Dayton daily empire. [volume] (Dayton [Ohio]) 1850-1865, 1864-07-20

commoda,ing ourselves 10 the strsightsfor
ward, upeud-down motion, a tremendous
wave, without note Of warning would strike
our ship upon the side, with jar as il from
ten million sledge hammers, and send us hy-
ing loosely entirely across the deck 70 be-
saved from Watery deaths, BY the friendly rsil.
ings or the whee.house, at the expense Of
bleeding faces and bruised limbs or when, as
We lay in our berths at night, dense darkness
I'll about us, the tremendous billows would
come rushing and rolling over our heads, i'm
pressing ms with tho idea that at LAST We we're
overwhelmed and lost More than once they
brought me to my feet, with thoughts for a
moment intent on life-pteservers and a swim
for life, but the utter hopeessness of such an
effort, was so manifest, that at last | learned
to lie quietly and even TO turn again to peace
fol sleep
Again, our sensations were not OF the most
satisfying nature when ourship after climbing
a mountain wave would 10 headlong down the
other side, like boys sled down bill, bury
It's bow far into the billow beyond, and there
remain for a moment motionless, save a slight
quivering which seemed to us the throes OF
final dissolution, and a sure indication that we
never would rise again.
by way Oi y Wleu 10 express
my disbelief Of the statements recently made,
that the height Of The waves Of the ocean never
exceeds twenty-five or thirty feet Our ship,
which is 425 ieet long, and, next TO the Great
Eastern the largest vessel sAoat, was again
and again with its whole length upon the
slope OF single wave, at an angle which GER
tainly indicated perpendicular height Of
eighty or ninety feet, and no one who watched
Nba nf he kau al 6
sci, would for moment except to the use ol
the expression "the waves ran mountain
high -
The sights to be seen and the sounds TO be
heard in all parts Of the ship during this weary
week Of tempestuous weather. were sorrowfui,
ridiculous or disgusting as the observer hap
pened to be tender hearted, strong and harsh,
in the possession Of an undisturbed digestion,
or himself victim of the prevailing nausea,
A very large proportion Of our passengers
we're ladies and children, aud down below, on
the sofas, chairs and floors, Of the saloons,
we're shswled and blanketed bundles of suffer
ing humanity, to whom "a grasshop
per was a burden" and mere exist
ence unmitigated torture. l want nothing
to do with man, who says he prefers such
weather as this to gentle breezes aud smooth
sea EVeu u one y own pnySlchl economy
remains undsturbed, he must be but little
better tbss beast if he can profess sstisiac.
| ton when Others are so miserable about him.
And then the ceaseless tossing and pitching
in such weather prevents even the hardest
from taking any comfort There is of course
no place where one can be still If he takes
a stool TO sit by the smoke.stack and read, be
must balance himself backwards and forwards
and then every few moments spring up to
avoid a monster wave, that comes curling
over the deck, or seize the railings to main.
,ain his position, when the ship reels under
heavy blow npon her side. II he would eat
he must hold fSst in his hand any dish he
may fancy, or he will see it winging its flight
to far off corner Of the cabin. Sociabilty is
out Of the question, because the most of the
passengers are too miserable to converse, and
staring inscription on the compassion
warns you not to speak to the officers who are
on duty, Therefore it is that no ordinorl
mortal can delight in a stormy sea, and tha
the abating Of the waves and the return OF fai
weather was, upon our ship, watched for, anC
prayed for by all.
GTo nc CoNcf unrn