Litchfield enquirer. [volume] (Litchfield, Conn.) 1829-current, 1846-10-15
"Thc PerilS of the Ocean,"
THE GREAT WESTERN.
Saturday, Sent. 10, 1916.

The steamship Great Western, B. R.
Mathews, Esq. Commander, lett Liver
pool at 4 O'Clock, p. NJ. having on board
one hundred and twenty six pas
sengerS, Captain, five officers, five
engineers, and seventy-tour crew, in all
Two hundred and eleven persons.
The weather, generally, was pleasant
for the season of the year, and our pro-
gress good, averaging 200 miles day.
Saturday, Sept 10Th, lat. 4S "a, long.
81 43, at 4 p. NJ. light airs from the S. E.
and toggy, with Ii ght drizzling rain. Go,
IN" yards alnft, and SGT the jibs aud fore
spencer. BrerzrS refreshing. Al set
the single reettd main spencer and the
square sails, with Two reefs in the top
sail.
"At 8 P. NJ. the wind increasing and
variable to the westward, took in the
square sails, outer jib and NUN spencer.
AT 10 P. M. freShrniag gales, andsugly
weather, SEA getting up and tossing high.
Al midnight increasing gales and heavy
squalls; took in the fore spencer, the out
haul having broken in The mean time, the
inner jib stay bulls eye hook broke, and
the sail became useless; hauled it down
and SET the fore stay sail"
The above is an extract from the Cap
ta,n's log book. and gives an account of
the cn,nmt ncemrnt of the awful storm
which the Greet Western surmou lted on
her passage from Liverpool to New York;
one so terrific during lis continuance,
and marked by such II signal dellverance
in the end, that it should be carefully
related.
Sunday morning most Of the pass"n-
| gers assembled in the cabin and saloon.
Their haggard faces told 700 surely OF
the slccpless and anxious ght which
had passed. Even those most ignorant
of NAUTICAL affairs could not fail TO dis.
cover that we were in the midst or great
peril. Few could dress with their accus-
toned care, owing to the violent pitching
and constant rolling of the vessel. The
stewards abandoned any attempt to pre-
pare the breakfast table, and both then,
and throughout the day, were obliged Ia
content themselves with bringing such
articles of food as we re most convenient,
to tn ,se who tel, any disposition TO eat.
ell o'clock A. M. A heavy sea broke
over the fore part of the starboar6 wheel
house, or paddle box, which started the
ice house, and large iron life boat, from
their fa>lenings, aud washed them to lee
ward. and with much difficulty they were
temporarily Secured.'
! To understand this. the reader must
bear in mind that the Great Western Is,
so TO speak, three stories high forward
aud at!, ard Two in the waist or middle of
the ship: aft, there is The lower story or
cabin, atove il, the saloon, the rnofor COW
rring of which is The quarter deck, and
may for the purpose of description ht
considered as Il third story. In the
waist or middle, the lower story Is &C
chpicd by the engine room, the root or
covering If which is the main deck. On
this main deck, in the centre, are iced
| The chimney, ga,iIe>, and ic" house. The
| various officers np.n,t ,ining 10 the slew
ards and police OF the ship at The Sides
This part is open above. and projected
by the wheel nous IS and sid = OF The ship.
which rise to the high, Of Ia feet The
width Of the paddle box is about IL feet.
The ice house contained sDlnH seven
or eight tons OF ice, and was fastened
| by elects and StHnchiunS. Let the reid
or imagine the force OF the sea, and the
hight of the wave, which, rising over the
paddle box, struck The zee house, and the
large iron life boat above II, twisted them
from their fasirnings, breaking the ice
house into two parts, ripping off the
pianks, crushing the starboat com panon
way, and oniy prevented from making
| Il clear breach in the SIDES OF the snip,
| by sudden lures to port. Meantime
the wind howl.d most frighlfuIly through
the rigging.
Word was passed among the passrn.
gers that two Of our boats were gone, and
the others were likely to fellow, the dav-
its and bolts beginning to give. But not
ii remark was mad" each spoke to IN"
other only through the eye. And the o.
minous silence which prrvaded the whole
company, told how sensbly all felt them,
selves III the very presence of the king oil
Tcrrors, uncertain OF their doom.
Ii was wonderful To see how few
shor, hours changed the condition and
feelings OF all on board. The grade> and
distinctions incident to so large a COM
pany, varying in social position. cit'Z'n>
of al most all countries, and protesting
different creeds, yet, in the presence OF
SO Imminent danger, all dl>lincllonss '"m
| ell merged mo one common fl'OIIOn Vi
awe. as we sto": together in the court OF
The great IrvvIer, death
With This intense feeling which bound
US together as one, came also another Of
IN opposite and repelling charac,cr.-
Every heart Was DEEPLY occupied with
its individual grirfs and mem 'rics. rs #
not another shared the peril. Home,
with its loved or s. and IL thousand cher.
| i>he.! hopes and joys, rose fresh to the
view, aud with ID power like the storm,
SWEEP over the mind and left it like the
Ocean, tempcst-tost and troubled.
"Sce." said gentleman to me, "no
one co1verses, no one rcads-ali are en-
gagged, each with h s own thoughts; and
if my wife and children were here. |
confess my feelings woa'd be OF the
most distressing character" "But,'
said ], they suffer in your loss" "V"-
ry true; yet il is only question of time;
and, whether sooner or later, Gods will
be DONE"
AT noon, storm and sea raging in all
its fury. sra struck the larboard paddle