New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1880-09-04
e1yFPTTy OF THE STORM.

SEVERITY OF HE SlOhM'
ruKs WITH CAPTAINS OF VESSELS THAT WfAlH-
FRID THE CYCLoNE-A DREADFUL NIGh1-oPlN-
1oxs OF SAILORS ABOUT TIE FATE or TIE
VERA Cruz.
Tho steamer New-Orleans of the Cromwell Line
,ov also been caught IL THIS same cyclone of me
st If Florida. a TRIBUNE reporter went 10 IIer
\ q North River. where it is mt present lying IN
,,,,.r ~ see the Captain. Carpenters and snip
nl1ers we've busy at work repairing the ship sues
a,a bulyarks. winch had boon terribly damaged
IL the storm More than half the lteloato had
1een syyeot away as well A. some OF the caonS ana
decl houses. Tie Captain being absent. the uIs'
mate Nh Robinson, an old sealarlns man was Ques-
toned.
The cyclone begun last Saturday at about
,.l,ot ~ ,he afteruoonn be SAID. and long as l
have neei at sea lave never witnessed anything
,oeou.l,t. We were IN sight of tie Florida coast
=. .b. time but soon entered into the CUT Stream
v.bicb r1,Ds in nortLeas,erly direction at that
wont and is thus Of great service to Southern YES
Sol. boruG for New-York ana Boston. Inc vera
Crr7 having on the other hand lett Newly org last
Wednesday week. she probably sighted ~ Angus
tine. on the olda coast at about the same line as
We But ~ vessels bound south are, u AVOID the
C,ff stream. forced 10 keep very near land. when
cvrlone lakes place they become exposed 10 Tar
preater danger than vessels in the open sea.
rne heavy clouds which began 10 oyershado"
Nh. horizon early Saturday morning were sure tore
runoers Of coming storm hut not until lie al''I-
Non had il become evden. that a cyclone was
,,,o,rs ALL the ordinary precautions were taken
L. .ho .,r+.,in but prepared we were TO cope
81 .h. clements we little thought what was III
,r. for rs The tossing OF tue vessel became
stronrer and stronger every minute ana nU2'
,r.ve. broke with violence AGAINST the b0-""'h'
ond hurricane decks As the tempest III rease" I'D
80. th, atmosphere was filed with thick mist
~ KING breathing difficult httie before lAo
storm, we had seen seyera. vessels WIthIA IL"
miles Of rs. but now not NeS'l-'
or them vas visible. Nothing but the heavy logs
- ,,r raz.. and nothing but the bowling OF the
mountaineering winds and the noise oil 'le '''A
ers reached our ears. Every man OF the crew
,Iirtv-l,r.e IN uumber-was meanwhile at his POSI-
od el,bourh death seemed imminent cheeIeN by
a. C.,t,i,,,s voice none of Us faltercd Toward
+be evening "A sad incident occurred. An enormous
wave smashed into the pilot house ana broke COW"
+he wheel gear One Of our best men, Juilu' john
son rushed 10 adjust 1t again. when another wave
-, 1.s r,oI.nt than the first swept him overheard.
He was seen 10 more. The approach o.
r;,,bt did not diminish the Jury oi '"'
Ir,c,,,e. indeed the horror of our situation wa
only enhanced by the darkness when enVeiopeu uS.
o. ,,rfbe other the boats were jeTked out Oh
. he'd into atoms and the cooks house was
b,,,er away, The sea at some moments was a.
hi,4 a. tine TON of the smoke stack ana We feared
eysrv ,uonegt that the machinery Wouin ne over
flooded and put out Of order The SATURDAY hisht
We nassed WAS as horrible time as ever had ana
we al thanked God when sunday morning shsh'ly
Gained the raging of the elements.
"U the Vera Cruz has succumDedE 10
fins cyclone. which more than probable h'ru'S
think q soul on board will have been saved Inc
SC ,r-,st have been wrecked between ST. Angus
tine and Cape Canaveral, very dahEeIou' 'o"o'
cons,stiuo Of sand banks ard reefs. Besides TINS
,.,oI.,c. of tb4 storm probably made the use OF
life-boats impossible. Captain Van Size Is an eA-
cellert seaman and know him well, but al his
science Wouid be thrown away IN cyclone such az
those which pass over the West India Islands"
CAPTAIN FooTE's OPINION.
TITO S,,4iaco de Cuba of Clydc's line arrived al
ouorontine Yesterday. II should have arrived anou
+wa,tv four hours earlier but was delayed by TIE
storm which was encountered IN the Straits o.
Florida The Captain, s L. FoOte, was ionho al t'e
company Office yesterday by TRIBUNE Io'o' w..
We Ief, Havana" he said, " at o'clock on SAT
urjay afternoon. Il was easy sailing until sunday
noon Al that time the storm broke fuHousIy upo'
Ms with little warning of its coming. All prepare
,iors were ouickly made for weathenng the gaze
A. thai lime we were off the coast Of floIlda IL
what IL called Florida strait. which Is that par
,he ocean that lies between Cuba and fIoriad' A"'
strn continued to increase in intensity unui II a.
surped the proportions Of cyclone All night IohI
each hour added 10 the fury Of the elements UNI
MONDAY morning The worst OF the STORM wa
from q. II. Monday morning until d. M' \"
waves were mountain high, and swept over 'n
deck of tie snip furons!y. - a..
Did YOU see any other vessels during 'A
torn ?" -
We'll on Monday morning a south-' Jun" ''
sassed rs but owing to the rain and the darkness
was impossible 10 see what she was les po''' o.
4 was the City of Vera Cruz. About al noun a'o
another light awept by us, and we could see VI
lark form of a ship But through the mick a'ln"'
)here and the binding ram we were no' aDio
make her out. NV idea Of the storm was tha' u "a
ended 70 the eastward OF where we were I''"'I'"-
and ATTEMPTED 10 steer ont OF its path Inc III
ofYera Cruz. | tnink, must have been some" I'D
north of rs. If the reports OF her mail-Daes Dem
found on the coast OF Florida are true IL Is IL
opinion that she went down. | have perhaps son
through roughcr weather, bat DON'T "ahV " W
sgan. Think of going through the wafer a' %
eSis Vi fifteen miles hour. and Tie AID nl0niH