Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1876-11-24

A correspondent of the Baltimore Amer
lean, who was on board the United States
steamship Ossipee when she encountered
the terrific cyclone which visited the West
Indies and our Southern coast last month,
gives graphic account of the affair. The
storm began on the afternoon of the 18th
ult., the vessel at that time being in the
Gulf Stream about twenty miles east aud
south OF Cape Canaveial light, on her way
from Hampton 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 buikhesd
and door, carried the four men away frou
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 bulkheads
with force Of many tons, and finally went
TO sea again. over the port side, by knock
ing out the heavy ports Of the pivot-gun
aud smashing the launch that was slowed
away on the portrait. The sea came entire
ly over the ship, and lighting in the launch,
tore it completely from its fastening,
smashed it like an egg-shell and took 1t of
to sea. At about halr-past nine o'clock a.
NJ, The storm had reached its fiercest force
and fury. The barometer was down TO
2S.s2, and the noise of the rushing wind
was so great that II was impossible to
hear the human voice unless the mouth of
the speaker was placed close to the ear ofthe
hearer. Sight was equally impossible, ex-
cept TO lesward, for the air was loaded with
small glubules of seawater which struck
the face and eyes aud any exposed part
with the herceness and sting OF myriad
bees. The men, in getting about the decks
TO attend their duties were thrown violent
ly from their feet, and blinded by the salt
spray, were obliged to go cropping about as
IL they were in 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
and forth across the decks by the rushing
of the water as the ship rolled aud tossed.
Breathing was difficult, aud the air taken
into the lungs was so loaded with sea salts
that 1t caused excessive Irritation, produce
ing violent coughing and vomiting. The
suffering of the men was most intense, es-
ers, who were not only deprived Of ventl-
alton, but obliged to inhale the salt water
steam produced by the seas rushing into
the FIRE room. As soon as the wind had
ceased the seas commenced lining 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 them
selves over and against each other in q
strangely confused manner that caused the
ship to pitch aud roll so fearfully that II
was nearly impossible TO keep ones foot
jng. Riding on the backs of those huge
pillows were smaller seas, white crested
and cone shaped, that would leap up to-
ward the clouds, topple over and disappear
aud 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 all directions about
the horizon, this dance of the waves, this
Titanic cancan went on-sea plling on sea,
like Pelion upon Ossa. Sometimes one OF
these huge seas would come laundering
down, bearing its back load OF smaller
waves in such force as TO threaten destruc-
tion. On one occasion three of these "Tid-
ers" were upset so near the ship that their
tops came tumbling on board from three
directions at once, one over either bow and
one over the poop. The ship trembled and
creaked and stopped rolling for minute,
and seemed to shake herself free from this
grasp of the waves, aud slowly surged
ahead again from the impulse OF the en-
gines. The sky during this time presented
no less omlnous appearance than did the
sea. Banks Of ashen-hued clouds lay along
the horizon, while overhead broken scuds
sped across the zenith from different direc-
lions, but principally from the north. A
heavy Tumbling sound would occasionally
come from somewhere, like the distant
roar OF an earthquake. The barometer
continued stationary at 2S.S2, with frequent
but slight oscillations. Ali these indiea-
tions convinced the most skeptleal that we
had passed through one hemisphere ofa