The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1868-11-23
SEVERE STORM on THE ATLANTIC.

SEVERE STORM ON THE ATLANTIC.
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Arrival Of the Steamship William Penn-she
! Encounters Terrific GnIe-Cabins Stove in
and Flooded-Three Of the ships Men Seri-
I ousIy Iniured-The B0ntswnin Killed.
| The steamship william Penn, from London and
! Havre to New York, with 500 passengers on board,
arrived in port on saturday, after very trying voy
| age OF seventeen days from Havre and twenty-one
| from London. she encountered terrific storm In
mid-ocean, which lasted for several days, doing
alarming damage to the saloon cabins and fatally In
urIng the boatswaIn OF the ship. The crew behaved
with great cooness and fortitude, and the captain
stood to his post unremttingy through the whole OF
| the severe ordeal.
| Noncident or feature In the weather unusual to
November passage OF the Atlantic occurred during
the first I'VE days. except perhaps, the prevalence OF
rather more than the usual number OF sharp, ugly
squalls Of short duration, producing but little In
convenience. But on Tuesday, the 10th OF Noyem-
Der. o storm Of wind with rain set IN from the
northeast. During the whole Of that day the storm
steadily increased in violence but the ship was kept
| on her course under the most OF her sails
| and the full power OF her screw, and, except the
| occasional tremendous plungings and rollings OF
the ship as she Yielded TO the force OF the surgng
waves, she bounded merrily along with everything
| snug and all on board comparatively comfortable,
but with more or less OF apprehension to what the
| night might bring.
| TWAS hoped that the storm might somewhat apate
| at SHUTDOWN; but they were disappointed, and the
night closed In adding Its thick darkness to already
existing terrors. The officers and were all on
duty, while in the nrst and second cabin saoons-the
former situated midships and the latter quite aft
| subdued conversation among men, with signs that
bespoke the anguish OF fear with few Of the women
4 NH md m n nhf tvrr
when all retired TO their staterooms in the cabins
| below.
that all the day and night had been kept there owing
to the impossbility OF moving safely on deck, amid
| the ceaseless ragings OF the storm.
| There was little sleep that night but many a
silent prayer was offered up TO God. Morning came
| without the slightest apparent abatement Of the
sound, except the foretopsai which had been blown
into shreds and which still hung nuttering from the
owing to the still increasing fury Of the tempest
had been thought prudent during the night to put
the ship about which was done successfully without
towards England, with steam only sufcient to keep
her "head on'' and give her steerage way, and yet
they were drifting TO the southwest from three to
/ five miles an hour.
All day Of the 18th the fury Of the tempest was un-
| abated The strength Of the gale would lift large
masses OF foam from the crests OF the great waves
and spread them over the entire length and breadth
Of the ship drsnching everything ana everybody.
her dreadful rollings. Another night closed down
around them with, II possible still increasing ter
rors. The hOwlings OF the tempest the intense
darkness, the tremor of the ship the seas broke
against her sides, the orders OF the officers, the
sponses OF the men, the tramp OF those on deck all
helped to make It q remembrance never to be ef-
| faced.
At about six A. M. on the 18TH and before the
passengers had left their berths, those or the frs:
cabin were aroused from their vigils by tre-
endous crash on The starboard side OF the ship and
the rush OF waters down upon tnem All, OF course.
was CONSERVATION and dismay until the extent OF
the injury or danger could be distinctly ascertained
They had shipped heavy that stove in about
ten feet Of tie dining saloon above and the water
noodng the floor, was making its way through the
openings for ventilation and light to the cabin below.
The cabin being water-tght compartment OF IRON
all around, except the companionway or staircase
and where the water had gained entrance, the
ship or make Its egress from the cabin. The
only way TO dispose OF 1t was by line OF buckets
up and down the companion way, and until this
was done the water occupied the entire floor OF
the cabin Of thirty-four state rooms aud small
ladies' saloon to depth OF from one to three feet
while the rolling OF the ship would alternately throw
up the water on either side TO much greater Depth
Only strong men could stand up against this sway
children were obliged 10 take position in the upper
berths until the water. in part at least, could be
removed. As soon as men could do tins IT was done,
and battens were nailed over the openings through
which the water had entered
In the upper berths OF the flooded CABIN could be
seen every phase OF fear, terror, despair and resg
nation and yet Others that seemed void OF all those
| qualities Of mind but the latter.
One gentleman, Mr. Coyle OF Detroit, Michigan,
| blind man, could not move from his berth II he
would: There were two feet OF water on his floor,
and his wife would not move II she cond, unless her
husband could 90 with her; and young lady, Miss
Bolton, would not 20 step unless her friends could
90 too but all were resigned and even cheerful.
II was the intention speedily TO remove the water
from the cabin. rendering IL ut for immediate reoc-
Cnpaton: utsbefore this could possibly be done,
and the storm still raging with unabated FURY a lit
lie before nine A. NJ. another tremendous sea broke
over the ships side at precisely the same place
| length OF the saloons side were smashed In.
There crash OF timbers, tables and crockery,
| and momentary smotnerlng OF steam aud flying
| ashes from the glowing stove as it went whirllng
| irom the centre OF the saloon down among the
debris into not less than three feet OF water which
now covered the door and which, with every roll Of
| the ship, was surging into the cabin below. And
now, as the cabin was deiuged with greater food
than before, another and greater terror pre-
| scented to its occupants. ana despair with some had
taken the place OF fear The water several feet
deeper than before. The necessity was now pre-
sented OF removing the and children through
| the hood OF waters up the companionway and along
saloon. The strong men OF the snip had this duty to
perform, for lew others could stand upon the slip
The first 70 leave the Hooded cabin with his wife
was George T.. Agar. lie got To the foot OF the
/ stairway, holding 70 the hand rail, neck deep In
water, with his wife upon his back, cnging TO his
neck. At the next rolf OF the ship they were out OF
| the water and had gained the deck AT this moment
there were those who, having no one to for but
themselves seemed all the more anxious TO be con-
veyed to place OF safety, whilst Others full OF true
herotsm, would not 80 until the more helpless were
| aseisted out This trait particularly shown In
the mother OF nine little children she would not go
and leave her children behind they could not go to-
| when nearly alt others had gone, the mother con-
scented to go II she could take her youngest with her
and upon the promise OF another noble hearted wO-
| man Miss Hannah stevens. that she woud remain
with the other children tn the last had left cabin
Having reached the aft saloon with her youngest
child she took her station at the open door and there
! stood counting her children. one. two, three,
BY one they arrived until seven OF the nine had been
| counted In, but seeing nothing OF the other two
1 cried out, az II In bitter agony, "But where, OH
| where are the twins ~ In a moment more and the
| twins and their old grandmother with the big
| hearted woman who had stood by them to the last
| were all In, when the door was momentarily closed
| And now OF those VINO needed assistance the blind
| man aud his wife were yet behind, not that he felt
| neglected, but no would not claim nor would he