Cleveland morning leader. [volume] (Cleveland [Ohio]) 1854-1865, 1860-09-18
STEAMSHIP ARABIA-II A. NJ.
Friday-Aug. Sd, 1860.

Friday-Aug. Sd, 1860.
In the midst of life we are in death. Just
half an hour ago, while standing on the
bows, the ship running IA knots an hour
under steam and sails, in a thick fog, heard
loud shout Gland aheadr | turned to-
wards the captain, or rather had my eye on
him at that moment. His face conld not
have expressed more horror if he had seen
hell's gates opened. He sprung to the engine
bell, at the same time shouting "hard a-pOrt
your helmP \ counter order of star
board was given.
The captain leaped from his footing, shout
ing so that his voice was heard above the
escaping steam, hard a-port, in Gods
name" His order was obeyed. Then turn
ing forward, among a hubbub of voices
shouting we are lost" God have mercy
or us, &c, &c, saw the rocks not 90 feet
from the ships bows On their top was
light house. As we swung around, it seemed
as if we should every moment feel the shock
of striking. The huge swell of the Atlantic
was reverberating, and the spray flying all
around US. The sails took aback, heeling us
over. so that the deck stood up like the roof
of house. Women were screaming, seamen
running to and fro, and above all the captain
Eand neutenants shouting so as to be heard
ABOVE INC SrrTrr DsC5If fJrrrE
hard, hardl Brace around the foreyard r.
''bet fly the halyards and sheets fore and aft r.
stepped abaft of the foremast to be out of
the way of its fall, and waited for the shock.
But
There's a sweet little cherub who sits up aloft
And looks after the life of poor Jack"
We approached, as all agree, within ten
feet of the rock, and then began to recede.-
Just realize that there were only ten feet be-
tween US and eternity. 1t is the opinion of
sea-faring meH on board that the ship, if she
had struck, would have sunk in five minutes,
for it IS a sharp ledge of rocks six or seven
miles from any shore, and deep water all
around. The boats could not have been got
ready, and, if they could, they never could
have lived in the heavy surf No-if she
had gone ten feet farther we should have been
almost instantly Drecipitated into a raging
sea, where six or seven miles from land, in a
dense fog, few of US would have escaped
We should have all perished as miseraby as
! did those in the Hungarian.
Three seconds more would have tolled the
death-kneH of most if not all of u.s. for we
were so enyeloped in fog, and far from land
and also no boat at the lighthouse, that if we
had seized fragments of the wreck they would
have been torn from our grasp by the sea,
boiling as in cauldron over the sunken
reefs, hours before our fate could have been
! known. | knew there was no time 10 run
/ below for ife-preservers are hung up
/ BY each berth-and so cenUented myself with
just stringing up my nerves Tor buffet with
the waves For three minutes can assure
/ you, man showed what he is when expecting
the " King of Teuors." Two or three ladies
took it heroically, and seemed to draw in
strength from the scene around them. 1t was
a terrible moment for the Captain, (Capt
StOne) for as we swung around, the sails tax
ing aback and heeling us over, everybody ex-
pected to feel the grinding crash beneath our
feet. I felt for him, for all his great rash
ness, and gladly say that to his decision in
our hour of need we owe our lives.
The rock is called Fasnet Rock, and upon
/ it is the Cape Clear Lighthouse. A subscrip-
ton is now being taken up among the pass
engers for the seaman who first shouted
"breakers ahead" l shall never forget to
/ my dying day the face of the Captain when
he heard that wild shout. 1 have seen dis
trcss and pain in al their forms, but never i
face like that, so full of horror, perfect ago
ny, and crushing responsibility. The cry
"breakers ahead, the stopping of the en-
/ gines, the escape of the steam, and the shift
ing the helm, all occurred in one second. Il
seemed at the instant as if it was utterly i'm
possible to stop the ships way in time to save
us but God rules He put forth His hand,
and the vessel, trembling as if with mortal
fear, yielded to her powerful engines, receded
from the rock, and we we've saved.