Grand Rapids morning telegram., 1885-01-12

uents I had never behsld A soldier sith
q ch0pedu mil.taiTe set on with q large red
plume, a cavalry ssber sfrspped 70 hls side.
a pair of tatteged unnent1onabies and bare
footed, mounted on mule or donkey,
would 20 scurryIDg %. and this. We would be
informed. Was -'reglmental Officer. We
hired brigaaiier for nfty cents "a carry our
luggage % the hotel.
We carried out the instructions received
from time 10 time from Admiral Palmer, 10
call among the various groups OF islands,
touching al all the principal ports as well a.
Aspinwan and the ports on tie Spanish Nam.
until finally the month of October found w
lying in the harboF Of Frederlekstadt, Santa
Cruz. We were there reeuperaIlng the health
of our crew. having had eight Gases OF yellow
fever aboard one OF which had proven fatal.
the other patients having been sent ashore
10 the hospital. "iI is an III wind that blows
nobody good" for, had II not been for this
SICKNESS. our vessel, without doubt, would
have anchored Just outside Prince Ruperts
Rocks In the entrance 10 the harbOr Of 81.
Thomas. as had been our custom for several
months SO as 10 meet the American mail,
and would have been caught in that terrific
hurricane of the twenty ninth OF October,
1867, which visited that island, wrecklng ia
its harbor in the space of two hours, sixty
odd vessels of all sizes, from the magnificent
iron steamer of the English mail lines 10 the
small coasting schooner, and drowning over
five hundred persons. But We were reserved
for different fate. Hearing of this catas-
trophe, our commanding officer Immediately
resolved TO steam over and render all posi-
ble assistance. The first view of the scene
impressed Us with the terrible power that
had been running riot with the shipping.
The harbor was literally choked with wrecks,
and, as If not content with that, some OF the
smaller craft were flung high upon the rocks.
Vessels of all sizes became unmanageable
and were driven hither and thIther about the
harbor by the violence Of the merciless gale,
driving upon and sinking each other. One
large collier, in ballast, the British EIn-
pre- by name, broke from her moorings
and charged three times across the harbor,
maneuvered by the shifting wind sinking
steamers, ships and schooners, until, shat
tered and stove, she finally sank upon the
wrecks of two Danish brigs she had sent TO
the bottom before her.
/ shall not attempt to depict the horrors
of the wrecking of the mail steamers just IN
from Europe, loaded with passengers; how
one attempted To gain the open sea and in
the mist ran upon a reef outside the harbor,
only two of her crew surviving; how Others
went down III sight of the city with human
aid powerless TO save even the women and
children. One steamer had the good for
tune, when in a sinking condition, TO be
driven alongside an iron floating dock in
time to transfer her passengers. Many of
these passeD gers / afterwards saw at the
hotels lamenting their unhappy condition,
being left penniless III strange land thous-
ands of miles from home. wealthy Mexi-
can with young bride had much treasure
lost consisting in part of diamonds which
he greatly feared had gone To deck 1.-The dark
unfathomed caves of ocean," small
Spanish man -of-war, the name of which
regret to say cannot recall, deserves special
mention. During the entire gale she steamed
as best she could from point TO point Ill the
harbor as she was directed by the cry of help
or the shrek of the drowning, until she had
lost all boats but her smallest one and many
brave men, when her commander heard the
cry of the captain of French vessel who
was clinging to buoy. He called for volun-
teers to man the only boat left-a mere toy
in such gale; but his men hestating to run
the hazard he leaped single-handed into the
boat and showed off to his own destruction,
the Freuchman clinging fast until rescued
after the gale had abated. The various adj
ventures and hair-breadth escapes of lndi-
viduals. if all told, would fill volumes. The
captain of an American brig, having his wife
aboard and anticipating the loss of his yes
sci, determined to make desperate effort to
save her whom he priced far above vessel and
cargo. Dressing her in a suit of his clothes,
he waited favorable lull and showed off IN a
small boat for the shore. They rowed but
few fathoms from their vessel when their