Washington telegraph., 1852-08-11
A Storm at sea.

The following very good description Of a
storm at sea, and estimate of the height of
waves, is communicated to. the Scientific
Americans by g. r. NJ. Wall
There is no class Of seasnens more expos
cd or experienced than Mhalesnsen, in rough
weather and stormy seas; other classes fscl
dom LAY to long enough to weather out a
storm, which commonly lasts three days. in
seas termed outside of land The first day
OF the gale is a short cutting sea with num-
erorls white caps seen ia every direction, a
spray now and then dashing Violently over
the bows, and appearing very mach like a
severe storm on lake Erie. The taking In Of
light sails. lowering of yards, lashing and
securing boats, boiling down the matches,
&c, are characteristics of the first day.
Before dawn Of the second day, the large
sails are all furlcd, and the storm sails set
which consist OF two or morc small sails, one
at each mast close to the deck, which serve to
keep the shipisteady. The ship isnow laying
to the helm is lashed, and the watch on deck
takes refuge on the weather quarter. The
seas RON assume every variety Of shape, the
entire surface being covered with white foam,
tossing boiling and kissing, every sea threat
ening to oycrwhelm She ship, and frequent
" appearing on level with the top-mast
head, and cannot be less than forty feet high.
The best sea legs On board cannot now cross
The deck without grasping and holding with
the hands. The gale Is now blowing so Sc
vcrely that an cid sailor told me could not
60 upon the weather rigging without creep
ing between the flaws Of wind here was
every chance for exert;ng strength with
hands and feet tried, and found his state
ment correct. Without giving any account
Of the terrors and dangers of this night, or
wearing ship. [ win go to the third day, the
wind continuing from one point. Tae seas
at this time are running parallel with each
other, and are much heavier and broader
than the day before, being perfectly smooth,
Of deep blue color, and very uniform,
many of them forming one vast billow,
reaching from horizon to horizon, and run
nng at the rate of twenty miles per hour
About every eighth sea is much larger than
the rest, and assumes a lofty and terrible
appearance and finally curls and breaks, ac-
tualy overtaking the billow in advance, and
using it as ground floor to roll upon, leaving
awhile scroll Of foam across the ocean as far
as the eye can reach, and making noise like
the roaring Of distant thunder. This sight
has never yet been pictured b. the hand of
an artist; skiff may now ride in perfect safe
ty on the intermediate seas, but the staunch-
est ship ever made cannot get blow from
one Of these breakers, without getting more
or less injured
During voyage of twenty-three months
In the ship Candace, of New London we were
in several of these storms, and only on one
occasion one of these seas broke square on u.s.
We were rising out of the trough of the sea,
when the breakers as it were, dropped down
on us, the third mate gave the alarm-the
top ridge was seen curling down midway be-
tween the fore and -topmast yards. about
twenty-five feet from the deck. The sea-
pressing downwards, washed the men In
wedging form, some under coils Of rigging,
others between the pumps and behind the
spars, and some with difficulty withdrew
themselves from the crevices they had been
forced into.
This sea broke the starboard bulwarks
fore and aft, breaking fifteen white oak
Sanctions ten inches square, short off, part
ing the main chains, sweeping two valuable
whale boats, davits. lashings and all, by the
board, and leaving us wreck for several
days. Counting the body Of the ship ten
ieet from the bottom of the trough, it would
leave sea of forty feet
During the same voyage, in the Indian
Ocean, we saw large class merchantmen to
the leeward of us it was not then blowing
strong, but very heavy sea was running !;
our captain choose to run down and speak
her she was sailing on the wind and starboard
tack when getting on line with her course
We luffed on the larboard tack, which left
ne ner on our starboard one point, and about
ooo yards distant. Both ships were now
nearing each other and both settled down In