The Tiffin weekly tribune. (Tiffin, Ohio) 1859-1868, 1864-11-17
A TERRIBLE SCENE AT SEA.
A Ship Among the Icebergs.


the MOBILES; ships, the Royal STANDARD.
belle onQinp to the celebrated White Star
line OF packets. We we're upwurds oi
three hundred adults on board, exclusive
of tho captain, officers, stewards, and
scvcnty.onc crew. aud had a1 a cargo
three thousand bales Of wool and Sl2O,.
600 worth nf gold. Ahcr the Cenial
intcrlropical climate Of the On,podcs,
we rapidly approached the Horn when
the weather became intcns ~ cold
Morning. noon aud night groups oi pas.
scngcrs huldlcd or crrpt round the huge
funnel If our ship, for we were an aux IL
AIRY screw, to- gather little extra warmth.
On SUNDAY, April 81, latitude 20 deg.
south, longitude Ii9 degrees west. we
saw the first iceberg, onda bco, thu sight
il was.
"Monday, April i,h, opened with thick,
hazy weather, aud good breeze, bctorc
which VIC were going, without steam, tcn
knots an hour, npprchcusivc OF no danger.
Suddenly we ran into y dense fog, aud
almost immediately one of the double
lookout gave the alarm. Broken water
ahead aud almost Immediately ullcr,
Ice ON the laboard bowr At that mo.
mcnt ! was writing the newspaper
iconducted on board in the engineers
mcss.room; but hearing the noise, and
the ominous cry, Helm hard siarboard'
| rushed or deck. aud looking over the
bulworks saw to my horror an immense
mountain Of ice towering far above our
maintop gallant mast, which was M Q
hundred feet above the watcr-linc, and
80 close TO US tina; any man could jump
on TO Il.
"All hands were Immediately sum
moncd to the deck, and everything done
to prevent what now appeared TO be
inovitablc--a collision between our shiI
md the iceberg. The yards were trim
ed, the sails adjusted, and evcrythin.
done to prevent this fearful catastrophe
but in vain. The monster mountain o.
ice drew nearer and nearer to Il. Al
length the inevitable moment came, onr
heavy roll of the shin, and the yards oI
the forcmas, grated right into the solid
mass of ice, tearing out aud hurting down
upon the deck immense blocks Of ice.
| some OF ihcm ur enormous size. At the
same moment the main and mizzcn.top.
mast snapped at the capwiIh trcmcnd
ous noise, and being made OF iron, hung
over with nll their gear amidst ,he rig
ging. to the great danger Of every one
on deck. While this was going on tho
men at the wheel stood faithful TO their
duty ullho' one Of them had HE oycrcoai
rent in twain by lump Of ice That fell il
front of him, yet did not iuch him.
"Thc scene on deck wns now indis'
cribublc. Loudly were the orders renecd
foro and aft to the the hands, and ms
heartily obeycd, to adjust the yaids and
trim the ship so 7, TO help her 20 forge
ahead OF tho iceberg, many Of tho pas
sengcrs rendering good service In this
emergency. Under tho forcastal decks
were gathered groups Of men, prlc, silent,
awCs,ruck. Two strong, slalwart men
had hold Of my hands, and with big tears
rolling down their checks, cried for mercy.
Between decks women aud children
were loud in their passionate cries, and
in the intermediate was on elderly gem
tlcmcn, a widowcr, with five children, in
the agony of woe, expecting hls and
their immediate destruction. Still the
worst was not come; again the yards
crunched into the iceberg; where | stood
| looked up and saw that this mountain
of ice actually overhung the ship, stand
ing then sin hundred feet out of water.
There were two large fssures running
from the top n considerable way down
and as the ship rolled over I feared the
yards would 90 into one of these flssurcs.
Had they done 81 they would have
brought down tons Of ice that would have
sent us to The bottom in an instant. We
were spared TINT doom, but tho next in
slant the lorc.top gallant mast, iib boom,
fo-c.top.sail yard. studding sail boom, and
all their gear, went at the next crunch,
tearing and splitting the sails 10 ribbons.
At the same time over the forccastle deck
came rolling vast torrents ot water.
flooding the decks nnd creating fresh
source ordangcr. The Royal StnudnrE
was now all but helpless log, crippled
and dismun,lcd; fhc presented mes
pi,iablc appearance, and with her masis
yards, chains and ropes all hanging ovci
aud dangling about in mos. dangerous
confusion, the marvel is that no one wa:
seriously injured, if not killed.
"Still the worst had not come, and bu,
for the amazing strength OF her iron hull
all on board must have goue dow to the
bottom, leaving no record Of their fate
behind them. Bodily the ship drittcd al
against the berg, her VIII )le side coming
violet in contact with il, and-I quote
from the ships log lest my account
should be regarded as tho natural Cxa
peration of a lundsman's fenrs--'smnsh
ed the stahoard lifeboat, carried away the
bumpkin, stove in all the staboard bnl
warks, stove In the staboard quarter N
several places; also the cabin, and sent
the chronometers 1ying about, lifting the
poop deck beams one foot, thus damaging
all the cabins; and with another crash
split our upper plate cmidships, and dit
other sundry damage. At this moment
total destruction seemed inevitable; bni
as the ship slowly forged ahead uDde,
her main and fore.snils, some hopes std
remained. Al last the end OF the berG
came in view, and we forged clear. Th,
berg appeared TO be entirely envelope'
in a dense fog, and about six hundred
fee, high. We passed along about hal
a mile OF II, and from the time Of seeing
il 10 clearing il, it was about hall az
hour"
vet whata half hourl Who can tel The
agony, the suspense, the wild and all Gu
frantic emotions that were crowded int
that thirty minu,es! Beyond the nois'
lofour ships wreck knocsing about, an
the orders given TO the men, all WA
o silence after the first wild cry Of terro
and dismly
FOR myself was too stunned sG'
startled 10 ieelrAeitcd; ] seemed infg
'pabls OF any ,seAug but ,hat Of duml
b sua,emsnt. Nol q tear came " uy
rei.sf hot a word escaped ny lips. VIE
Iabd children felt I should never SCI
any more; and 50. hoidinZa fellow pas
senger'shgnd, calmly awaited lhe pwln