Wilmington journal. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1844-1895, 1871-09-22
From the Baltimore American.
horn Rf Sea

since. which is too pret:T to remain un-
told, notwithstanding the very natural
IseDsltlvene s to the lady to whom it
| brought the most sorrow and the most Joy.
The vessel was on its first trip, and car
/ ried q party of eXcursionists, to some of
whom the wonders and the perils of the
great deep were entirely new. When the
| great cyclone which passed up the Atlantic
| coast on the 31st ult. was encountered,
| about q hundred miles from the Virginia
| coast, there was a great deal of terror
among those not accustomed to seeing old
Neptune in bis wrathy moods The fore
mast of the vessel was snapped off close to
| the deck. the awning torn in shreds. and
| he stretchers converted into mighty Whips,
with which the storm-god beat the root OF
| the cabin until the bravest began to think
| it would come down in ruins about their
| heads. In a little while the gale had
| passed, and to the great relief of the pas
| s.ngers it was found that no injury had
| been done to the vessel except that already
| mentioned. The clouds broke away, and
the soft rays of the sun were struggling
| through the mist and lig hting up the cabin
| windows. when suddenly tuere was a COM
| motion in the vicinity of one of the state
| rooms-a lady had been taken i'll. There
was no physician on board, but there were
| few resolute matrons, to whom expert
| ence had brought both courage and skill,
| and it was not long before the whole com
pany was made happy by the announce
nent. softly whispered from the state
room, ''a baby has come on board The
tiny little stranger, "born of the sUnshine
and the Storm" had not been expeC ted so
soon, but the fright and the rocking of the
vessel had hastened its coming, and those
delicate little fabrics, which the expectant
mother had wrought with her own fair
hands, and moistened with tears of hope
and fear. were locked up in a sacred
drawer three hundred miles away. Bat
even her womanly Instinct and skill were
~qual to the emergency. There was hur-
rylcg to and fro in search of needles and
scissors and thimb!es, trunks were sound
ed to their lowest depths, and spotless
linen brought to light from which garments
for the little fairy We hastily cut and
sewed together with nimble fingers, and be-
fore the sun went under the blne waters
the white robes were put on, and her in
fantile loveliness taken in an adjoining
stateroe ~, where grand reception Wa
held. Everybody on board-kind hearted
matrous, whose maternal sympathies
were touched, BLUSH & young girls, who
only vaguely comprehended the mystery,
proud fathers and ambitious young meD,
Who had not yet attained he dignity IF
fAtne rs. the gallant captain of the eteamej,
and tie weather beaten seamen-ell took
a look at the baby. A meeting was held
Ia the saloon, at which congratulations
were exchanged over the pleasant event,
and it was agreed testimonial should be
pr sented to the mother, TO be by her
given to the daughter when she becomes
old enough to understand that it is in en-
ded s0uueaair of the time and place
of her birth. With the consent
of the father and mother the pas
sengers named the baby Virginia Craue
(sugge sted by the proximity of the Vir-
ginia coast and the name of the vessel.)-
Rev. T. M. Dudley and Colonel Harrison
Adreon were appointed a committee to
secure silver cup for the interesting in
FAINT. Mr.. Webb, corner of Baltimore and
Light streets, will make the cup, and en-
grave upon it the following inscription
"Virginia Crane born August 31st,
1871, on board steamer William Crane,
near the Virginia coast. Presented by the
passengers of the ship at the time of her
birth. Psalm lxxxix, g."
ALI the good people who love babies
will be glad TO know that the precious lit
sensation on board the William Crane, is
increasing in loveliness every day. and
that her mother is quite we'll.
That Tidal Wave
A number of well known citizens of
New Orleans have addressed a letter to
Prof. G. G. Forshey, of that city asking
his views as to the merits of the predic-
tion imputed to Prof. Agassiz, that on
the 5th or 9th of October, the Atlantic and
Gulf Coast would be inundated, by a great
Tidal Wave. This favor is asked of Prof.
Forshey, in view of the extended appre-
hension prevailing among the people,
caused by the prediction, and with the
hope of allaying the anxiety.
Prof. Forshey replies, saying:
Without the pleasure Of q personal ac
quaintance with the great Swiss naturalist,
l will volunteer his defencs against any
charge of agency in this most monstrous
and cruel hoax.
Science has thus far furnished man no
keys to the far future beyond the regular
operations of known Ia VS..
The alienation of day and night; the
phases of the moon; the regular return of
the tides; the seasons of the year and of
the planets to their positions, at we'll as
certained periods--long since fully ex-
plained-are relied upon as our intuitions,
our staple of knowledge. Any accidents
relating to any of these are beyond hu-
man ken; and the child has as much au-
thority as Herschel, Arago or LeverIier in
predicting them.
No conjunction of the planets" or
combination of causes, known to science,
can give the remotest guess when an earth
quake will occur, or volcano discharge
its lava, at any place on IL q globe; al d
nothing short of a considerable upheaval
beneath the sea, or disturbance of its bed,
can produce any such wave as is fancied
N this absurd prediction, or in any way
create greater rise or fall of water than
may be due to storm winds, or lunar tides
of the ordinary kind.
Spring tides are known as the high and
low tides, occurring about the change and
full of the moon. At these times the earth
moon and sun are nearly In right line,
and hence the tides. by combined attrac-
ton of sun and moon on the earth, in
crease the common tides by some inches,
or even some feet, at special localities
These are all we'll known and accounted
for, and may be predicted by Mark Twain,
or his humblest almanac reader.
No other heavenly bodies are sufficient
ly near to the earth, to affect sensibiy the
tides of the ocean; SO that no "conjunc-
ton of the planefs;" whatever their posi-
tions, can appreciably influence the earth
tides.