Cincinnati daily press. [volume] (Cincinnati [Ohio]) 1860-1862, 1861-03-06

The following narrative Il assorted % b.
entirely true BIZ its auihorsr,
Il was n night OF pitchy darhnesn. A
four bells In Che frst watch not a breath a.
air was moving, ard The drenched safls, vet
by the afternoon and evening raina hung
heavily from the yards or Mapped nealnatthe
masts and riqnina. AZ The ship rolled iosilv
on the long leadsn gfeils Of the Paolfe
| Ocean. A number Of days had pasped Win.
out an observation Of tho sun or stars and
they had to run by dead reckoning and
were not therefore a ;g5e q - 'p Sss, ALTITUDE or
The captain bad gone below at elrht Init
feeliug Troubled about the portsntoua an
pearance ofthe weather, wasunable 70 sIeop.
| and was on deck again, walking nefvousfy
fore and aft sew leekiHF gn tns side md
| looking anxiously ont into the darkness.
then NJ. then AZ the COMPASS, and then at
the barometer whiehhung s. in the cabin gang
way.
Of her helm, and the mercury tod NE same
tale It had told for houTB bafOres IN vain
did the eyes Of anxious men peer into the
darkness; only inky bhaokneas met their
s~traipiv0 gaze eyery-whero. Thus matters
stood tiiI SIX bells, when the mercury began
to fall suddenly. The quick, Jerking voice
of the captain was then heatqt
"Mr. Smalley, yOnsnaay take IN the light
aGy, ay, sir" and Stepping to the main
mast he called out: nFofard, there;V and
was Immediately answered. "FoFard sir"
Stand BY the ~t0p-gallant and the fiytngiib3
In a mOmenshU heard The report, "resdY,
dLet 20 the halyards and cIew down; let
90 the sheets and clew up; thatll do; Delay
all; now Jump up and fufl thsmi be lively,
lads" 80
While this was going on the captain took
another look at the barometer, and found the
mercury still going down fast. Thoroughly
aroused now, he caught his speaking
trumpet from the beckets and sung out,
Hold on, there; down from eloft every
maj of you; call all hands. Dom came
the men again; .An aanes anoy, was
the cabin and forecastle gangways. and then
followed one of those scenes which deies
such description as would make it inteIligi-
bic TO a lsndsman, but which any sailor
readily understands. The top sails were
close. reefed, a reef taken in the mainsail,
the ii6, and ~fying.iib, and all the light
sails were furled, and the ship made ready
for the expected gale. But yet no breath Of
air had been felt moving, whilean unnatural
stiffness and heaviness of the atmosphere
was observed by all. Several of the seamen
saw a dim purple streak suddenly appear
right ahead Of the ship, and called out,
Here it comes, sir"
"Where2h said the captain.
Fright ahead, sir"
"Hard-a-port your helm"
"Hard-a- port it is, sir"
"Brace round the yards"
GAY, ay, sir"
The yards were braced around and the
ship was got ready to receive the expected
blast on the larboard side. That dreadful
streak of cloud grew almost %criusoni and
there was heard what they thought was
the heavy roar of the coming gale, and every
man seemed to hold his breath awaiting the
shock. Good men aud courageous sailors
were on that ships deck, but they shrunk
from the terrible onslaught like frightened
children. When God speaks in those storms
His voice is awful to the ear and many g
strong man is quailed before it. And the
storm itself is scarcely more trying to ones
nerves than the moment before it strikes,
while men wait in dreadful suspense.
Thus those men waited till the minuseR
heightened into hours, and the only change
perceptible was in the deepening. color Of
that lowering cloud Of crimson light. AT
length eight bells told that four o'clock had
arrived, and daylight was looked for as those
men in the ship with Paul looked for it when
they "wished for day.
But the struggling light of the day seemed
only to reveal the thickness Of the darkness
to the wandering vision. just at daylight
their ears were stunned with successive,
quick reports, louder than whole broad-sides ?
from 8 hundred gun-shin the whole heavens
were lighted up with q 6eTy-red light; tho
ocean was stirred from her profound depthst
great waves, without any visible cause ran, Z
in the most awful commotion, now striking
together and throwing the white foam and
spray high in air, then parting to meet again
in tearful embrace as before a school of
sperm whales ran athwart the ships bows, z
making every exertion to escape from the
straDgely-troubled water; within a few ca
BILE lengths of the ship an immense column Of G
water was thrown mast-head high, and fell
back sgain with 3 roar like Niagara; a deep
mournful noise, like the echo Of thunder
among mountain caverna, was conSfantIY
heard, and none could tell whence it came; %
the noble ship was tossed and shaken like 8
play-thiDg.
Great God have mercy upon usln cried
officers and men. "What is this2 What IL a
coming nextl Is 1t the day Of judgment2"
Theroyal Psalmist described them accurately. Z
They reel to and fro, and stagger like q
drunken NAB, and are at their wits end y (
Soon the Eystery was solved, when right
before their eyes, about one league from
them, there arose the rough sides ofa mount
ain ont of the yielding water, and reared its
head high in the air; then fFoua its summit
flames burst forth, and melted lava raa like ?
a river down the declivity, and fell like n .
cascade of flame irto the seething OCEAN. z
Ii was a birth-throe of nature, and an island
was born which was miles in circumference. 4
Two years atterWRrd / sailed right over 2
place, but the placid water rave no In
that an island had been there; vet
no man has said that he saw the death and p
burial OF that land whose birth I have thua
They that go down to the sea
10 ships, that do usine in the great waters:
these see the works Of the Lord, and His B
wonders in the Deep"