The Hillsdale standard. [volume] (Hillsdale, Mich.) 1851-1909, 1864-10-25

1
off Cape Horn. The following graph
ic narrative, from the pen of one of the
passengers, is published in the English
papers: 'ai u. sl'l ~
81 was very recently passenger
from Australia to Liverpool, on board
one of the noblest ships, the Royal
Standard, belonging to the celebrated
White Star line of packets. We were
upwards of three hundred adults on
board, exclusive of the captain, officers,
stewards, and seventy-one crew, and
had as cargo three thousand bales of
wool and 100000 worth of gold. Az
ter the genial intcrtropical climate Of
the antipodes, we rapidly approached
'the Horn,' when the weather became
intensely cold. Morning, noon and
night groups of passengers huddled or
crept round the funnel Of our ship, for
we were an auxiliary screw, to gather
little extra warmth. On Sunday,
April Sd, latitude So deg. south, longi-
tude l49 degrees west, we saw the first
iceberg, and beautiful sight it was.
Monday, April 4th, opened with
thick, hazy weather, and good breeze,
before which we were going, without
steam, ten knots an hour, apprehensive
of no danger. Suddenly we ran into a
dense fog, and almost Immediately one
of the double lookout gave the alarm,
Broken water ahead = and almost i'm
mediately after, Ice on the larboard
bowl AT that moment / was writing
the newspaper | conducted on board in
the engineers mess-room; but hearing
the noise, and the ominous cry, Helm
hard starboardp / rushed on deck,
and looking over the bulwarks saw, to
my horror an immense mountain of ice
towering far above our-maintop gallant
mast, which was two hundred feet
above the water-line, and so close to us
that any man could jump on to it.
l. "All hands were Immediately sum-
moned to the deck, and everything done
to prevent what now appeared to bel in
evitable-a collision between our ship
and the iceberg. The yards were trim.
med, the sails adjusted, and everything
done to prevent this fearful catastrophe,
but in vain. The monster mountain OF
ice drew nearer and nearer to it. AT
length the inevitable moment came
one heavy roll ofthe ship, and the yards
of the foremast grated right into the
solid mass of ice, tearing out and hurl-
ing down upon the deck immense blocks
of ice, some of them of enormous size.
At the same moment the main and miz-
zen-topmast snapped at the cap with a
tremendous noise, and being made OF
ircn, hung over with all their gear
amidst the rigging, to the great danger
of every one on deck. While this was
going on, the men at the wheel stood
faithful to their duty, although one OF
them had his overcoat rent in twain by
a lump of Joe that fell in front of him,
yet did not touch him.
"The scene on deck was now indie
crihahle. Loudly were the orders
passed fore and aft to the hands, and as
heartily obeyed, to adjust the yards and
trim the ship so as to help her forge
ahead of the icebergs, many of the pas
sengers rendering good service in this
emergency. Under the forecastle deck,
were gathered groups of men, pale, 81.
lent, awe-struok. Two strong, stalwart
men had hold ofmy hands, and with big
tears rolling down their cheeks, cried
for mercy. Between decks women and
children were loud in their passionate
cries, end in the intermediate was an
elderly gentleman, a widower with Ave
children, in the agony ofwoe, expecting
his and their immediate destruction
Still the worst was not come again the
yards crunched into the iceberg where
l stood L looked up and saw that this
mountain of ice actually overhung the
ship, standing then six hundred feet out
of the water.
There were two large fissures run
ming from the top a considerable way
down, and as the ship rolled over fear
ed the yards would go into one of tl ese
assures. Had they done so they would
have brought down tons of ice that
would have sent us to the bottom in an
instant, We were spared that doom
but the next instant the fore-top gallant
mast, jib-boom, fore-top sail yard, stud.
ding sail boom. and all their gear, went
at the next crunch, tearing and splitting
the sails to ribbons. AT the same time
over the forecastle deck came rolling
vast torrents Of water, flooding the decks
and creating fresh source of danger.
The Royal Standard was now all but q
helpless log, crippled and dismantled ;
she presented most pitiable appear.
ance; and with her masts, yards, chains
and ropes all hanging over and dang.
ling about in most dangerous confusion,
the marvel is that no one was seriously
injured, if not killed.
"Still the worst had not come, and
but for the amazing strength of her iron
hull, all on board must have gone down
to the bottom, leaving no record oftheir
fate behind them. Bodily the ship drift,
ed up against the berg, her whole side
coming violently in contact with it, and
Il quote from the ships log lest my
account should be regarded as the nat
ural exaggeration of landsman's fears,
- smashed the starboard lifcboat, car
ried away the pumpkin, stove in all the
starboard bulwarks, stove in the star
board quarter in severalplaces also the
cabin, and sent the chronometers flying
about, lifting the poop deck beams one
foot, thus damaging all the cabins and
with another crash, split ourupper plate
amidships, and did other sundry dam
age. AT this moment total deftrpciion
seemed inevitable (; but as the ship slow
ly forged ahead under her main and
fore-sails, some hopes still remained. At
| last tho end of fho borer oor,a In x-,ou-