Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1874-10-17
THE TYPHOON AT NAGASAKI.

The Herald publishes letter from Mid.
shipman N. A. Shufeldt of the Hartford,
descriptive Of the recent typhoon in the har-
hn, and vicinity of Nagasaki, from which we
cory the following;
We (the Hartford) we're anchored in about
the middle of the hay, with both bowers down
and f0rty.hve fathoms of chain on one and
thirty on the other. The bay was crowded
with vessels of oil criptions-merchant
men, steamers and, besides the Ashuelot,
Kearsarge and Saco, the Japanese ironclad
Axuma Khan (the old Stonewsl) and three
English gunboats. At dusk it was overcast
and rainy, with strong puffs of wind, the ba-
rometer falling rapidly. was standing on
the forecastle about eight p. NJ, and then it
began to increase, and could hear anchors
being let 20 and chains veered all over the
harbor. ran below and took look at the
baronseter-29,n, falling rapidly; at nine
O'Clock 28.67, and the wind bowling and
shfieking; our topgallsntmasts were on deck
and everything sung aloit. About three bells
We vsefed TO sixty fathoms on both chains,
and brought up on both anchors with sharp
tug which started them both out of the mud,
and the ship dragged about two lengths, then
let 60 the starboard sheet and dragged in
about ten seconds more, when we fetched up
on the sheet, which brought the ship up and
swung on for an instant, broadside to the
wind, when, after a fearful careen, she slowly
righted and swung ''head to-" Ten minutes
after, with barometer at 20 81, the wind blow
Ing 90 hard that 1t was utterly impossible to
walk forward, except to crawl on your belly,
something white flashed by, and away went
our foretopgallant sail, saying "goodby" to
ho I'D ha he Lac ~.
at the time dashed in the rigging; and then,
with guns Of distress firing all over the har-
Dor m immense black object doomed up on
our port bow and came down rapidly upon
~, when the Admiral rushed to the port on
the half deck and sang out to stand by to veer
on all chains, and to let go the starboard
sheet. Down came the immense steamer
with three anchors down and going ahead
with her engines full speed, still! passing us
stern foremost at the rate Of about five knots
an hour. l was standing aft, when heard
Captain Dekrafft say, "Admiral, she'll foul
us! she'll foul us!" A sudden, powerful puff
OF wind, and the gallant old Hartford brought
up sharp on her starboard anchors and swung
slightly but rapidly to starboard, causing the
dragging steamer to sheer our quarter and
carry away the gig. She was soon lost in the
pitchy darkness. A few minutes after the
Saco went by us steaming all her u.i, lat aud
four anchors down, yet steadily dragging on
the rocks. Then the Kearsarge began to
send OF all kinds OF fireworks, and we saw
the Ashuelot and German brig which was
athwart her hawser 60 drifting off. About
eleven o'clock the force Of the wind was
something terrific--utterly impossible to de.
scribe. At seven bells the barometer was
2s.l3 ! The howlingof the gale was so fear.
full that it vas impossible to hear yell in
your very ear, and the rain came down like
knife blades. We heard the swapping of the
masts Of IN immense Danish merchantmen,
anchored little of our stsrboard bow, where
she evidently had parted her chains. She
vent BY us like q fash; then two immense
junks came tearing down on US, and striking
our tsut cables, were blown high and dry on
them, Is ii were, which caused US to surge
ahead, when the poor devils sank with their
living carsoes. One only came over our
boz, with head bleeding, and he sough. pro.
lection. We were now under full head o.
steam, and slowly dragging. At twelve,
vifh the barometer at 2s. 10, 1t fell almost
raln for shout tvo minutes, then with yell
like ten thousand demons, it came out in ex-
.ctiy the opposite direction, and then, blow.
ng I'll the time just as hard, followed the