Polynesian., 1852-12-18


: on southern waters. The chances are, too
u that they will not have long to wait.
81 What Waves of the Sea are.
II There is no class of seamen more expose,
: or experienced than whalemen, in rougl
: weather and stormy seas; other classes sci
dom 'lay-to long enough to weather out
e storm, which commonly lasts three days, il
n seas termed ''outside of land" The frs
q day of the gale there is a short cutting sea
! with numerous white-caps seen in every di.
, rection, a spray now and then dashing vio,
! lently over the bows, and appearing very
much like a severe storm on Lake Erie
{ The taking in of light sails, lowering OF
: yards, lashing and securing boats, boiling
down the hatches, &c., are characteristic
| of the first day. Before dawn of the second
storm sails set, which consist of two or more
small sails, one at each mast close to the
deck, which serve to keep the ship steady
The ship is now "layng too," the helm is
lashed, and the watch on deck takes refuge
on the weather quarter. The seas now as
sumo every variety of shape, the entire sur
! face being covered with white foam, tossing,
boiling and Kissing, every sea threatening to
overwhelm the ship, and frequently appear
ing on level with the topmost head, and
cannot be less than 40 feet high. The best
| sea legs now on board cannot now cross the
deck without grasping and holding with the
hands. The gale is now blowing so severe,
that an old sailor told me that / could not go
upon the weather rigging without creeping
between the flaws of winds; here was every
chance for exerting strength with hands and
feet tried and found his statement cor
rect. Without giving any account of :he
terrors or dangers of each night, or Of wear
| ing ship, will 60 to the third day, the wind
continuing from one point. The seas at this
time are running parallel with each other,
and are much heavier and broader than the
| day before, being perfectly smooth, of a deep
! blue color, and very uniform, many Of them
forming one vast bilow, reaching from hori-
zon to horizon, and running at the rate OF
twenty miles per hour.
About every eighth sea is much larger than
the rest and assumes lofty and terrific ap-
pearance, and finally curls and breaks, ac-
tually overtaking the billow in advance, and
using it as ground floor to roll upon, leav-
ing white scroll Of foam across the ocean
far as the eye can reach and making noise
like the roaring Of distant thunder. This
sight has never yet been pictured by an ar
list; skiff may now ride in safety on the in
iermed;ate seas, but the staunchest ship ever
made cannot get blow from one Of these
breakers, without being more or less injured
During voyage of % months in the ship
Candace, of New London, we were in seve-
raj of these storms, and on only one occa-
sion one of these seas broke square on us-I
of fho of fha
when the breaker, as it were, dropped down
onus The third mate gave the alarm, the |
top ridge was seen curling down, midway be- |
tween the fore and fore-topmast yards, dis
tance of twenty-five feet from the deck
This sea, pressing downwards, washed the
men in wedging form, some under coils of
rigging, others between the pumps and be-
hind the spars, and some WITH difficulty with |
drew themselves from the crevices they had
been forced into. This sea broke the star
board bulwarks fore and aft, breaking fifteen
white oak stanchions, ten inches square, short
off, parting the iron of the main chains,
sweeping two valuable whale boats, davts,
ashings and all, by the board leaving us
wreck for several days. Counting the body
of the ship ten feet out of water, and that it !
had risen five feet from the bottom of the
it would leave a sea of forty feet.
During the same voyage, in the Indian
Ocean, we saw large class merchantmanl
to the leeward of it was not then blowing
strong, but a very heavy sea was running;
our captain chose 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 her
on our s,arboard one point, and about 600
yards distant Both ships were now nearing
each other, aud both settled down in the
trough of the sea simultaneously. The mer-
chantman evidently alarmed at our near ap-
proach, ran oftwo points This caused her
TO follow nearly in line Of the trough of the
sea, and her entire masts were entirely out OF
sight at least twenty seconds. Both ships
came up side by side, one sea distant, and
spoke each other. The merchantmen was
full rugged, having royal masts and sails set;
her masts, from the top of main royal, was
Judged by the officers and crew to be 90 feet
to the main deck, her body out of water lO
feet, her masts inclinng 40 degrees, would
have sea of so feet; this caused much won
der to the old sailors, it being sight seldom
seen, and was witnessed by the whole crew
of 81 men, al the dog-watch, at 6 O'Clock in
the afternoon; this sight cannot be witnessed
only on like occasions Scientific american.
An Amusing Scene-BlitZ and the Fire An.
nihiIatOr.
The recent successful experiment with the
= Ill Jf.I of or