Delaware gazette. [volume] (Delaware, Ohio) 1855-1886, 1871-02-03


you that l was clinging tightly on to Il
rigging, and looking over the side
the ship. when one boat was "stOve in
and assure you / hardly heard Il
sound Of the crashing timber; there W;
only a cracking sound, and l saw qual
titles of small bits of painted wood floa
ing about for a second or two that VIZ
the last of the boat, and the others wei
] in the same way. But all this was
very faint foreshadowing of what Wa
before us. However, as I never wa
! allowed to come on deck altar the fir!
day of danger. I may as well tell yo
what I saw and heard before I went below
First we viii begin at the helm ; fou
stout, sturdy sailors stood there-tw
of them experienced quartermasters-
securely lashed to the wheel, for eve
BY this time the sea was breakin
over the deck every few minutes
and so dense was the atmospher
that you could not see when a wav
was coming. have been il
gales when the ship has seemed to b
racing with the pillows, flying gaily owe
them, and Just as you thought sh
must be caught by a great mountain 0
water which was curling itself up higl
above her, she would swiftly glide VI
the steep incline of another wave, ant
hurry out of her pursuer's reach, so tina
only the spray from its snow-white cres
reached US in a sparkling shower bath
A STRANGE EXCITEMENT.
There IS something very exhilaratins
in such a scene, and the excitement /!
intense !; but in this cyclone it was very
different, Just like the contrast between
blows in play and in earnest. Here The
waves hit the ship hard, vicious thumps
as if they hated her and longed to crush
her to pieces she poor thing, groanec
and labored heavily, going down into Z
gloomy, dun-colored abyss of water
where she shivered and shuddered
straining every timber, and creaking al
every plank, as if she really could moi
manage to get up again, and intended
to give in and settle quietly at the bot
tom of the sea; then, when she had
YEARLY dragged herself up to the top oi
a huge wave, it was only to plunge into
another water-valley, and so on. Ev-
cry now and then a great body of water
would fall heavily on the deck, but so
thick and murky was the atmosphere
that we could not see it coming. A wall
of some dun-coIored vaPory substance
Ioomed over US, but whether it was air
or water no one could tell until it flood
ed US. Up to this point, however.
don't believe there was any reason for
hopelessly of our condition;
but by the third day things began to
look very bad, and the captain and sail
ors wore gloomy and anxious faces
L. T,,-e raClr hafnra
went below were so disastrous that
had no wish to disobey orders, and ven
ture out of the saloon again. The first
which befell me will prob
ably only make you laugh, though did
not think it in the least amusing at the
lime.
SCENES ON sHIPBOARD.
To begin at the beginning, however: ::
When breakfast time came on this
dreary third day, there was no break
fast All night the sea had been break
ng heavily over that part of the ship
where the cook 5 galley or kitchen
stood, and it was found impossible to
Keep the fire alight for FIVE minutes
We had some dry biscuits given to US,
md those who liked it might haNe-elaret5
1ut | thought this last very poor sub
,titute for my nice refreshing cup of tea
,r coffee so Just before l went on deck,
discovered a tiny little bit of a cake
IF preserved soup, and gave it to one
IF the stewards, with lamp heated by
spirit of wine, and asked him to make
ne a basin of soup. AS soon as 1 ap-
oeared on deck I was led to my own
,hair, which was securely lashed in a
r, 7 1,lxr
but l had to be fastened
nto it like a baby with a rope around
ny waist. There seemed, even to my
gnorant eyes, a great change for the
worse since the evening before. The
hip was laboring much more heavily,
md lurching fearfully; the sea was whip
bed to a froth all around US; the heavy
curtain of dun mist clung closer to US,
shutting out everything at a few yards
distance; from time to time, as the
EQUALS caught us over on our beam
,nds, l could hear the wind literally
with a sound as distinct as a
only more like scream.
on can have no idea how awful it was,
md confess to feeling thoroughly
but still when l chanced to
urn my head and saw my faithful little
teward coming carefully and steadily
ilong the deck towards me, took com
ort at the thought of my nice soup. It'll
vas sometime before he reached me,
md | cannot imagine how he contrived
o keep his footing, and also to carry the
basin, for l constantly saw the sailors
,reeping along on all fours as the quick
st and easiest way of getting about
Nhen the steward reached me he held
IN very tightly to a friendly Delaying
,in, put the soup-basin, with its lid on,
down upon my lap, and shout
d out some directions to me, not one
vord of which could be heard, although
he man was quite close to me. He
)ut his hands up to his mouth like a
and beloved a sentence in my
ar, of which I heard the one word
spoon, SO as there was no spoon,
hought he was apologizing for not hav-
ng brought one, and nodded and smil-
ID, as much as to say, "Never mind
hen, as l was desperately hungry, 1!
ifted my precious basin up to my lips,
nd when it was quite close to them,
ook off the cover; there was a delicious
nell of soup, and felt a sharp burn
n my nose-that was all The soup
ad been blown clean out of the basin
which was as dry and empty as if it had
ust been washed, and there was no
more soup to be had. The poor little
toward had been trying to caution me
gainst this very misfortune, but could
lot hear him. Whenever the captain
wanted to give an order he beloved it
trough his speaking trumpet, and even
hen it could hardly be heard if.the sail
rs were a few yards off. He came up
0 me, and shouted in my ear, "You
Iad better go below, and don't come up
ere again. l was very humble and
so I nodded, but thought to
myself "How am l to get down II
ant unite myself, and if could, how
5 it possible to crawl to the top of the
ompanion-ladder However, the |
raves soon settled that question for me
" breaking once more over the ship,
caring my chair from its lashings, and !
oating it and me along down the deck |
Vt one time I thought l should have
,een washed overheard, and so did
hose who saw me, but fortunately, at
he most critical moment the water ran
ut of the scupPers, and the chair and
ropped heavily down on the deck. II