Cedar Falls gazette. [volume] (Cedar Falls, Iowa) 1860-1895, 1860-10-19
CEDAR FALLS, IOWA, FRIDAY, OCTOBER 49, 1860.
A Frightful scene-Escape of the Arabia.

A Frightful Scene--Escape of the Arabia.
DR.. Smith writes to the Springfield Repub-
lican, the following graphic account Of the
narrow escape of the steamer Arabia, in Au-
gust last, from sudden and terrible wreck on
Fasnet Rock, Cape Clear, Of which brief
account has been given: ',eg l.s
"In the midst Of life we are in dcath."-
just half an hour ago, while standing on the
bow, the ship running IA knots an hour un-
der steam and sails, in thick fog, heard a
shout" Land ahead ~ turned towards
the captain, or rather had my eye on him at
that moment. His face could not have ex-
pressed more horror if he had seen helPs
gates opened. He sprung to the engine bell,
at the same time shouting Hard a port
your helm ~ A counter order of Star
board! ~ was given. The captain leaped
from his footing, shouting so that his voice
was heard above the escaping steam, Hard
a port, in Gods namer' His order was
obeyed. Then turning forward among a
hubbub of voices shouting, eve are lost,
God have mercy on u.s." &C., &C., saw the
rocks not twenty feet from the ships bow.
On their top wasa light house. As we swung
round it seemed as il we should every mo-
ment feel the shock Of striking -
The huge swell of the Atlantic was reveb-
Grating and the spray flying all around US
The sails took aback, heeling us over so that
the deck stood up like the roof of a house.
| Women were screaming, seamen running to
and fro, and above all, the captain and lieu
tenants shouting so as to be heard above the
shrill, escaping steam, "hard port, hard,
hard y Brace around tho foreyard y "Let
fly the halyards and sheets fore and aft!
stepped abaft the foremast, to be out of the
way of its fall, and waited for the shock. =
But a- saaaE e.< .' s"ra& LII.
| ''There's sweet little cherub who sits up alon.
| And looks after the life ofpoor jack" -
We approached, as all agree, within ten
feet of the rock, and then began to recede.-
just realize that there was only ten feet be-
tween us and eternity 1t is the opinion oil
sea a-faring men 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 tie heavy surf. No--if she
had gone ten feet further We should have
been almost instantly precip;tated into ra.
| gng sea, where, six or seven miles from land
in dense fog, few Of us would have escaped
We should all have perished as miseralSy as
did those in the Hungarian. Three seconds
more would have tolled the death knell OF
most, if not all of us, for we were so cnvcl,
opcd in fog, and far from land, and also no
boat at the lighthouse, that if we had seize
fragments of the wreck they would have been
torn from our grasp by the sea, boiling as in
a cauldron, over the sunken reefs, hours be.
fore our fate could have been known
knew there was no time to run below for life
preservers-which are hung up by each berth
and so contented myself with just string
ing up my nerves for buffet with the waves
For three minutes, / can assure you man
showed what he is when expecting the liking
of Terrors.' Two or three ladies took it he.
rOically and seemed to draw in sire lgth from,
the scene around them. 1t was u terrible
moment for the captain--Captain Stone ol
the royal navy-fOr as we swung around, the
sails taking aback and hceling us over, every
body expected to feel the grinding crash be
meath our feet. felt for him, for all his
great rashness, and gladly say that to his dc
cision in our hour of need we owe our lives
The rock is called Fasnet Rock, and upon il
is the Cape Clear light house. A subscrip
ton is now being taken up among the pas
sengers for the seaman who first shouted
breakers ahead p | never shall forget tt
my dying day the face of the captain when
he heard that wild shout. have seen dis
tress and pain in all their forms, but never 9
face like that, so full of horror, perfect agony
and crushing responsibility. The. cry o.
breakers ahead" the stopping of the en-
gines, the escape Of the steam and the shift
ing of the helm, all occurred in one second
1t seemed at the instant as if it was utterly
impossible to stop the ships waysin time t
save us; but God rules. He put forth Hi
hand, and the vessel trembling as If will
mortal fear, yielded to her powerful engines
receeded from the rock and we were saved.
Oven DREssING-Thc r-drcssing o
American ladies in the streets, at hotels, ant
iu the churches, isasubject of general rcrnarl
among travellers from abroad, as well as sen
/ sible people at home: though to little purpose