The new dominion. [volume] (Morgantown, W. Va.) 1876-1904, 1881-08-27

heighth and depth of which are gov
erned by the force of the winds.
Sometimes these waves rise so high
as to require the closure of the port
holes, and they even dash over the
deck washing over board whatever
objects are movable. Under such
circumstances passengers are of
course obliged to go below and be
closed in. Thus far we have had
only moderate swells, the maximum
of which have caused a rise and dip
of the vessels bow through a range
Of about twenty feet. 1t is the rock
ing Of the vessel which induces in the
susceptible peculiar nervous i'm
preston resulting ia sea sickness.
Comparatively few of our passengers
have escaped this malady. On the
morning of the second day there was
a conspicuous absence from the seats
at the breakfast table, and by Mon
day the complaint was quite general.
On Tuesday, many returning to the
table would swallow few mouthfuls
and hurriedly dapart to eject the NOR
sci of nourishment taken. Most are
now convalescent. Your correspond
ent has, thus far, has never been sub
jected to any motion on land or
water that induced any approach to
this feeling. Still, he would not ven
ture to predict his future exemption.
With the exception of one or two
days we have sighted one or more
crafts in the distance. Two days we
saw nothing of human beings or
works of mems hands except as linn
tied to our own ship. We have
talked with only one vessel. Late in
the afternoon of the Sabbath our ship
was signalled by pilot schooner,
which ASKED for newspapers, and sent
out small boat rowed by two men
to receive them. A batch Of late
American papers was wrapped up
and thrown into the sea near by them
which they soon recovered and went
on their way. On my remarking to
an old sailor that that was a slender
craft to venture so far at sea, he re-
piled it was great deal safer during
storm than our own steam ship; it
would ride the waves, while ours
would pillow them. About two o clock
on Sabbath afternoon we discovered
in the distance ahead and to the
sonth Of us the spouting of water
streams into the air, very like the
playing of fountains. This indica-
ted, of course, the presence of whales.
The spouting was successfully re-
peated in a northerly line at right
angle with the course of our vessel.
The relative speed of the animals and
our vessel proved to be such as to
bring us in a short time in the midst
of a school of whales, of indefinite
number. We could sec ahead doz-
en- or more at nearly the same mo-
ment close to the bow of the ship,
where had taken my position. They
were estimated to measure each about
thirty to forty feet in length. They
are, of course not so large as the arc
tic whale, which seldom gets so far
south as the route pursued by the
Anchor line. The moving of these
animals in water is peculiar. In APP
preaching the surface to inspire air,
the head and fore part of the body
are first presented to view, the inspi
ration being completed, this part of
the animal descends and the tail tits
up, exhibiting thus a see saw move
ment the centre of the body forming
the pivot,
Every day greater or less num-
Der of sea gulls and Mother Carey's
chickens fly around and in the wake
of the ship for food. They are al
most constantly on the wing, but
when sea-buscuit or other food is
thrown out the gulls light upon the
water near by and float like duck to
the food and pick it up. Mother Ca
rey's chickens gather and futter
around it very much like flock of
hungry domestic fowls when a hand
full of corn is thrown to them. They
are apparently not more than the
size of a tame pigeon, and the body
very light.
Almost every night we have had a
very pretty display of the phospho-
rescence of the sea. Those who have
never witnessed this phenomenon
may form a very good conception of
it by supposing themselves to be
looking down in the darkness of
night upon body of water and trans
ferring, in their imagination, to it's
surface the numberless lightning
bugs they have seen lowering over a
meadow in dark night, after June
rain. Sometimes the luminous
sparks upon the sea are larger, and
look like stars or balls of fire. The
phosphosescence of the ocean, as
many Of your readers know, is due to
the presence of myriads of organisms
inhabiting its waters, which possess
the power of emitting light from their
bodies. They are mostly microscop-
ic in size, but some are as large as a
half inch or more in length. Their
luminosity is more particularly af-
fected when their. bodies are Jared
or struck, hence we see it's most
marked display at the stern of the
vessel, where the water is being con-
stantly agitated by the propeller.
The steamers of the Anchor Line,
to which our vessel belongs, sail be-