New-York tribune., 1866-12-29
BLOVING A GALE.

By report Of to.day's papers the comfortable cti-
zen indoors will be made aware that an extra
ordinary storm has occurred; but he must be deaf Il
he has not heard it, even by the safe sanctuary OF bis
fes.de blowing more or less about bis ears. Expert
enced tocrs OF the Sound that the present gale Is
the fercest and most boiserous that has swept our
chanrel to the sea or twenty years. II 1t exceeds IN
deyas alton the halfhurrcane of 1888, when 80 many
yesseb were lost or damaged, or blows US no more
good han the January gale of last year, 1t IS,
indeed mighty and cruel visitor The
most magnanimous Of sailors can hardly now
afford % indulge sovereign pity for unhappy folks on
shore. The most redoubtable seamanship must need
the tandble support Of stanch planks and beams
and uDConquerable steam-power, to insure its cour-
age wholly from doubt in this clustering weather
Even here, in such brief and commonplace marine
e1periece as passage across to Brooklyn, the gale
threatens to brew US sea-sioknes5, and the East
River istroubled like a sea. Inland, the snow-storm
has been working the most unwelcome wonders.
Trains OF trains have been snowed-up on the New
York roads, and about Albany the snow has an
average 6pth of twenty inches, while the drifts are
high enough to cover locomotives, and imprson
railway passengers. The train duo at Albany late
yesterday afternoon on the Central Railroad, Is still
unextrcaed. Excepting tho hurricane which
some yeas ago pelted Western train off its track,
We can think of recent weather whose freaks have
worked mre peculiar mischief Happily, We hear OF
very few Ives lost but the storm at la3s accounts
was still mbrOken, so that we must wait till It's
work is qiite done before We can count the
wrecks. i will be grieyou5 to hear Of these
Int- krr lnw ua orr IN
fury OF the gale at sea is in proportion to its
bad effect OF land Every Winter brings US just such
wrecks. and las. year. from October to March, with
cyclones in the Gulf and storms on the British and
Atlantic coats We counted them by hundreds
All thatha BEEN said in judgment concerning thelo55
Of the steamhp Evening Star will now return with in
terest to shP-ovners. We beg them TO ponder it
once MORE while fresh case Of shipwreck brings its
dismal moral home to them. II was only proyidential
that the passengers by the steamer Commodore,
wrecked yestrday on the Sound, escaped with their
ves for We ear that nothing in point can be said
TO the credit of the vessel or its owners. The
steamer Commodore belonged to the Stonngton
line, and was built nineteen years ago.
Its imbers must have fairly betrayed this age for
year ago wa taken off the line, and has only been
while that boa has been undergoing repairs. What
possessed the Sonngton Company to send out s least
seaworhy yess in such storm as that which prevailed
on the Sound, is difficult to perceive The tremb-
ling bark TO whrh they committed their passengers be-
came unmanagable on the Vory hIst assault ol Tue
storm. bulwarb. coabunkers, guards, smohe-Stacks'
were all carrid away in short time; and by the
force of a gale more mercul than the Stonngton
Company appeao have been wise, she was blown into
shelter We grst that the storm unusual and must
have tried the sanchest vessel; but this very fact
brings into strongest relief the apparent recklesSness
and impotence Of tie means with which they under-
took 10 encounter H. The loss OF the steamer Even
ing Star the burning of the ierry.boat Idaho, aud the
wreck Of the Commodore, prove, conclusyely enough,
what needs proof that the public safety cannot be
trusted to the seii.interest Of corporations.
We hope that tho case Of the Commodore
may be at once subjected 10 rigid
investigation, and that ofon-o Of allowed or con-
trvod shipwreck if such, indeed, be the case, will be
suffered to escape the penalty of the law. The storm
teaches us no baier lesson than that which il inn
presscsl every al sea in these terrible nights
We mean the tragic and costly folly Of sending out
unseaworay ships IN the name Of enterprise, and for
the greed Of money