The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1881-05-26

all hands remained on deck that is, un-
der the hurricane deck, near the bridge
where the flying water could not drain
down upon them. preterring sooner to
keep awake and in their clothes than
turn in on such a night as that. Used
as | am to foul weather at sea, own
that the rolling and plungng of the ship
sometimes made me hold my breath.
She lay down to it at times in such way
that | thought she would never right
again and the counter swell would take
her so heavily that the water would be
rolling over and into her to leeward
While the crest Of the sea that had swept
her on her beam ends was still, as might
say, up and down under her. The head
butcher, coming from forward, told us
that three bullUcks were dead in one pen :
how they had been killed | don't know ;
but we afterwards found out that they
were dead, though we gave the news no
attention at that moment, the ships dan
ger being uppermost in every mans mind
The gale was at its worst at four
O'Clock in the morning. The sea was
quite frighttul we knew that by the mo-
ton OF the ship, but not an inch beyond
our hoses could We SEE yet; it was pitch
dark, and all that we knew, we knew by
feeling. Stepping along the deck, even
for a yard, was like walking upon new
ly-mown field Of hay after a deuge of
rain It was all sop, sop, with straw and
the rattle OF the pens washing about and
twisting under the feet: and moment
after moment the widest sounds that one
could imagine We're coming out of the
dense blackness along the decks the
means Of dying beasts, the roaring of
brutes mad with pain and cold, and ter
ror. Some OF these noises We're like the
cries of men in their death agonies So
at least they seemed to me and others.
ON quiet night we might not have found
any such resemblance; but the roaring
winds and sea mingled with the below
ing, and gave it fearful and moving
note. | have said that the gale was at
its height at four o'clock in the morning !:
it was hard upon eight o'clock before the
sun rose, and as nothing could be done,
or at least, as no notion could be formed
Of what might be done, until the daylight
came, the darkness seemed endless. Be
fore sunrise was the worst part Of it, for
tlIout> IL ilo SCtllcl llhtS " ldlk vi Tue Sttt
being mountains high, don't know any
better words to express the fearful run
and power OF the waves at that time: and
over and over again, as VIC stood in a
crowd under the bridge holding on. with
the cattle believing all about us and the
seas sWeepingi in tons over the fOrecastlc,
and looking like 4 huge white sheet
streaming in the blackness over the bows
before the water fell. shouts would be
raised that we were going down and
again and again believed the great pom
derous steamship would never recover an
even Keel, OF do better than fill and sink
under our feet We, all Of us. however,
took notice of one thing that never did
men show themselves greater ours in a
time of danger than the low, savage fel-
lows who looked after the cattle There
was no swearing among them now, no
brutal, lnS0lent staggering: some of 'em
We're almost liieless with fear, and those
who could speak only used their voices
to ask the crew if there was no chance of
their lives being spared
The second mate stood near us little
before daybrGak, and | heard nim tell
the carpenter or tie second engneer-I
don't know which it was that if the gale
didn't suddenly moderate the captain
meant to ease the ship when the sun rose
by dropping some of the cattle overheard
! repeated this to my mates, and they all
agreed that the ship ought to be lightened
if the skipper didn't want her to turn tur-
tie, Tor ii the sea came ever SO little worse
than it was the steamer would never be
able to weather it in her present trim.
We stood waiting, Us we had been
waiting the whole long night, for day
light to come, and at last the dawn
frightened in the very eye Of the gale,
and presently we could see the sea and
the ship and one anothcr's faces The
decks were in frighttul mess, to be sure,
Just one great horror. In most of the
pens the cattle lay in heaps, each atop of
the other-some of them dead, some dy-
ing, some family believing and breath
ing short, some Writhed up in the strang-
est attitudes, and all Of them slipping to
and fro with the rolling Of the ship, like
50 many dead carcases. But what a
Sight was the sea The waves looked as
high as our funnel, and came rolling at
us us fast as a locomotive can run. The
force Of the wind was beyond anything |
can remember 1t was enough to blow
the head OFT mans shoulders, and it
swept the sea up in a smoke that came
flying upon us in volumes as though we
were allOat on boiling ocean On a sud-
den the order was given to stand by, to
put the ship before the wind. If hadn't
heard the second mate mention the cap
inf Il
surprised me: but knew that it was the
first necessary step to bc taken in the
proceedings which were to follow. The
helm was put over, and the vessel, rolling
trighttully, fell off, and n a few minutes
we were before the gale, with the water
sometimes as high as cliffs on either side
OF us, and sometimes the hollow OF a sea,
like a precipice, under the bows, and all
hands holding their breath for a giddv
and fearful fall. Two of our boats had
been carried away in the night, but,
strange to say, no one heard them 60
and the loss wasn't known until we look
ed and saw they were gone. We were
half wreck; the appearance Of the ship
scared the men, and the new and sharp
idea Of the danger made US spring about
as active as cats when the order was Civ
Ell to brace up the foreyards and get up
Il tackle at the yardarm. This was done
say, smartly, and the end of the tackle
taken to the steam winch, and presently
all was ready for hosting out the CATTLE
There was no call for the crew to assist
the dreadful work was done by the boss
butcher and his men. Every beast car
rled stout MANILA lanyard around its
horns. and the tackle being overhauled
from the yardarm, the block was hook
ed to the. lanyard, and the winch set
IN motion. In an instant the animal
was run dangling in the air, and then
lowered until its head was within arms
reach OF the man, stationed with a
sharp knife to cut the lanyard; the
man leaned forward, the knife cleaned,
and the animal fell. You may -alk of
the cruelty, Sir; the question is, could
it be helped | tell youmy blood curdles
now when recall the sight of those great
animals run up into the air, and left
dom, ff,,.