The Council Bluffs nonpareil. [volume] (Council Bluffs [Iowa]) 1857-1867, 1860-10-06
A THRILLING NARRATIVE OF THE Is
CAPE OF THE STEAMER ARABIA.

| A sriser in the Springfield (Mass.) Re.
publican, gives the the following graphic
account Of the narrow escape Of the steam
ship Arabia from sudden and terrible wreck,
on Fasnes Rock, Cape Clear:
| STEAMSHIP ARABIA, ii A. u, Friday, Aug.
81 ls6u.-ln the midst of life we are in
death. Just half an hour ago, while stand
I ing on the bow, ship running IL knots an
hour under steam and sails, in thick fog.
| heard large shout. ''land ahead."
turned toxards the captain, or rather had
my eve on him at that moment. His face
could not have expressed more horror if he
had seen heifs gate opened. lie sprung to
the engine bell, at the same time shouting
s'hard port your helm" A counter order
of ''s.arsoard. was given. The captain
( leaped from his footing, shouting so that
I his voice vas heard above the escaping steam
'.hard arort in Gods name." His order
was obeysd. Then turning forward amongst
hubbuh Of voices shouting "we are lost, /"
"God hare mercy on u.s." &c., &C., saw
! the rocks not twenty feet from the ships
bows. On their top was a light house. As
we swung around, it seemed as if We should
every moment feel the shock Of striking.
The hugo sxell Of the Atlantic was reverb.
Grating, and the spray hying all around US.
The sails took abaek, hecling up over so
that the deck stood up like the roof of q
house. Women were screaming, seameu
running to and fro, and above all the cap
tain and lieutenants shouting so as be heard
above the shrill, escaping steam sshard a
port, hard, hard !" '.Brace around the
fore yard ~ "Let fy the haiyards and
sheets fore and aft - stepped abaft the
forcmas, to be out of the way Of its fall, and
waited for the shock. But
There's a sweet little eherub who sits up aiost,
Aud looks after the life OF poor Jack.''
We approached, as all agree, within ten
feet Of the rock, and then began to recedc.
just realize that there was only ten feet
between US and eternity. Ii is the opinion
of sea faring men on board that the ship,
it she had struck, would have sunk in five
minutes, for 1t is n sharp ledge of rocks,
SIX or seven miles from any shore, and deep
water all around. The boats could not
have been 90, ready, and if they could, they
never would have lived in the heavy surf.
No; if she had gone ten feet farther,
we should have been almost instantly pre-.
cipi;ated into raging sea, where six or
seven miles from land, in q dense fog. few
OF us would have escaped. We should have
all perished as miserably as did those in the
Hungarian. Three seconds more would
have toled the death knell of most, if not
all of US, for we were so enveloped in fog,
and far from land, and also no boats at the
lighthouse, that if We had seized fragments
of the wreck they would have been torn
from our grasp by the sea, boiling rs in
a cauldron, over the sunken reefs, hours
before our fate could have been known.
knew there was no time to run below for
lie preservcrs,-which are hung up by each
berth,-and SO contented myself with Just
stringng up my nerves for buffet with
the waves. For three minutes, | can assure
you man showed what he is when expecting
the "king of Terrors." Two or three ladies
took it heroically, and seemed to draw in
strength from the scene around them. Ii
was terrible moment for the Captain
Capt. Stone, of the royal navy-for as we
swung around, the sails taking aback and
heehng US over, everybody expected to feel
tho grinding crash beneath our feet. fel,
Tor hun, for all his great rashness, 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 subscription is now
being taken up among the passengers for
the seaman who first shouted "breakers
ahead - | never shall forget to my dying
day the face Of the Captain when he heard
that wild shout. l have seen distress and
pain in all their forms, but never face
like that, so full of horror, perfect agony
and crushing responsibility. The cry
"breakers ahead," the stopping of the en-
g'nes, tho escape of the steam, and the
shifting the helm,, nll occurred in one Sec
ond. 1t seemed at the instant rs though
it was utterly impossible to stop the ships
way IN time to save US; but God rules. lie
put forth his hand, and the vessel trembling
rs it with mortal fear, yielded to her power
full engines. receded from the rock, and we
were saved.