New-York tribune., 1885-02-12
BATTLING WITH HUGE WAVES
ROUGH EXPERIENCE OF THE FRANCE. :

TOSSED ABOUT BY WINDS AND BlLLOws AND
DRIVEN FROM HER COURSE BY ICE.
| The steamship France. of the National Line,
| arrived at this port yesterday after what her
officers declare to be the stOrmiest passage they
| ever experienced. When the France arrived ut her
pier her hull was white and glistening with Ice.
From the pier field of ice extended third of tho
way across the river aud was packed closely in tho
slip into which she wished to get. Going some
distance up the river, the France accompanied by
two tugs drove down against the ice crushing her
way to the pier head. Then ensued the tedious
task of warping the ship into the slip. So thickly
the ice packed in there that it was four hours
before the France was alongside the pier.
The France left London on January % and az
soon as she got out into the Channel began TO
encounter heavy weather. When .she was fairly
in the Atlantic the wind increased to gale from
| the northeast and tremendous head seas were
encountered. The France plunged into it gal
lantly. She is accounted good seaboat and
though the storm was terrific she made gallant
fight with winds and waves. The storm continued
day after day and night after night Sometimes
the violence of the winds and waves abated little
and the weary officers thought fair weather was
coming but they found that pause in the
storm was only the signal of a fresh outbreak Of
fury on the part of the tempest. The steamer
rolled and pitched terribly taking on board great
green seas over the bows and over the stern. The
sailors suffered severely from the intense cold and
two of them had their hands and faces badly
frostbitten.
One of the officers in speaking of the storm yester
day. said: IL have been running on this line for
many years and have seen pretty rough
weather; but l never saw anything like the
weather this trip. We are all pretty well worn out
and mighty glad to get into port once more At ono
time thought never should see Sandy Hook.
The ship rolled so that it was almost impossible
to sleep. DO the best could we would be rolled
out of our hunks. | tied guilt around me and
fastened it to the headlight over my bunk but the
fearful Iurches of the ship tore the quilt and spilled
me out on the floor On February 3 the gale mod
Grated little, but at noon OF that day new danger
| threatened us. for we encountered vast field Of
| ice and numberless small bergs We were then in
| latitude 45o 81, longitude 400 40: We made
long detour to the south TO get out OF the way OIL
the ice. 1t extended from northeast TO southwest
| for distance Of ten miles and northwest as for as
the eye could reach. Even from the upper topsail
yard tue end OF thelce TO the northward coud not
| be seen.
"After we passed the ice we began to encounter
| heavy weather again. On February it was blow
| ing the most terrific gale ever experienced rhe
height and force of the waves were something DO
make the boldest sailor fear for the safety OF tthe
| ship Against such winds aud seas 1t was lmp0s-
sble to proceed, and we lay to from o'clock in the
| morning until in the afternoon The seas
| dashed over our bows. sometimes in clouds OF
spray which froze on the decks and in the rigging,
and sometimes in solid masses of water. At 4
o'clock in the afternoon the fury OF the storm nad
| somewhat abated, and we turned the ship around
and ran before he hurricane for eight hours AZ
the end of that time it was JUDGED safe to put the
| ship on her course again. The weather continued
| stormy however, with succession of northwesI
erly and westerly gales clear up to Sandy Hook
| The steamer Caracas, from Lagnayra. had 8
| hard time outside of Sandy Hook on Tuesday night
| II was found that the anchor cables were go
blocked with ice in the e-hoes that they could
not be freed. and she drIfted about outside ct
| Iv all nj
| yesterday she coveIel from bow to stern with
Ice and several Of the were slghtlyi FROST
The captain of the tug-boat. B. 7. Haviland, said
yesterday that on Tuesday afternoon he tried
peerdore lore He s''' arrived m 'Ai With her of
the point of Sandy. Hook, late in the afternoon.
having parted a 0-lnch hawser three times:
it tn' pulled out the the barss forward
bits and the tug boat had to leave her. The bark
outside yesterday ~ bring her her in she could
not be found. She was probably blown out to sea
during the night.
The Spanish steamer Urarte arrived from Lisbon
after a stormy voyage Her bulwarks were partly
demolished
THE oLIvETo FLOATED AND STRANDED.
The steamship Oliveto, which was stranded on
the beach at Moriches on December 81. was loated
on the high tide Of Tuesday. She was hauled OFF
by, means Of cables and a wrecking tug
and anchored outside the bar. tele-
gram was sent to the city for the tugs tugs
they arrived the wind shifted and drove her on tho
beach again. While hauling of the steamship the
cable attached to the wrecking tug broke:
knocking Captain Sharp TO the deck and
severely if not fatally injuring. him; Captain
Iroter and several other officers of the Oiyeto arc
still on board the steamship. and will5 stay
to''I to pieces. s She is still in good condition
and the Coast Wrecking Company are confident OF
saving her. The bay IN front OF Norwich Is frozen
over and people are gong from the mainland TO tno
beach IN ice boats, which make The trip OF six
miles in from six to ten minutes with good wind.
The at City Island. which has caused much
inconvenience to both steamers and sailing vessels
for the past few days. was worse than ever
Yesterday. The strong northwest WINDS
the the ice into solid masses. In some
places miniature icebergs were formed,
some of which had the depth OF six
teen feet below the water. Eight sailing
vessels are anchored Mt City Island waiting for tho
leo 10 break up sufficiently Tor them to get through
in getting through yesterday, most OF them not
passing the Island until noon.
The schooner s. w. Thomas, which went ashore
on Fire Island beach on Tuesday morning. Is re-
ported TO be rapidly gong to pieces Ihe sohooner
lost her bearings on Monday night IN dehsc iog
i'm dangerous proximity 20 the Fire Island Deacn
and before he could get an otfing the vessei was
driven ashore. Her crew of nine men were rescued
by the crew of the Life Saving station on the
beach The sailors were badly frost-bitten and
much exhausted from their hard work aud ex-
Taunton Mass She was a three-nasted schooner,
registering 76l TONS and was built IN Bath, Me-, In
1881. She was loaded with coal for Providence.
WRECKS ALONG THE COAST.
vyv W,sr EIa Fab 11-The schooner pocaa