The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1878-10-20
TERRIFIC STORMS AT SEA.
sTE<MsHIPs oVsRDUE AND MORE AC.
COUNTS OF WRECKS.
The Terrible Experience OF the y. II. wheel.
ere Crew-six Days OF Desperate Work Mt
the Pumps. and Three Days IN the Rigging

The Terrible Experience OF the y. II. Wheel
er's Crew-six Days OF Desperate Work Mt
the Pumps, and Three Days In the Rigging.
The steamship Elysia, which arrived yes
terday. had on board eight seamen. rescued
from the wrock Of the J. Il. Wheeler. The
Elysia on the 10th inst. lat. Az So and lon. 800
"a. sighted the Wheeler drifting on her beams
end. The ship Edward OBrien WIS near the
wreck under easy sail. A boat was seen TO put
out from the wreck to the ship. The Elysa
was about to proceed. when II was noticed that
the O'Bren was making sail. At the same time
the boat from the wreck bore down toward the
steamship and asked to be picked up. The
steamship took on board eight seamen. and was
about to haul up the boat when the four men in
it objected. saying that they and the boat be-
longed to the O'Brien. 1t was then ascertaned
that they had put the rescued seamen aboard
the steamship because they were nearer to her
than to thoii own ship. and that the OBrien
had taken twelve men from the Wheeler. and
could not well provide for the others. Accept
ing the explanation the boat was allowed to de-
part. the Elysia watching her until she was
taken up by her ship The J. b. Wheeler was
Nova Scotia ship. She sailed from St Johns
cargo OF deal Capt. Mckay and eleven men
are ON the OBrien. The two mates and six
seamen arr lived in the Elysia.
The Wheeler was struck on the ID inst. by
gale from the north. BY midnight she had
been so badly wrenched that she began to leak.
the pumps. and Kept constantly Mt work. The
following day apd the next the crew were con-
stantly nj the pumps. and on Saturday. when the
weather had become more moderate. they had
reduced tho wnter from eight feet and half To
Tour feet On Monday the storm struck her
again. Until noon the unceasing labors of the
crew kept them about even with the incoming
water. But in the afternoon the water gained
on them. At nightfall the carpenter found six
1ert anu n nail OF water. ana NJ III O'Clock III had
risen 10 eleven feet In the afternoon they had
begun to tighten the ship but TO little. purpose.
II slightly eased the port side. At midnight the
captain orderd the bread bags to be taken aloft.
and the crew, soon followed them. They
The ship was working over on her beams end.
and by early morning. the sea swept oyer the
deck. Buwarks. cabins. and water tanks were
swept away, With almost any other cargo the
snip would have gone down hours before, The
crew remained IA the rigglng from midnight
weather became sufficiently moderate for them
to return TO the deck Everything had been
feet Of water in the ship. She then lay we'll over
on her beams end. At night the crew returned to
the rigging. The captain. the first mate and
three sailors chung to the rigging Of the mizzen-
mast the second mate and seven sailors in the
msintop. and seven sailors in the foretop. On
Thursday morning they sighted the O'Brien,
and ran up the distress signal. Soon afterwurd
the Elysia was sighted.
The Eysis was overdue several days. Other
European steamships coming west have expert
enced unusually severe weather for October.
anu long TRIPS are the result. The Denmark OF
| the National line and Rhein ofthe Bremen line
| are now overdue The Denmark IL seventeen
| DAYS out from London but at the Office of the
company II was said yesterday that there was
| no ground for anxiety Mt the delay. Under the
most favorable circumstances the Denmark re-
Quires fourteen days for the passage from Lon
don to New York. The Celtic OF the White Star
| line was due on Thursday night or Friday
morning. She arrived last evening. The
Rhen is two days overdue. The steamships
| have full passenger lists, but rs yet there has
| been little anxiety shown by friends.
| passenger In the Scythia said that the nd
winds were ut times terrific, and II seemed AS II
| the steamer made no headway against IL Once
| she was struck by = cyclone. which sent her
spinning around. The waves dashed over the
| smoke stacks, and II was feared that the water
| would put out the fires On the pier 81 the Ma
| tona line veteran officer said that steamsh d
| navigation is so well understood and steam
| ships are 30 thoroughly built that gales are not
| feared The only ground for apprehension IL
| the breakaee Of machinery. II the engines and
shafting hold out the fercest gale can be
| weathered.
The ship Doris. which sailed on the 9th ult.
| returned TO port yesterday. having been struck
| by hurricane on the 5th inst She was thrown
on her beams end. and the cargo shifted. The
| fore and main lower topsais and the bulwarks
| were cut AWAY. and she righted the sea break
ing over her. Seven days later she was struck
| by another hurricane. and 500 bags OF corn and
| 26 hogshrads OF tobacco were thrown over
| board On Friday last she was again struck by
| hurricane thrty-flve miles south OF the light
ship. She was towed out Of i by the tdg Cyclops.