East Saginaw courier. (East Saginaw, Mich.) 1859-18??, 1864-01-06
Ori9iaal aelisesllaay.
Dead Calm.

Oh tHe ueep WHeH lne WlnuS lasn tne
waters into foam, it is also a monotony
more trying to the nerves to find
yourself hstlessly floating over the
waters with the heavy sails Tapping
against the masts, the stays giving
every indication that the winds are
laid to rest, and that the calm shall
continue. The Tropics are noted for
calms of many days duration, and the
luckless sailor, who by circumstances
beyond his control, finds his vessel be-
calmed in those ATTITUDES has nothing
better to do than pace the quarter
deck and whistle elbow devil and
take the cook"
Our fortune led us to embark upon
a chance vessel, never intended for
passengers, but French ship that
three years previously had sailed from
Haure, upon whaling voyage. She
was oflicered by French sailors, and
was when she sailed provisioned for a
seven years cruise. Accidentally
dropping into San Juan del Sud for a
supply of water, and finding largo
number of passengers awaiting pas
sage to San Francisco, the Captain, a
shrewd business man, decided to take
them on board, land instead of pcr-
suing tho original design of his trip,
fishing in the vicinity of the Sandwich
Islands,) drop them at their destina-
ton, and take up his fishing opposite
Columbia River and Puget's Sound.
The ship was strong but of that class
of vessels that go sidewise quite as
rapidly as endwise, and though wo
made considerable progress until we
had passed the upper headlands of
the bay of Tehauntepec, we there
came to stand, and for forty days
we rolled helplessly about without
breath Of air to relieve the suffocating
heat of n tropical sun. Had the cap
tain or crew been able to havo spoken
the English language, wo should have
been able to discover whether wo
were going backwards or forwards,
but positive information we had none.
However, as the captain predicted
that twenty days would land us in
San Francisco, and as we did not get
there until the one hundredth and
fourth, it is our conviction that during
that season of restless suspense and
unbroken calm, we were floating away
from our destination under the in
fluence Of unseen but adverse spirits.
Whether tho "a ries, who are supposed
to keep watch and ward over the hid
den wealth of the earth, fearing that
wo might commit burglary and rob
thom of their possessions and oecupa-
ton, were the influences that barred
our progress, we never fully settled.
But if they entertained any such
sublimely foolish notions, they were
probably convinced of their folly soon
after the arrival of the party at San
Francisco. OF tho sevcnty-threc pas
sengers that sailed in her, twenty
three died before her arrival, and the
balance, were so emaciated by sickness
and short rations Of food and water
that when they were once inside of
tho Golden Gate" they looked equal
ly fit subjects for the "city paved
with gold," and would if they could
have elected, quito as readily taken
up their abodcs among tho "pale ma
tions of tho dead" as among tho
gamblers, murderors, thieves, pick
pockets and highwoymen that then
California.
10 us however, tho passage was
nearly blank. That scourge of the
tropics, known to California travellers
rs Panama fcvcr, set upon us soon af-
ter leaving the Isthmus, and robbed
us of strength and reason. Occasion
al glimpscs of lucidity realized to us
our desperate condition, and the kind
ly care bestowed upon us by Captain
Mann. To his attention and good
ness we owe a lifo preserved, and if
he still pcrils his life upon the mighty
deep, may every gale be propitious
and every yOyaop prosnerota NATL HE =