Phenix gazette. [volume] (Alexandria [D.C.]) 1825-1833, 1828-05-23
From the Journal of Captain Andrew Smith.
THE FEVER SHIP.

d.s,ina,ion and discharged my cargo. MY YES
,v,s called the Lively Charlotte, tight brig,
well found ior trading, and navIgaled by lhirteeh
ba,ds Irrloaded with sugar and rum Tor Hal
flax, intending to freight from tina: place LOT
England befor. the setting In Of winter ms
object could only achieve by using douoie AT
;rSncc. allowing n reasonable time Tor accident-
a. obstacles My brig was built sharp Tor SAIL
ing fast, and did not trouble myself about con-
vow IN was daring wary as could run fair
race with i common priVateer, and we trusted
10 mauGuvring Iour heavy carronadfs, ana
formidable show ofpalnlcd ports and quak' rs,
fer escaping cap,urr by any enemy not possess
ING such an oyCrwht lining superiority oil force
as would give him confidence 10 run boldly j.
lorg side, and find out what were really our
means of defence. speedily shipped what pro-
visions aad necessaries wanted, and SET sall-
A breeze scarcely sufhcIen' 20 fill the canvass
carsied us cat Of Port Royal harhor.-lhe
westipr was insufierably hot; The air seemed
full OF fire; nd The redness Of the atmosphere,
not long before sunset, glarec as intensely asthe
fame of burning city Jamaica wasSsry slckiy
the yellow fe, yer had destroyed numbers oil Inc
inhabitan ;, and three-iourtaS OF all new COM
ers speedily bee ame i S victims. had been for
tuua e cnough 10 lose only two men during my
STAY of three or four weeks, Jack Wlson and
DIV and healthy men in the brig: the ifs, died
in th,r, y-ni t hours Il pe .,,s attacked, and
the econd on the fur,a dsy. Two bands,
besides were III when we left, which reduced To
nine the number capable of performing duty. l
Imagined that putting 10 SEA VAS The best plan
Cou ii adopt 10 affoi d the sick chance OF re-
covery, and 10 rrtard the spreading % me uiS-
arr~i vo-A-rTt~i-rV-~is.,,
ms, and Oh The evening OF the day on which we
lost sight of land dnOlLei hand died and three
more were aken i'll Still congratulated my
self was no worse Fl, since othe: vessels had
lost half their crews while in Port Royal, and
some III much less time han we had remained
thers.-We sailed pyusrcrossIy through the
wlndwart pa,sa =; So close Cuba that we
cuuli plainly dis auish the trees and shrubs
growing upon j., aud then shaped our course
norIhca sterlv, to Ciear TIC bahamas and gam
the great ocean.
we Rad seen and lost sight Of Crooked Is.
land three days, when it became oil at once
dead calm; even the undularion of the sea, COM
monty called the ground swell, subsidized, the
sails hung aCkened from the yard; the vessel
ST. Ut like turtle on the OCEAN, which became
as smooth summer mill pond. The almost,
phere could not have sustained i feather: cloud
less aud clear, the blue serene above and the
sa,er below alike spoIless, and stAgnant.
Disappointment aud ,mpaience were exhibited
byus all, while the sun ilaing from the burning
sky, melted the ?jtcn IN the rigging till il ran
down on the decks, and beefsie. Il might have
been broil-d on the anchor luke. We could
not pace the planks without biistering our feet,
until ordered al awning over The deck Tor our
protection: but still lhe languor we experience
ed was overpowering.
\ dead calm Is always viewed with an unea>
sy sensation by seamen, but in the present case
it was more Than usually unwelcome; 10 the
sick il denied the freshness Of the breeze tina,
would have mitgaed in some degree their ago.
mics; and il gave predlsposiion to the healthy
10 imbibs the contagion, las>ltude and despon.
dency being is powerful auxiharies. Assisted
by the great hcal, The fever appeared 10 iecom
pose the very substance Of the blood; and its
progress was so rapid, that no medicine could
operate before death closed he set ne Of suffer-
ing. / had no surgeon on board, but from
medicine chest | in vain administered the COM
mon remedies; but what remedies could be ex>
pected to act with efficacy, VIII re the disease
destroyed life almost as quickly as the current
of life circulated j had now bu, five men a.
bic to do duty, and nev,roan forget my feel
ings when three of these were taken III on the
fourth day OF our unhappy mac ivily. One Of
the SICK expired, as stood BY his Cot, in horri
Die conyu SONS. His skin VAS OF saffron hue;
watery blood oo2ed from every pore, aud from
he corners of his eyes-he tmsd dissolvlng
into blood, liquefying into death. Another
man rushed upon deck in fit of delirium, *
spraak over the ships side into The very jaws
of :he numerous SHARKS Ina: lowered ra,enous
around US, and seemed 10 be aware of the havoc
death was making.
l had now the dreadful prospect Of seeing all
that remained perish, and prayed TO God nigh,
no; be the last; for should then become an
OCEAN solitary, dragging on life of hours in
every second. days space must then be an
ase oil misery. There was still no appearance
OF areeze springing up; the hor ible calm ap-
peared as il il would endure forever. A storm
would have been welcome. The Irritating ,n>
doence, the frightful loneliness and tranquility
that reIgoed around, united wi the frequent
presrnc. of human dissolution; thinning our
scsnIy numbsr,was more Ihsn the frmesl nerves