Phenix gazette. [volume] (Alexandria [D.C.]) 1825-1833, 1830-04-02
SOUALL, IN THE MEDITERRANEAN.
E,o,n tbe J;f; of,a Midshipmdl.

Wind IN curl the surface of the sea, and there was
No agitation of the ship to prevent his writing with
the Greatest ease. He had, however, scarcely
commenced. ere he heard a foot hurrying rapidly
down the companion, and bursting into the gun
room; in an instant, the messenger returned upon
deck. followed BY one or twoof the othcers; the
boatswain piped aloud all hands aloft to reel the
topsails, and midshipman came rushing INTO
the berth, to say there was squat approaching,
and the sky to windward was as BLACK as midnight.
Godfrey was Just sealing letter to his mother;
he handed it to Frank, and requested HIM to take
charge of it for the Captains clerk, who would
enclose it in the packet for England. Frank
thrust it into his bosom, and his companion ran
hastily upon deck.
In some parts of the Mediterranean, there are,
at all times, to be apprehended sudden and vio-
lent gusts of wind, denominated by the seamen
:. SQUALLS" which come on almost as sudden as
lightning. Their first appearance on the verge OF
the sky is like dense black mass OF clouds, and
in the next moment they will be seen darkening
the surface of the water, and rushing towards the
vessels which lie in their direction, which are
instantly enveloped in the midst of their fury,
and frequently are unable to shorten sail rapidly
enough to prevent them from overseeing, and
sinking them to the bottom. Such was now the
case with the Syren. Frank, terrified at the con-
fusion and unwontetl hustle overhead, rose from
the table at which he was writing, and flew in a
panic upon deck; he saw the sky as black as pitch
around him, that but moment before had been
clear and bright and beautiful; and, In the dis
lance, the immense seventy-four OF the Admiral
was tossing like cork in the midst OF the tenn
pest.
He had no time. however. to attend to any
thing but the concerns of his own ship; the men
were now in confusion, scrambiing about the
rigging. and endeavoring to take in the expanded
sails, and leave nothing but the bare masts expos
ed, so that the hurricane might blow over. On
deck, the officers were running from one quarter
to another issuing orders, but it was all in vain.
The topsails were almost untouched, when the
suuall reached them, and the mainsail was only
half clewed up, when the impetuous gust of wind
filled it in an instant, and rendered it totally I'M
possible to take it in; the whole ocean had be-
come suddenly swoln and billowy, whilst the
raging wind blew sheets of foam from every wave
that curled above it, and rushed with terrific
sound through the masts and rigging in the Sy
rem. All this had passed in shorter time than
have taken to relate 1t: terror for a moment
seemed to paralize the efforts of the crew, and in
the next. the resistless tempest laid the vessel on
her side; the sea rushed in impetuously, and as
the storm continued to bear her stern under wa
ter, she filed in an Instant and sunk into the ter
rifle gulf; tremendous whirlpool accompanied
her descent, and as the waters closed above her,
gurgling rush of snowy foam arose to the sur
face of the sea, bearing with it some floating
spars of timber and some water-casks, which had
been lying on the decks.
At the moment of her decent, Frank grasped
convulsively the mast, but the powerful current
of the whirlpool quickly dsensaged him from his
hold, and he rose half stAed to the surface; here
again he was rapidly sinking, when wave threw
him towards beam of timber which came up
close behind him. He grasped it with desperate
forces and finding that it was sufficient to support
his weight he continued to cling to it, in spite of
the buffeting of the waves. 1t was now SO dark
that the Admiral's vessel was totally hidden from
his sight, nor could he distinguish any object,
even at very few yards distance. but all around
him he fancied he could hear the dying gurgling
screams of his drowning companions. At the
same moment he felt the hand of some struggling
wretch lay hold upon him; and OH turning
around, he saw the writing features ofpOor God
frey for an instant, as he was sinking forever be
meath the remorseless pillows. Trembling with
terror and Overpowering agony, he grasped still
closer the floating beam to which he was clinging;
but he heard, nor saw. nor felt nomore; he became
totally insensible to what was passing aroundhm,
and some hours seemed to have elapsed. when he
again recovered his consciousness.
The sun was setting, and the storm had ceased:
the sky was again pure, and calm and coud!ess,
but the sea was heaving, and troubled, ard bill
lowy. He saw the Britannia at distance, cruis-
ing about and evidently in search of the suryi-
vors from the wreck, and he perceived with ago
ny that it would be pitchy dark before She could
come near to where he was; he strove to rise and
stand upon the plank which feebly supported him,
but he was unable; and mad with terror and dis
appointment, he screamed and shouted at the dis
tant ship, till his lungs grew sore with the exer-
ton, and his heart sick with dread and apprehen-
sion. Yet still she came not near; she kept on
her course in one direction, whilst the wind and
the current were rapidly bearing him off towards
an island which lay to the east of the spot where
the syren had sunk. At last he saw the hurry
ing sun go down, and darkness brooded over the
face of the great deep; he saw the Britannia bear
away in the direction she had at first been steer
ing for; and as the last ray of hope failed him, he
abandoned himselldo despair
| During the night. no sound disturbed bis mo-