The Republican journal., 1885-04-16
The Kennebecker in India.

mence. ! thought should like to stay and hear
it, but dark mass of omnous clouds Law over
the western bank of the river with forked
lightning playing over and around them In a
way that seemed to mean mischief. The time
was now at hand when we were to look for the
frghlfu squalls or tornadoes that precede and
herald the rainy season. A second thought
tod me had better go to the ship, and SO l
hurried off to Garden Reach as fast as | could
| go. When arrived there it was dark and the
heavy bank of clouds had worked clear round
the horizon, the sky was one dull, lurd glare Of
| incessant lightning, and the mercury falling
fast. The ship had her lower hold full of cargo
and some in tween decks her top hamper all
down, and there was little to be done to make
her more secure than she was. | called the Of
| ticers and told them to secure the tween deck
| ports, and fur the awnings fore and aft. The
| chief mate and carpenter promptly attended to
| the ports. the quarterback and forecastle avn
| ings were speedily rolled up snug and the men
We're furtlng the one over the main-deck. while
| | stood at the taffrail watching. The iron
steamship City Of Manchester was at anchor a
| little below us. and as he was regular packet
| to Calcutta, he would be on the qui vive, and
could see by his man9uvres what he thought Of
| tne storm which was evidently approaching.
| He had full set of awnings set and hauled out
| taut and those over his bridge and saloon were
double. He had not started them yet. The
| tide was running ebb strong, and the steamer
| lay with her head toward her anchor up river.
Nearly abeam of the Conception lay the Eng
| lish iron sailing ship Star of Russia, home ward
| bound. She too was beading up stream.
could see these ships by the glare of the light
! ming as plain as by daylight. Soon | heard Il
roar coming up the river like that of IA railway
! train. 1t increased to thar of a hundred trains,
| and l hurried the men on the awning. which
| was now nearly secure. Then | saw the low
line Of savage surf and mist strike the steam
ship, hur her round across the tide, heel her
| over. lee gunwale to the water saw her avn
ings ill and belly to the wind like ships top
| sails. They tugged at their chain fastenings
| for an instant, then split and went laundering
in the air up river. In another instant it struck
| Us from the west southwest, and with force
| that careened the ship over four streaks, took
| the unfured corner of the ming from the
sailors hands, tore it clear across quicker than
Hash, and the canvas followed that of the
| steamer up river as though it were the whip of
| scorpions. The ship began to surge on her star
| board quarter chain, which was athwart the
| port one. and every time link rendered across
| the other II sounded AS though it had snapped,
| and | expected to see the other cable go and
the ship thrown on to the bank of the river
| The grinding of these chains over one another
| was one of the most dismal sound. | ever
| heard. and the strain on them was so great that
| the two buoys to which they We're attached
were entirely submerged. The rain was now
| falling as | never saw it fall before, and when
| the ship rolled from side to side it was liz hav-
| ing heavy sea on board there was so much
| water. Before we got our waist ports open
| (tor the scupperS would not begin to free her)
| the water was level with the hatch combilg>,
and everything movable about decks was
| aloat. Although the tarpaulins and hatch ba
were on the hatches there was danger of tie
| water going down and so all hands We're sent
| to bailing the water out of the ports. The rain
beat INTO the windows, although blinds aud
shutters We're all closed, as though they We're
so much paper. and the water stood two inches
deep on the cabin floor while the steward tried
in vain to keep it out.
The gale was "a circular one (cycone), and be-
gan to haul with greater fury to the south.
The Star of Russia lay across the tide, with her
lee hatch-combings to the waters edge-amost
on her beam ends. The City of Manchester be-
gan TO drag toward Us and let go her second
| anchor; then as they paid ont on both cables
She came nearer still to us. We could hear the
cable roar through her hawse pipes. hear her
alarm whistle in short blasts, and the steam
kissing through her pipe in the intervals of the
storm, for She was going ahead full speed.
Peal after peal of thunder now crashed All
around us, and, taking it all in all, | think the
situation was one to strike terror to human
being if aught on earth could. As | held on TO
the rail watching the steamship it was all
could do To keep from being blown away.
The chief mate now came and said. "Do YOU
hear her whistle, sir? She i drifting into Us y
"1es, sir. do, and there is no help for it. Ii
our four cables will not hold Us with these
>par~ all down, what can we do? If the
steamer strikes us, we must go. | went down
into the cabin to see how things were. and there
was the Custom House officer standing on the
sill Of the door. holding himself up out of the
water. 1T Is a cyclone, captain" said he
isn't 1t awtu:" Yes" said |, Were you
ever in one betore?" "Yes. sir! lust such !.
one as this; ii lasted over twenty four hours"
had no time to talk and went up again. The
gale now came from the in>hore quarter, and
hteleu Us over the opposite way, and blew the
steamship away from Us. | had chance to
feel the difference between being where some
thing depended upon ones actions, perhaps life
and death, and where everything was done
that could be done felt that come W hat
would. [ could in no way do any more. and
With II was a sense of calm relief; nothing
could terrlty me.
STRUCK BY LIGHTNING.
The lightning was now running in vivid
>treaks in all directions. No pen can describe
it, for it was inde~cribable There was a
stream of fire, IL crash of thunder, and then ii
wild cry that sounded though it came from
the forward cabin | rushed in thr ugh he
after doors Just as the second mate and three
men were coming in at the forward doors.
bringing in the form of man. ] could see
this by cur hurricane lantern. hich hung on
the mizzen-mast. 1T is Farmer, sin they
said; struck by lightning: he is dead" We
got him into the after cabin, laid him on u
&
family, but he had all the appearance of a dead
man. SO each man took limb and began to
rub it vigorously. He was limp AS death. but
knew there was life. We rolled him up in
blanket, and Kept on with the rubbing. The
grinding Of the cables, the roar of the gale the
throbbing of the ship from stem to stern, and
the dealening thunder was enough to rike
any one dumb. | thought of the young doctor
close by on shore and asked the mate if he
thought he could get to him. He replied,
"lli tft.@ The phontoon bridge to the shore
was gone-boat>, p'anks, ali. Not veStige of
it remained. So the brave fficer seized
plank from deck and went ashore on it, (rhe
shore was about 100 feet distunt.) He found
the doctor and his family all up, their veranda
blown down, their windows all blown in. the
rooms flooded, the plastering falling and things
Worse with the household than with US. The
doctor SAID to The mate Il would 90 with
you if could, but | have all can do here
Rub the young man vigorously for two hours,
give him tea>poonful of brandy often. ana he
viii come out Of it. will come to him soon as
| can
The mate got back to the ship as he had gone
from her. and in an hours time the Youngsters
lips moved and he said something about being
al home. After midnight the wind began TO
abate, and by day llight the sky was clear, the
storm over. Then our young man rallied
rapidly. He remembered being stationed bv
the cabin door with bucket to bail water and
knew no more until he came to in The ships
cabin.
In the morning sorry scene of desolalion
presented itself. The ship looked as though
She had be through hundred battles The
whole shore was strewn with the wrecks of
boats and lighters. large, safe boat left the
Star of Russia with the evedore and his crew
on board, having with him the amount of his
bill for loading the ship in his pocket. They
We're all lost. Trees that had wit thstood the
heaviest cyclones were uprooted, houses un-
rooted and blown down, ships torn from their
moorings, and the only thing that saved the
fleet Was the sudden abatement of the storm.
The overpowering effects of such Il gale as this
can hardly be given in common words. TCapt.
j. III. Drew in Boston journal.
Worcester, Mass, is 10 have "a cremation So
cety.
The mother of He j. S. S. Cox, Minister to
Turkey, died at Seanesvie, O., April ID.
The Court House at Minneapolis was burned
Thursday week, The records We're saved.
1t is estimated that the base ball clubs of this
country will cost the people $4,000, 900 this
year.
Thomas Sabin, who died at Bechertown,
Mass, recently, was 10 years. months and
days old.
1t is estimated that the gas companies of New
York city. have cleared $50, 0,000 in the last