protected by U.S. copyright law in creating the Project
Gutenberg™ collection. Despite these efforts, Project Gutenberg™
electronic works, and the medium on which they may be stored, may
contain “Defects,” such as, but not limited to, incomplete, inaccurate
or corrupt data, transcription errors, a copyright or other
intellectual property infringement, a defective or damaged disk or
other medium, a computer virus, or computer codes that damage or
cannot be read by your equipment.

1.F.2. LIMITED WARRANTY, DISCLAIMER OF DAMAGES - Except for the “Right
of Replacement or Refund” described in paragraph 1.F.3, the Project
Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation, the owner of the Project
Gutenberg™ trademark, and any other party distributing a Project
Gutenberg™ electronic work under this agreement, disclaim all
liability to you for damages, costs and expenses, including legal
fees. YOU AGREE THAT YOU HAVE NO REMEDIES FOR NEGLIGENCE, STRICT
LIABILITY, BREACH OF WARRANTY OR BREACH OF CONTRACT EXCEPT THOSE
PROVIDED IN PARAGRAPH 1.F.3. YOU AGREE THAT THE FOUNDATION, THE
TRADEMARK OWNER, AND ANY DISTRIBUTOR UNDER THIS AGREEMENT WILL NOT BE
LIABLE TO YOU FOR ACTUAL, DIRECT, INDIRECT, CONSEQUENTIAL, PUNITIVE OR
INCIDENTAL DAMAGES EVEN IF YOU GIVE NOTICE OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH
DAMAGE.

1.F.3. LIMITED RIGHT OF REPLACEMENT OR REFUND - If you discover a
defect in this electronic work within 90 days of receiving it, you can
receive a refund of the money (if any) you paid for it by sending a
written explanation to the person you received the work from. If you
received the work on a physical medium, you must return the medium
with your written explanation. The person or entity that provided you
with the defective work may elect to provide a replacement copy in
lieu of a refund. If you received the work electronically, the person
or entity providing it to you may choose to give you a second
opportunity to receive the work electronically in lieu of a refund. If
the second copy is also defective, you may demand a refund in writing
without further opportunities to fix the problem.

1.F.4. Except for the limited right of replacement or refund set forth
in paragraph 1.F.3, this work is provided to you ‘AS-IS’, WITH NO
OTHER WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT
LIMITED TO WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR ANY PURPOSE.

1.F.5. Some states do not allow disclaimers of certain implied
warranties or the exclusion or limitation of certain types of
damages. If any disclaimer or limitation set forth in this agreement
violates the law of the state applicable to this agreement, the
agreement shall be interpreted to make the maximum disclaimer or
limitation permitted by the applicable state law. The invalidity or
unenforceability of any provision of this agreement shall not void the
remaining provisions.

1.F.6. INDEMNITY - You agree to indemnify and hold the Foundation, the
trademark owner, any agent or employee of the Foundation, anyone
providing copies of Project Gutenberg™ electronic works in
accordance with this agreement, and any volunteers associated with the
production, promotion and distribution of Project Gutenberg™
electronic works, harmless from all liability, costs and expenses,
including legal fees, that arise directly or indirectly from any of
the following which you do or cause to occur: (a) distribution of this
or any Project Gutenberg™ work, (b) alteration, modification, or
additions or deletions to any Project Gutenberg™ work, and (c) any
Defect you cause.

Section 2. Information about the Mission of Project Gutenberg™

Project Gutenberg™ is synonymous with the free distribution of
electronic works in formats readable by the widest variety of
computers including obsolete, old, middle-aged and new computers. It
exists because of the efforts of hundreds of volunteers and donations
from people in all walks of life.

Volunteers and financial support to provide volunteers with the
assistance they need are critical to reaching Project Gutenberg™’s
goals and ensuring that the Project Gutenberg™ collection will
remain freely available for generations to come. In 2001, the Project
Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation was created to provide a secure
and permanent future for Project Gutenberg™ and future
generations. To learn more about the Project Gutenberg Literary
Archive Foundation and how your efforts and donations can help, see
Sections 3 and 4 and the Foundation information page at www.gutenberg.org.

Section 3. Information about the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation

The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation is a non-profit
501(c)(3) educational corporation organized under the laws of the
state of Mississippi and granted tax exempt status by the Internal
Revenue Service. The Foundation’s EIN or federal tax identification
number is 64-6221541. Contributions to the Project Gutenberg Literary
Archive Foundation are tax deductible to the full extent permitted by
U.S. federal laws and your state’s laws.

The Foundation’s business office is located at 809 North 1500 West,
Salt Lake City, UT 84116, (801) 596-1887. Email contact links and up
to date contact information can be found at the Foundation’s website
and official page at www.gutenberg.org/contact

Section 4. Information about Donations to the Project Gutenberg
Literary Archive Foundation

Project Gutenberg™ depends upon and cannot survive without widespread
public support and donations to carry out its mission of
increasing the number of public domain and licensed works that can be
freely distributed in machine-readable form accessible by the widest
array of equipment including outdated equipment. Many small donations
($1 to $5,000) are particularly important to maintaining tax exempt
status with the IRS.

The Foundation is committed to complying with the laws regulating
charities and charitable donations in all 50 states of the United
States. Compliance requirements are not uniform and it takes a
considerable effort, much paperwork and many fees to meet and keep up
with these requirements. We do not solicit donations in locations
where we have not received written confirmation of compliance. To SEND
DONATIONS or determine the status of compliance for any particular state
visit www.gutenberg.org/donate.

While we cannot and do not solicit contributions from states where we
have not met the solicitation requirements, we know of no prohibition
against accepting unsolicited donations from donors in such states who
approach us with offers to donate.

International donations are gratefully accepted, but we cannot make
any statements concerning tax treatment of donations received from
outside the United States. U.S. laws alone swamp our small staff.

Please check the Project Gutenberg web pages for current donation
methods and addresses. Donations are accepted in a number of other
ways including checks, online payments and credit card donations. To
donate, please visit: www.gutenberg.org/donate.

Section 5. General Information About Project Gutenberg™ electronic works

Professor Michael S. Hart was the originator of the Project
Gutenberg™ concept of a library of electronic works that could be
freely shared with anyone. For forty years, he produced and
distributed Project Gutenberg™ eBooks with only a loose network of
volunteer support.

Project Gutenberg™ eBooks are often created from several printed
editions, all of which are confirmed as not protected by copyright in
the U.S. unless a copyright notice is included. Thus, we do not
necessarily keep eBooks in compliance with any particular paper
edition.

Most people start at our website which has the main PG search
facility: www.gutenberg.org.

This website includes information about Project Gutenberg™,
including how to make donations to the Project Gutenberg Literary
Archive Foundation, how to help produce our new eBooks, and how to
subscribe to our email newsletter to hear about new eBooks.