The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1876-12-09
In a Cyclone.


A correspondent Of the Baltimore
American, who was on board the United
States steamship Ossipeo when she en-
countered the terrific cyclone which visit.
cd the West Indies nnd our southern
coast last month, gives graphic account
OF the affair. The storm begsn on the
afternoon of the 10Th ult,, tao vesseI OF
that time being 10 the Gulf Stream about
twenty miles east and south Of Cape
Canaveral light, Oh her way from Hamp.
ton Roads to New Orleans. During the
progress Of the storm the heavy seas
which came over the deck tore away
hammock nettings, sails, smashed the
boats, and stove in the cabin bulkhead
and door, carried the four men away from
the wheel, flooded the cabin and quarter
deck to the depth Of three feet, tossing the
officers and men about like rubber balls,
and destroying the furniture and wood.
work generally. Returning as the ship
lurched, it carried away heavy bulkheada
with force of many tons, aad finally
went to sea again, over the port side, by
knocking out the heavy ports Of the pivot.
gun and smashing the launch that was
slowed away on the portrait. The sea
oame entirely over tho ship, aud lighting
in the launch, tore it completely from it's
fasteniugs, smashed it like ON egg-shell
and took it oil to sea. At about half.
past nine o'clock A. NJ, the storm had
reached its fiercest force and fury. The
barometer was down to 1882, and the
noise of the rushing wind was so great
that i. was impossible to bear the human
voice unless the mouth Of tho speaker
was placed close to the ear of tho hearer
Sight was equally impossible, except to
leeward, for the air was loaded with
small globules of seawater which struck
the face and eyes and any exposed part
with the 6erceneSs and sting of myriad
bees. The men,in getting about the decks
20 attend to their duties were thrown
violently from their feet, and blinded by
the salt spray, were obliged to 90 cropping
about as if they we're 10 total darkness.
They could only stick to their stations by
the most desperate struggling against the
matches, gratings, doors, deck buckets, and
many other articles that were being swept
back aud forth across the decks By the
rushing Of the water as the ship rolled
and tossed. Breathing was difficult, and
the air taken into the lungs was 90 load.
ed with sea salts that it caused excessive
irritation, producing violent coughing and
vomiting. The suffering of the men was
most intense, especially among the Ere.
men and coal beavers, who were not only
deprived of ventilation, but obliged to 10.
hale the salt water steam produced by
tho seas rushing into the FIRE room. As
soon as the wind had ceased the seas had
commenced lifting up their huge backs in
long rolling high masses of tremendous
size, which seemed to roll from nowhere
in particular, and were going and coming
everywhere. They piled themselves over
and against eaoh other in o strangely
confused manner that caused the ehip 10
pitch and roll SO fearfuly that it was
nearly impossible to keep ones footing.
Riding on the backs Of those huge bill.
lows we're smaller seas, white crested and
cone shaped, that would leap up toward
the clouds, topple over and disappear and
give place to others, which seemed to be
thrown out from the interior Of the long
seas with volcanic force. Thus, as far as
the eye could reach, in oil directions
about the horizon, this dance of the wa res
this Titanic oancan went on--sea piing
on sea, like Pelion upon Ossa. Some.
times one Of these huge seas would come
laundering down, bearing its back load of
smaller waves in such force as to threat.
en- destruction. On one occasion thrco of
these "riders" we're upset SO near the ship
that their tops came tumbling on board
from three directions at once, one yer
either bow and one over the poop. The
chip trombled and creaked and stopped
rolling for minute, and seemed to shake
herself FREQ from this grasp OF the waves,
and slowly surged ahead again from the
impulse of tho engines. The sky during
this time presented no less ominous ap.
pearance than did the sea. Banks Of
ashen-hued clouds lay along the horizon,
while overhead broken scuds sped across
the zenith from the north. A heavy
rumoling sound would occasionally come
from somewhere, like the distant roar of
an earthquake. The barometer continued
stationary at 1882. with frequent but
slight oscillations. All these indications
convinced the most skeptical that we had
passed through one hemisphere Of cy.
clone, and were then in its vertex or cen.
ter. At about fifteen minutes Of noon a
little paff Of wind aud rain came from the
north. The barometer rose two.tenths of
an inch, but Immediately fell back again,
Within five minutes of the commence.
ment Of the second attack the cyclone had
US again 10 its powerful grasp. For the
space OF two hours and forty.two minutes
the storm was more fearful than in the
morning, and in ten minutes the wind had
completely asttened out the "riding seas"
and was exerting such heavy pressure
upon the rollers that they could do but
little mischief. The voice of the wind
was pitched in fearful key, in several
fearful keys, no two of which were in
harmony, like that of thousand women
shrieking in the terrors Of nightmare.
combined with metallic cracking vibra.
tion like the highest notes of calIiope
and steam-fog whistle. The suffering1 Of
the sailors were repeated and intensified