The New York herald., 1868-02-10
TUE PACKET 6HIPs COLUMBIA AND SEP'
TUNE.


Perilshs and Remarkable veyases from
LIVERPOOL TO New York-Exposuro 20 Hur.
picanes, Tempestuous Seas, snow storms
and BalIs Of Fire-suferinss Accidents and
Deaths.
The many porsraitures Of the ocean, combining the
bold and mastery touches Of genius Of the worids
poets equals perhaps In sublimy Of conception ana
vividnsss Of ooorins anything written Immortal
sketches have besn mused over. where the vild
note OF the seabird and the low murmuring sf
whispering waters and their silver light Wild
the death shrek Of The drowning mariner
and the roar Of billows. together with The
lund and appalling wave sash OF reflected lightning,
nxing the mind upon the 'dark blue sea" with almost
. passionate fondnesa No wonder that the romantic
and adventurous spirit Of youth deems lightly Of hard
ship and peril when aroused by their strrng prsssna-
tions No wonder that 1rss rowing impulses are toward
the ocean, there is something winning In the multi
Piled supersttions OF its hardy wanderers, some
thing 90 fascinating In its calm beauty, and 20
anmating its stormy recklesness that the ties OF
country and kindred sit loosely at hearts as curiosity
whispers OF It's unseen wonders In after years. whcn
bloom Of has lost much Of Its brightness
whom curiosity has become enervatsd and the powers
OF the imagination paIsied, whore do men sooner re-
turn to former pleasing excitemont than
to remembered haunts by tho ocean 7 Theie
the cares, perplsxIties and rude jostiings Of OPP
posing interests are for while forgotten: There the
turmoil OF human intercourse disquiets no longer
There the and dust OF the crowded city are dis
peled. There the wild waves are huns back with
force TO shake the pillars Of the universe, and
stands awed and abashed before the majesty OF
excited nature
But there are other than delightful remembrance
other than exharated feengswhen the fearful heart
rsnding that amid its hurricanes SO fire.
quently occur leap wildly up in the mind
rAn~nA ruah In n n
| memory OF those lost and buried In Ms fathomless
cayerns. And these sad thoughts come with greater
force this or the year. whom thrilling reaiiza
tiens prophecies that winter gales prol
nc Of disaster upon coast and at These have
been frequently expeepcsd, and within biscuit toss
| Of city In its adjacent waters have the howing
| winds and angry waves ground into atoms vessels
that raicing upon its surface and battling sea-
| tex. But not hero alone. The tidnas ths. como in
tardy from tho broad bosom Of the Atlantic are Iied
OF wrecked vessels shattered hulls hair breadth
| escapes from starvation aud death; the sinerns Of
slowly but continuously flow in with every arrival
These tidngs do not give the pleasant and poetica ngo
10 the her calm moments but they bring tales OF
prvaton tales OF exposure and escape that keep all
painful SUSPENSE that tho next 1asn may not be news OF
the Welcome climax OF the oceans horrors the cnmi
nation Of all It's terrors la shipwrscK, where
bravo and brave women, wife, husband byother sister
the child and infant epguifhed Oy the Unsuitable and
reckless sea- over which the waves alone can chant
requiem, and memory alone has s cherished koepsakes
| in Its shrine as memento Of the dead How many
anxious hearts aro now fuering In anticipation Of The
next news from the waters Of the deep: but He
alone that rules the wandering wasting holding in
tas hollow OF His hand know and the computation
Is needless to attempt, but they many,
the fervent thrilling prayers that night and morning go
up from pure and hearts that the tdlnss
shall DO glad tidngs to them that II may not bo
more fearful than that already heard as 1t comes
| waiting to their conception
The great terrors Of the ocean with s sadness fits
privations, susrngs and deaths that at mos are tho
lot Of those who 90 down to i as matter Of business,
/ v AZ
| waters, have vivid realization IN the peys that
bsre the pacKet ships COLUMBIA and Neptune belonging
the Black Ball line that arrived in port late
Saturday afternoon last from Liverpool, with MERIDIAN
disc aud passengers after voyages Of unprecedented
many winters along their ocean route, but tho story
their officers tell Of tho late voyage fresh In their mind
with all its accompanying errors roba the vivdly COL
ored picture OF the seas asrentv OF much Of its
sparkling character Whs. they passed through what
continuous storms, accidents and deaths that bef. hcm
told with carnestness and flashing eyes, yet with
glow OF satisfaction that spoke thankfuness that
On the 28th Of November With preparations all COM
passengers. OF both and all ages the voyage
started upon but misfortune seemed at It's very incep
The west northwest SO severe thai tusboats
were unable to tow tho vessel to sca,
| Happily the weather moderated the following day,
| and the Columbia sailed. All favorable
rendering tho ship uncomortsbls when the IL. q.
December gale that seemed but the foerunner Of those
l subsequently, 0xperleDceu,
ing with such violence that now sails were spill, and rem
dered almost useless. Yet tneTc was change afssr
from the sonth sprung up and with only an occasional
gale that gave Esst 10 the excitement the l1th was
reached, when another ehsogs and strong gale from
tied officers, cres and passengers into the tslef
that the voyage would prove tempestuoua This con-
tinusd almost unntorrupedy, tho wind shfug to the
west southwest, west northwest and northwest to
the 18Th, making the old ship pitch heavily and
throwing the black completely her weather
beaten propor . When tbroe weoks out being The
isth the gale increased In severity, dashins the ship
viii. Four days after, with sligbt moderation the
mantime, at Ten a. NJ severe hurricane struck the
ship accompanied WITH severe, quick lashes
a,msan msanas ana ,an,n. ha mat be.1 maze Ssr reel
In their force washed spars and boats sdrf staying
the asd amid tho widest confusion, tho rudder bead
found TO DO twisted necessitang cutting away tho
case aa. enclosed =. and nSglns in The second cabin
time the purpose required This Was despondsnt
enough, but he fearful hurricane continued, aud
Christmas day accident and death occurred to make
greater the feeling OF dependency. Five O'Clock in
afternoon then quite dark, Emanuel Taylor seaman,
save him. casting ropes and life buoys after him, ho
drowned boats could not live IN tho sen, was fear
| fully violent. This weather. with It's hurricane, tho
most violent experienced, contnusd, and on tho
27th the waves ran almost mountain high, lsshng tho
Al 1880 ?. M.-,hsn dark as the angel OF dark.
nsss-another visitation ,ha. appalled, the stosiss.
hearts osis the a sap ea.s 70 Oal % h rs %, from
| to stern IN its rapid descsn, struck u arpid.
| ships bursting with loud report and falling
In thousand pieces 10 leouard, almost binding tho
| ssamsn OF the watch During the day following the
tllsr previously rggod found TO DO Of service
having command Of tho rudcer aud then rooms In
the second cabin and holes IN the main deck
aud another tilles made 20 sSor the vcsecl, which
successful Thess hurricanes blew abatsdIy,
roaring and whstna through The cordage, during tho
balance of December continuing through January, the
seaa fearful at tmcs, shooting with all their wrsthfu
ness over the ship. The wind tearing ihs sails
| and with the dea.hs Of Robert Hnnisr, seaman
| on the ln John Burgoyns. seaman, who foil
/ from aloft and killed tbs I'D, Thomas
AcGinnis passenger steward, who alod from fever
aud Blazo Sppsa, who dcd from eIposur the age
| was continued. These dsaths AID tho bloknsss Of
others Of ths and the dssructvenesB OF tho gse
svery where apparent cast gloom the ship not
diminished when. on ths 18th, In hssvy sea- abe cap
tain badly injured by being swept from wndwNd 10
issward BY wsva Driven back repeatedly BY sfvsrsc
Winds With rain and storms, WITH the ssan5sn
hausted and pss.ongsrs helping 70 woyk the ship ths
9th OF February brcke upon tho wornout COMPANY