Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1868-12-16

monStr0uS hSn, midway OF the snip suu-
denly altering her course on her own ac-
count, and with a wild plunge settling
down, an making that voyage, with crew
of dead discoverers. Now, too, one recalls
an almost almost universal tendency on the
part of passengers TO stumble, at some time
or other in the day on the topic OF a certain
large steamer, making this same run, which
was lost at sea, and never heard of more.
Every body had seemed under spell, COM
pellng approach to the threshold of the
grim subject, stoppage, diseomforture, and
pretence of never having been near Ii.
The boatswains whistle sounds, 4 change
in the wind, hoarse orders issuing, and the
watch very busy. Sails come crashing
home overhead, ropes (that seem all knott
ditto: every man engaged appears to have
twenty feet, with twenty times the ave-
rage amount of stamping powers in each.
Gradually the noise slackens, the hoarse
cries die away, the boatswain's whistle
softens into the soothing and contented
notes, which rather reluctantly admit that
the lob is done for the time, and the voice
sets in again.
Thus come unintelligible dreams of up
hill and down hill, and swinging and sway
ing, until consciousness revives of atmos-
pherical Windsor soap and bllge-water,
and the Voice announces that the giant
has come for the Water Cure again.
Such were my faneiful "reminiscences as
| lay. part of that day. in the Bay of New
York o! Also, as we passed clear of the
Narrows and got out to sea also in many
an idle hour at sea in sunny weather. At
length the observations and computations
fohO 4bof cb 10 hn CT pt
ireland tonight So | stood watch on
deck all night tonight, to see how we
made the coast of Ireland.
Very dark, and the sea most brilliantly
phosphorescent Great way on the ship.
and double lookout kept. Vigilant cap
tain on the bridge, vigilant first officer
looking over the port side, vigilant second
officer standing by the quartermaster at
the compass, yigilant third officer posted
at the stern rail with a lantern. No pas
sengers on the quiet decks, but expecta-
!, tion everywhere nevertheless. The two
men at the wheel, very steady, very seri-
Gus, and very prompt to answer orders.
An order issued sharply now and then,
; and echoed back otherwise, the night
!, drags slowly, silently, and with no change.
; All of sudden, at the blank hour Of
, two in the morning vague movement of
: relief from a long strain expresses itself
in all hands; the third officers lantern
wrinkles, and he fires rocket, and another
!, rocket \ sulen solitary light is pointed
!. out to me in the black sky yonder. A
change is expected in the Light, but none
takes place. Give them two more rock
cts, Mr.. Vigilant." Two more and a blue
: light burnt. All eyes watch the light
again. At last little toy sky-rocket is
flashed up from it, and, even as that small
streak in the darkness dies away, we are
telegraphed to Queenstown, Liverpool and
London, and back again under the ocean
to America.
Then, up come the half-dozen passengers
who are going ashore at Queenstown, and
up comes the Mail Agent in charge of the
bags, and up come the men who are to
carry the bags into the Nail Tender that
will come off for them out of the harbor.
Lamps and lanterns gleam here and there
about the decks, and impending bulks are
knocked away with handspikes, and the
port-side bulwark, barren but moment
ago, bursts into a crop of heads of sea-
men stewards and engineers
The light begins to be gained upon, be-
/
| More rockets, and, between us and the land,
steams beautifully the Inman steamship,
City of Paris, for New York, outward
bound. We observe that the wind is dead
against her lit being with us), and that she
rolls and pitches. The sickest passenger
on board is the most delighted by this cir
cumstance1 Time rushes by, as we rush
on, and now we see the light in Queens
town Harbor, and now the lights of the
Mail Tender coming out to US. What va
carries the Mail Tender performs on the
way where she has no business and why
performs them, Heaven only knows At
length she Is seen plunging within a cables
length of our port broadside, and is being
roared at through our speaking trumpets to
do this thing, and not 10 do that, and to
stand by the other, as if she were a very
demented Tender indeed. Then, we slack
ening amidst a deafening roar of steam,
this much abused Tender is made fast to
us by hawsers, and the men in readiness to
carry the bags abroad, and return for
more, bending under their burdens, and
looking just like the pasteboard figures of
the Miller and his Men in the Theatre of
our boyhood, and comporting themselves
almost as unsteadily. All the while the
unfortunate Tender plunges high and low,
and is roared at. Then the Queenstown
passengers are put on board of her, with
Infinite plunging and roaring and the Ten
der gets heaved up on the sea to that sur
prising extent that she looks within an ace
of washing aboard of us, high and dry
Roared at with orntumely to the last, this
wretched Tender is at length let 90, with
a final plunge of great ignominy, and falls
spinning into our wake.
The voice of conscience resumed its do
minion as the day climbed up the sky, and
kept by all of US passengers into port;
kept by us as we passed other lighthouses,
and dangerous islands off the coast, where
some of the officers, with whom I stood my
watch. had gone ashore in sailing ships in
fog land of which by that token they
seemed to have quite an affectionate re-
membrance,) and past the Welch coast,
and past the Cheshier coast, and past eve
rything and everywhere lying between our
ship and her own special dock in the Mer-
cy. Off which at last, at niue o'clock, on
a fair evening early in May, we stopped,
and the voice ceased 4 very curious
sensation, not unlike having my own ears
stopped, ensued upon the silence and it
was with n no less curious sensation that
l went over the side of the good Cunard
ship Russia whom prosperity attend
through all her voyages y and SURVEYED
{ = LII r.