Wisconsin herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1846-1849, 1847-12-04
MISCELLANEOUS.
:. ,.n,,.scene between Decks.

~. sea was running, and the waves
A1on HUM with heavy blows against the
thnnaeiee The ship. which quivered to her
slues " every stroke. Yet the gale had not
near T. 1ono enough to raise the waves much;
piom hasI;ng over to the wind-a position in
ana ~. vessel is both safer, and has less
Wn lion, motion than when it blows directly
'I Va.n and the lofty mast sways from side
a'' The good ship shot rapidly through
~ JorI0 water. dashing the foam from her
p LUZ while most of the passengers, quietly,
p~J without alarm, fell to sleep.
anu wild confused cry, a humping and
.u.sh;ng of heavy bodies, an almost Supply
inc and piercing pain in the head, walked
| him, (Werner.)
Alarmed and surprised, he opened his
owes: and although every thing around was
hidden in pitch darkness, he instantly per-
ce;ved that the ship must have changed her
tack. and was in consequence lying over on
tbe other side. on which his berth was--for
his head was thrown downwards, while his
feet were pointed almost perpendicularly
m,sards. He changed his position in all
haste The frightful din between decks,
however, went on; and creeping out of his
berth. he became at once aware of the
alarming condition in which he and the rest
of his fellow passengers were at that mo-
ment.
The luggage had been lashed to the
Sanctions, as is usual in passenger ships,
and in such way, too, that most of the lids
and covers might be opened to give the own
ers access to their stores of food and cloth
ing; but one of the peasants, not at once
compromising the reasonable purpose of
keeping the baggage fast, and the risk which
might attend the neglect of this precaution,
had in spite of the persuasion of the others,
loosened one of the ropes, in order to get
more easily at something in his chest. The
tailor, who lay in the berth above him, may
very likely have had a prophetic fear of the
trunks and cases dancing about in disorder;
for he had attempted to fasten them as be-
fore--but being ignorant of the mystery of
knotting ropes, had done it but poorly; so
that when the ship began to plunge-when
the whole weight of the baggage was swayed
over, now on this side, now on that, the fast
enng gave way, and down came Gathering,
first the little boxes and eases from the top
of the pile, followed, at last, by the heavy
ordnance, the immense chests of the emf
grants.
Many of them, indeed, with laudable zeal,
Instantly leaped out of their cribs, when they
perceived the danger; but from the frantic
motion of the ship, they could hardly keep
themselves npon their legs, how much less,
master these heavy ghts-and were fam,
as sudden shift of the vessel threw the
whole mass against them, to regain in all
haste their berths, where protected by stout
planks, in order to save themselves from be-
ing famed, or crushed to death by the lug
gage which came falling upon them.
Their condition now was terrible; and
was made sadder by the means of one of
the young fellows, who, in attempting to
reach the hatchway and get on deck, had
been badly wounded by some of the chests
falling upon him; while from all the berths
the noise was increased by the waning of the
women, the screams of the children, and the
grOans and sobs of the sea-sick.
1t was frightful confusion, and in vain
did they all rage and cry for help from the
sailors. In the darkness they could have
done nothing, had they even had leisure then
to attend to the unfortunate passengers
Then, when all might have supposed the
alarm to have reached its height and could
not be increased, there pierced through all
the din and uproar, through all the complain
ing and grooming, cry of agony and un-
speakabIe horror, so wild that even the sick
and the children hardened TO the sound, and
for moment an absolute hush followed the
dismal tumult 1t was but for moment
and the fearful exclamation-'' corpse!
cOrpse!'' sounded from berth to berth, from
lip to lipl-1he German EmigrGnt's Van
behring's.