Daily Republican. [volume] ([Wilmington, Del.]) 1874-1890, 1882-07-21
RATTLE WITH MOSQUITOES.


n a 8mlDb UR0W OOmqmeF0O anu NOMl
peIIed TO Pass . Night IN the RtE
kIng OFA snip.
The Philadelphia Ledger of Thursda
says
? The average Jersey mosquito is AZ
/ knowledged by all with whom be ha
. come In contact to be an exceedingly
8 bloodthirsty wretch, but of all tn
: stories related concerning his viciou
! ways in all probability none can equa
the tale told by Captain j. W. Ander
son, of the British bark, Emmanue
t Swedenborg.
, The Swedenborg arrived at this por
on Saturday last from Spain with :
cargo of Iron. She was lying In tn,
river until yesterday afternoon, wheI
she was docked at Willow street wharf
Here it was that Record man found
the amiable skipper in his cosey cabin
busily engaged in applying poultices tc
his face, hands, arms, neck and ankles,
in order to allay the pain and take
down the swelling caused by the bites
of the pestiferious insects.
When questioned the Captain said
"Jt was about o'clock in the after
moon, when fifteen miles off Cape May,
that we saw towards the north a great
cloud of insects bearing directly down
on US. Three minutes after we sighted
the moving nass our ship was encircled
by hordes Of mosquitoes. They must
have been Wearied by their long fight
from the land, for they Immediately
took up positions ON the deck, on the
sails and among the rigging. At this
ljuncture we picked up a pilot, whom
we eagerly besought 10 explain where
the visitors came from, but he was too
dumbfounded to make any reply. After
they began their feast on the exposed
parts of us helpless souls it was terri
BILE. Some of the men cried out in
agony at the way they we're bitten.
Go where they would it was all the
same Down in the cabin many fed
for relief, but it was of no avail, for it
seemed rs though there were as many
below decks as there were above.
noticed that all that attacked me
were thin and mean-looking. Some had
bills a half an inch in length, which
they inserted in ones face and arms
with marked viciousness. 1t took but
a second or two for them to eat enough
to tatten them beyond all belief. 1t
took all our time to kill the critters as
they alighted on us. At the end of the
first half hour they began piercing our
clothes. When l found that the devil.
ish fellows were crawling up my legs
l hastily went to the cabin and put on
a pair of big boots and climbed into a |
heavy winter overcOat. When sailed |
out on the deck again thought was
proof against tie bites of the mosqui.
toes. Notso, however. They managed
to bother me almost as much as before. |
By this time many of the crew had
swathed their faces and necks with |
shirts leaving only space enough to see. !
81 was driven almost desperate and |
I climbed up to the maintOp thinking |
to escape the ferocious animals You
may know how glad l was when l
found that they had not got up so far.
The first mate called to me to know how
it was up there. Itold him to come up
and to bring as many of the men aioft
as could be spared. This he did, and
there we staid all night. When supper
time came our Chinese cook went below
and filled basket of cold victuals,
which we hoisted up to our perches in
the shrouds. The men took hour turns
in going down on deck and managing
;he vessel.
We slept aloft, as we feared to VEN
,ure on the deck. About 4 o'clock a
tiff breeze sprung up, and the mos.
luitoes began leaving us. Many of I
hem staid on the boat, however, until
We reached Delaware. At the break
water I attempted to send dispatch
% the consignees in Philadelphia, but
ny hands were bitten 80 badly was I
lnable to write, and had to get the tele- {
,raph operator to pen the message. l {
lope we will never be compelled to 8
gain endure such torments as we t
we're subject to turing the time we a
we're on deck. My only fear was that q
he mosquitoes might tackle the pig t
ron aboard and bring me out short C
Nth the consignees. Luckily was s
pared this aftliction."