The weekly register. [volume] (Point Pleasant, Va. [W. Va.]) 1862-1909, 1885-09-23
A1oaNApo M The TROPICS.

AToaNAno IN THE TROPICS.
An ES.Nayni oaieers I.Sperisnee 10 .
Real Japansss TyphOon.
Philadelphia Tinal
Twas in typhoon once on the 18th
day Of August 1871, IN the United
States Storeship Idaho, in Yokohama
harbor, Japan, said John Is. Robinson,
member Of assembly from Delaware
county and for eleven years an officer
In the | hited States navy. ~ never
want another such experience. We had
had a long spell Of intensely hot
weather. The day Lefore the I, phoon
part Of the Tenth British regiment and
Royal marines, exchanged to 20 home,
were Transferred 10 q transport and to
avoid the heat moved in early morning.
Five Of tho men werc sunstFuck, when
the sun was not three degrees high.
We had about twenty.Iour hours notice
Of the coming Of the typhoon by the fall
Of the barometer, the shifting Of the
wind and increasing moisture Of the
atmosphere. A few hours before the
center Of storm passed the sky became
filed With inEy black clouds, grating
around in h, most confused manner,
the wind blow q steadily increasing
gale, finally, as the storm. center was Oh
Us, assuming hurricane violence.
VI was navigating officer and part Of
my duty was to watch tho barometer
and sympsieSometer, which | marse ed
every ten and five minutes. Tho mer.
curry fell IN regular jumps toward the
last, rs II tho bottom was out Of the
tube, hating at 25-4G. For tho half
hour preceding this tho situation was
perfectly awful. WewOrc at anchor in
tho harbor, the two best bowers down
and yeered 10 ninety fathoms Of chain
on each. Tho harbor was full OF craft
large and small. Admiral Keppels
flagship, Clyde.bullt steamer, was on
one side Of US, the Pacific mail steamer
America, Capt Warsaw, on tho 0thOr,
and q Norwegian bark near astern.
The steamers Kept full head OF steam
on and could ease up their cables. Our
vessel and the other sailing craft tried
to trust to their cables.
The dangorof fOuing was imminent
The bark dritted allhround us, fortu.
nately not striking, Had she done so
10th vessels would have been ground to
pieces. The wind at It's height was
simply indcscribablo, tho noise liko that
Of 10000 devils yelling In air. There
was no sea on while the wind blew at
itsgrcatcst velocity, as 1t cut the tops of
the waves like q knife and tho air was
illed with a binding salt mist. VIC
could not show our heads above tho
rail. To look to windward or hold your
head up against the wind was
impossible. When tho barom..
ter ceased falling the wind tell
and dead calm, awful In It's stiffness,
succeeded for about fifteen minutes.
We were then in the vortex Of the
storm and, rs We after calculated, four
miles from tho actual center. As the
wind lulled the sea rose and came piling
in the harLOr in tumultuous waves, run.
ming in all directions, tOppling up over
our decks and filling them with tons Of
water. Our matches were battenel
down and everything was fast, Of
COURSE, Lut our most serious danger was
!!ust then, as wO were loaded deep and
rolled so that we actually thought at
one timO we'd turn clean over, but We
camc through 1t all right but heavily
shaken up.
"lho wind came out from tho oppo.
site quarter, in n few minutes blow the
sea down again and ragged with do.
moninc fOrco and decreasing velocity
for an hour or so. tho barometer
jumped up 10 near thirty inches again.
tue s-y cleared until there was not a
cloud TO 10 sccn and the typhoon WINS
past; hut II loft It's wreck behind.
Numbers Of small craft and several
large steamers were on the beach in
pieces no bigger than q yardstick. The
harbOr was full Of tea boxes for DAYS
from tho wrecked vessels. have been
five times across tho Atlantic, in some
heavy WiItry gales on that treacherous
ocean, Was in q cyclone OF Hatteras in
tho frigato Macedonia, have scudded
1000 miles before tho brave westerly
winds on one parallel, or capo OF
Good Hope when going out to India,
but have never seen tho wind blow so
hard as in that typhOon. Indeed, |
never believed il could blow so and used
TO joke ut tho mcSS.tnblC with the OK.
eeutivC ohcer, who had been in ty.
phoon prior to this one and would yarn
about 1t During the height Of tho
typhoon no was standing alongside Of
me under tho break Of the rope Capt.
]. Crittenden Watson was in tho cabin
praying; he leaned down close to my
car and yelling with all his power,
otherwise ! could not have heard him,
for tho ShriOking Of the wind, said:
SOW, d. you, don't you believe il
can blow My reply was an aIrma.
tive nod Of the head as registered tho
next Jump Of the barometer. "
rs there no way Of escaping or miti.
eating the dangers of these violent tor.
nadoeS;"
"None that science has yet discov.
cred, Outside, with sea. room you can
run out Of them II you arc warned soon
enough, bnt II caught in the track Of
one all you can do is to make every.
thing snug about decks, batten down
your matches, bend your storm sails,
fri your S uaro sails and double lash
thom, run Iife:linOs along the decks and
trust in Providence"
pEcIn IAelrIFe ne icrl ANN