three o'clock in the afternoon
A few hours of hard work were sufficient to accomplish this , and the `` Alaska '' was once more afloat , strained indeed , and weighed down by the water which made its way into some of her compartments , and with her engine silent , but manageable . All the crew , who were assembled on the deck , watched anxiously the result of these efforts , and a loud hurrah greeted the deliverance of the `` Alaska . '' The Frenchmen replied to this joyful cry with similar acclamations . It was now three o'clock in the afternoon . Above the horizon the beautiful February sun inundated the calm sparkling sea with floods of sunshine , which fell also on the rocks of the Basse-Froide , as if to efface all remembrance of the drama which had been enacted there the previous night . That same evening the `` Alaska '' had been safely towed into the harbor of L'Orient . The next day the French maritime authorities , with the utmost courtesy , authorized the necessary repairs to be made without delay .