Orleans independent standard. [volume] (Irasburgh, Vt.) 1856-1871, 1864-11-25
A Terrible Scene at Sea.

one OF the n0DleSb SulpS; tlO MY Il
Standard" belonging to the celebra
ted " White Star " line of packets
We were upwards of three hundred
adults on board, exclusive of the cap
tain. officers, stewards, and seventy
one crew and had cargo of three
thousand bales of wool and Gl20,
900 worth of gold. After the genial
intertropical climate Of the antip'
odes we rapidly approached "the
Horn" when the weather became IN
tenselv cold. Morning, noon and
night groups of passengers huddled
or crept around the huge funnel OF
the shin. for we were an auxiliary
crew. to gather little warmth. On
Sunday April 3, latitude SO deg
south, longitude 149 deg. west, we
saw the first iceberg, and beautiful
sight it was.
Monday, April 4th, opened with
thick hazy weather, anda good breeze
before which we were going, with
out steam, ten knots an hour appre-
hensive of no danger. Suddenly we
ran into a dense fog, and almost i'm
mcdiatly one Of the double lookout
gave the alarm. Broken water a.
head p and almost Immediately after,
Ice on the starboard bow = | rush
ed on deck, and looking over the
bulwark saw, to my horror, an i'm
mcnse 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 easily have jumped
on to it.
All hands were Immediately sum-
moned on deck, and everything done
to prevent what now appeared newt
able-a collision between our ship
and the iceberg. The yards were
trimmed, the sails adjusted, and evry
thing done to prevent the fearful
catastrophe, but in vain. The mon
stcr mountain of ice drew nearer and
nearer to US, and we drifted nearer
to it. AT lenght the inevitable mo-
ment came; one heavy roll Of theI
ship, and the yards of the foremastI
grated right into one solid mass of.
ice, tearing out and hurting down up
on the deck immense blocks of ice,
some of them of enormous size
At the same moment the main and
mizzen-topmast snapped at the cap
with tremendous noise, and being
made of iron, hung over with all their
rear amidst the rigging to the great (
LANCER of every one on deck. While {
his was going on the men stood faith i
i'll to their duty, although one of '
hem had his overcoat rent in two by '
lump of ice that fell in front ofhim i
,ut did not touch him.
The scene on deck was now hides /
Loudly were the orders I
assed fore and aft to the hands, and c
s heartily obeyed, to adjust the 7
ards and trim the ship, so as to help c
err to force ahead of the iceberg, c
lany of the passengers rendering |
God service in this emergency. I'm t
Ter the forecastle deck were gather
ID groups Of men, pale, silent, awe j
truck. Still the worst wasnotcome: {
gain the ships yards crunched into {
he iceberg; where | stood looked {
Up and saw this mountain Of ice act
ally overhangthe ship, standing then
800 feet out of water. There were
wo large assures running from the
.op a considerable way down, and
IS the ship rolled over | feared the
ards would go into one of the fis-
sures. Had they done so they would
nave brought down tons OF ice that
would have sent US to the bottom in
a moment. We were spared that
doom, but the next instant the fore
mast, jibboom, for6topsail
yard, studdingsail boom, and all their
gear, went at the next crunch tear
ing and splitting their sails to rib
bons. At the same timO over the
forecastlc deck came rolling vast tor
rents of water, flooding the deck and
q fresh source of danger
The Royal Standard " was now all
but a helpless log, crippled and dis
mantled; she presented the most
pitiable appearance; and with her
masts, yards, chains and ropes all
hanging over and dangling 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 the
iron hull, all on board must have gone
down to the bottom. leaving no rec
ord of their fate behind them. Bodi-
ly the ship drilted up against the
berg, her whole side coming violent
ly into contact with it. Meanwhile
the captain was shouting to the boat
swain. DO you see the end of the
berg?' again and again, for all our
safety lay in our speedily gaining OPP
en- sea. At length after many times,