Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1868-09-27

! lookout on the bow sang out, With start
nng energy "Htrd-a-staroosrd ar
board your helm, quick, d-n you !" In
| warning came not al instant too 5000
! for directly before Us loomed out of thI
/ darkness the gigantic bulk of the Hsg
! ship Hartford. In the gloom her dimen
sious really seemed mountainous; mo
! ulent of inattsntion on the part OF thi
! lookout, or of delay on the part OF thu
| helnsmsn. and we should have stIucE
| her bows on and of course gone to thu
bottom without time to ssy tho brlefes
kind OF s prayer. as it was, we sho
past with the speed Of an arrow, so neal
that we could hear the plunge Of hel
great dark hull, rising and falling Wlt1
the waves, and trace the outlines OF hel
rigging, from stem to stern, We
were taking s reef IN our main
ssil ct the time, and tue
part of it hauled down in knotting the
reef points fl apped with report ike
hat of q musket. 1t seemed to me that
The ten or q dozen sentinels allow and
aioft on the Hartford must hear this or
see US, but perhaps they did not; the sea
gas very rough aud roisy, the huge ship
plunged heavily at her anchors and the
Fiad Whistled thrt ugh her rigging; the
f directly from the polar wastes, and
me sentinels probably had enough TO do
o look after their own comfort. When
lay dawned We were far out upon the
ue water, which rolled in tremendous
oils about US, aud the glass disclosed
~ trace vi the enemies We had lefs be-
hind.
Ia less than thres days the norther
b re Us to wifhin about hfty miles of
Czpe san AlJOniO, the western extrem-
ity of the Island Of Cuos-so we guessed
by dsad reckOaing a. to our Longitude,
TOR We had no chTOnOmeter, nautical 10
5Iruments being scarce in Mobile when
We sailed. The Wind grew lighter, and
then died away entirely, and for two
days We lay becalmsd upon the blue aud
CLASSY waters of the Gulf, smooth and
uudis ,urbei as the surface OF q mirror,
aud so clear that We could dis
lnctly recognize the varied cOlors
OF the splendidly gilded tropical
Dish that dartad to and fro deep beneath
Us.
The morning Of our sixth day (2lst OF
March,, showed a change in the appear
tucs OF the heavens. There was not a
ripple upon the water, out there we're
.lEus in the sky aud in the atmosphere
NEich no sailor could mistake. g. 3 vs."
said our Czplsln, did hope that We
should make a port before this cursed
equiuUctIRl blow came on, but yondsr il
G mes ia the sOu'east, and here We are
diLy miles from the coast of Cuba. Be-
tore Eig0t we shall be the Lord knows
40 many more from it. II is best that
" q spUU.d know our danger and be pre-
pared to meet It."
No heavy masses of cloud spread them
selves over the sky, but creeping dark
ness rapidly OversnadOwed the sea and !
he air it was the invisible flying scud, I
he UodIiess GUGHt courier or the COM |
Dg storm. The hOriz N, the boundary 1
,f our vision, disappeared, and the Sea |
sbOut US seemed clrcumscribed within s |
small area. It reminded /
ne Of nothing 50 fOrci5ly as of > wild .
,sa5J gathering together nis muscles for /
he death spring.
Is Win sudden fury. 1t was pre-.
-ded by long, hesvy swell, and
/. .fui gusts which broke the smooth sIr-
ace OF the Gulf into playful rippies.
1aen the air darkened still more, the
Wind grew into steady volume, and
ne waves began 10 rise in long lines OF
Vhite foam.
There was but one thing to do on our
art, ana that was to lie to. We speedily
educed our mainsail to dimensiOrs just
10 keep the schOoner's head TO
be wind, and in that attitude Of defense
7e fought the storm fer three days aud
ignJs, drifting Tar away in the mean
ims 10 the nUgth west, for our schooner
al no keel, only a center-bOsrj, which
Ould not be used in 8 heavy sea. The
empest reached its maximum of fury
a the night Of the 22i; 1t was the cul-
of the stormy EQUINOX. Inc
raves rose about US higher than our
lasthe2ds, and when We plunged into
ne profound depths between them our
tide sail was becslmed and the schooner
-OUd upright, only to be smitten down
gain, when she mounted the next
ave, by the tremendous blast which
Tept the fsce Of the Gulf. Wewerein the
-Uifs;ream, and the gale blowing Directly
gsiust il, created a most enormous {
"a. Our craft wSs Of but thirteen TONS
nd she was heavily laden with cotton; {
- I'd sixteen bales on deck, and when
yer one OF these heavy rollers came I
D lTn upon Us We seemed to be complete 1
swallowed up in the seething waters, {
I'D every man had to cling for dear life or {
3 swept away among the raging waves.
le soon found that the schooner, which !
81 been built without the beams aud {
braces OF sea-goiug craft, 6
as fact working TO pieces under tue {
eight of her deck load and the heavy
OWs OF the sea. Tue lxshiogs of our ]
-ck bales were cut at once, anu the next
emeudOus biilOw that came down upon
swept the deck clean, and our buoy 6
1t schooner rode the great waves unen
nOsred by single ale of cotton, saYe
Iose in her hold and csbin.
By the morning of the cath the storm {
id spent its fury. The gale died away,
1t it seemed as If the heavy seas would
ever go down. All day they rolled like
igTat0Ty mountains, with valleys be- 8
7een, sp scious enough for the sites Of 2
wns and cities had they been frm v
ud. The sun finally came out at inter v
lis, bat so rarely aud fitfully that We 4
Qnd it difficult to take satisfactory Il
of our latitude. OF our C
lgitude We had only the most vague q
sa, mere guess work. We sailed east 0
ard, however, and, being in the Gulf o
resm, sailed 80 far that we passed our q
rt OF destination, Havana, and finally q
81 sDchor in tie harbor of MRtanZas, o
yty mules east Of the former city. Il
We were worn out AMI half starved, "
Z met with genuine kindness and hos b
.ality from merchants in Matanzas, fl
q after recruiting there our exhausted &
engLh for a week we sailed our vessel o
Il remnant Of cargo around TO Havana, il
Tefuiy hugging the shore 10 keep be- b
sd the jurisdiction of Ysnkee cruz q
g. \
SUCH were often the the perIls and il
rdships attendant upon the transit OF G.
cargo OF cotton from q Confederate b
RI to within cannon-shot of the Moro q
stle. 7
There is prOtraeted meeting pro- B
sssing st the Methodist church In GI- 9,
ID, Ga, and 1t has been the habit Of q 1,
smbur of the church 10 send his horse d
d wagon for the ministers. On Tues Il
v night while services were poin0 on ',