The New Orleans bulletin. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1874-1876, 1874-10-22
THE GREAT TYPHOON.
An AMERICAN M1DDY's EXPERIENCE DURING THE
LATE GELE AT NAGAEAKL

An AMERICAN MIDDY's EXPERIENCE DURING THE
LATE GELE AT NAGAeAKL
New York Herald, October Is.
The following extract from a letter written
by Midshipman NJ A. Shufeldt, OF the Hart
ford, to his father, Captain R. W. Shufeldt,
now stationed at Annapolis, descriptive Of the
terrific typhoon which swept over the harbor
Of Nagasaki last August, will be found Of in
terest:
have lots Of news. First and foremost
comes the great typhoon which swept over this
city about two weeks ago, the strongest one,
according to the Nagasaki Gazette and in the
mind of the coolest inhabitant," that this
coast has seen for seventy years.
If you remember how completely land
locked this harbor is, what good holding
ground, etc., you can better imagine the force
Of the gale. We (he Hartford) were an
chored in about the middle of the bay, with
bowers down and forty-fve fathoms Of chain
| on one and thirty on the other The bay was
crowded with vessels of all descriptions
merchantmen, steamers, and besides the
| Ashuelot, Kearsarge and Saco, the japanese
| ironclad Azuma Khan, the old Stonewall)
and three English gunboats. At dusk 1t was
overcast and rainy, with strong puffs OF wind,
the barometer falling rapidly. was standing
on the forecastie about P. NJ, and then 1t
| began to increase and | could hear anchors
! being let 90 and chains veered all over the
harbor.
ran below and took look at the barome-
! ter-29. IL, falling rapidly; at o'clock Est
and the wind bowling and shrieking; our top
gallantmasts were on deck and everything
snug alott. About three bells we veered 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 go
| 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
BRoADs1DE TO THE WIND,
when, after a fearful careen, she slowly
righted and swung "head to-" Ten minutes
after, with barometer at 1881, the wind blow
ing so hard that it was utterly impossible to
walk forward, except to crawl on your belly,
something white flashed by, and away went
our foretopgallant sail, saying good by q" to
the yard as neat IS could be, the latter being
at the time lashed in the rigging; and then,
with guns Of distress, firing all over the har-
Dor an immense black object doomed up on
our port bow and came down rapidly upon us
whe2 the Admiral rushed to the port on the
half deck and sang out to stand by to vee1
on all chains, and to let 60 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. 1 was standing aft, when heard
Capt Dekrafft say '.Admiral, she'll foul us
she'll foul US - A sudden, powerful puff Of
wind, and the gallant old Hartford brought uI
sharp on her starboard anchors, and swung
slightly but rapidly to starboard, causing the
dragging steamer to sheer our quarter ano
carry away the gig She was soon lost III
THE PITCHY DARKNESS
A few minutes after the Saco went by us
steaming all her might and four anchors down,
yet steadily dragging on the rocks. Then the
Kearsage began to send of all kinds OF fire
works, and we saw the Ashuelot and German
brig, which was athwart her hawser, go drift
ing of. About II o'clock the force Of the
wind was something terrific utterly impossi'
BILE to describe. At seven bells the barometer
was 2S13. The bowling of the gale was Sc
fearful that it was impossible to hear yell II
your very ear and the rain came down like
knife blades. We heard the swapping OF
the masts of an immense Danish mer
chantman, anchored little off our star
board bow, where she evidently had parted
her chains. She went by us like flash ther
two immense junks came tearing down OF
us, and striking our taut cables, were blown
high and dry on them. as it were, which caused
us to surge ahead, when the poor devils sanl
with their living cargoes. One only came
over our bow, with head bleeding, and he
} sought protection. We were now under full
head of steam, and slowly dragging. At -
with the barometer at 2S.1O, it tell almos
calm for about two minutes, then, with a vel
like
TEN THOURAND DEMONS,
it came ont in exactly the opposite direction
and then, blowing all the time just as hard
| e. Al u, md no va
went by us again, and the immense fleet o
junks went crashing and sinking all over tn
harbor Through the almost impenetrabl'
gloom could make out the Stonewal clos
aboard by the flash Of her minute guns. GU
ship rolled in the mountain-locked harbor o
Nagasaki as heavily as in a heavy ocean swell
About half-past A. NJ. the barometer jumped
from %. 13 to 2S47 and began rapidly to rise
l could not help but wonder at the grea
power this little instruments had to relieve hui
man anxiety The admiraIs face of dull care i'm
mediately frightened, and in fact all felt as II
an immense weight was lifted, for many
, thought that if our anchors held we might be
RUN DOWN AND FoUNDERED.
The typhoon rapidly abated, and soon ''al
hands had gone below to catch little res
, during the few remaining hours. The morn
ing broke clear and calm, but with wreck ant
, destruction on every side. The mast heads o
dozens of junks were visible sticking out
the water all around us. On the right han'
rocky shore were piled five large steamships
the majority Of them blown completely out Q
their element, high and dry, with masts AM
: sails in inextricable confusion. The majorit,
of the merchantmen had lost ali their mast
: and spars. One Of the largest foundered a
her anchors, others were total wrecks an
!. piled in every imaginable way on the rocks
the shores lined with broken junks and sam
pans. and the water
COVERED WITH DEAD BODIES
and debris of every kind The Stonewall ha'
!, parted both her chains and gone ashore an
filled, with large hole in her size. Ashor
the destruction was awful. The solid ston
'.ound" was torn to pieces, and the rocks an
stones, weighing on an average halt to-
apiece, thrown across the street and into tn
gardens of the houses facing. All the latte
: were down, including the Governors neN
palace The streets were filled with timber
beams, bricks, tiles, broken limbs OF trees
| -. Ill, 80 on nV