The Londonderry sifter. (South Londonderry, Vt.) 1883-19??, 1885-06-18
A STUDY OF SEASICKNESS.
How the Matter Appears to
an Old Sailor.
Curious Instances Showing the Effect Of
Temperament and Imagination


ents have recently appeared nearly
simultaneously containing antagonis-
.ic views Of seasickness. The writer
TO the Ecening Post, who made the
outward passage on the Normandie, is
an optimist: lie says: GAIL that is
needed is self-ccntrol; preserve that
for five minutes and you are saved"
Tue pessimlst of the Commercial Id
rertiSer has no self-control, but resigns
himself to the inevitable, for the "great
ugly fact of seasickness remains. No
contrivance, no specific has been In
vented to mitigate its woes"
In individual cases each may be
right. A great many elements enter
into the question. All brains and all
stomachs are not constructed alike,
and seasickness is sometimes disease
Of one and sometimes of the other.
Dr. Stevens, the oculist, has written
an ingenious pamphlet, in which he
demonstrates to his own satisfaction
hat it is a disease of the eyes. l am
not able to controyert this, because l
nave never had a blind man for a
shipmate-not many blind men 60 to
sea professionally, or for the purpose
Of seeing anything abroad. Few per-
sons do, in fact, escape the clutches Of
he monster who attacks in different
ways. About fifty years ago he had
ne under control for the first ten days
IF my seafaring life, and if | did not
nave the will power of "Periander,"
NY superiors had it, but all their
starting up" was of no avail. How
4ver, that ten days was all that was
required of me, and he has never
.ried it again. On the other hand, 1
)ncs sailed with captain who, after
thirty years experience, always suf-
'ered on the first day of a passage.
A very curious, and to the ship an
expensive, idiosyncrasy once came
lnder my observation. We had a
passenger from Boston to Leghorn.
During the whole forty days he vora-
:iously devoured six daily meals. First
le breakfasted with the mate and me.
shall be sufficiently understood if I
ay that he Immediately afterward
went on deck. He then came down
below and had plenty of room for
mother hearty breakfast with the
Jecond mate. He observed the same
ule with regard to dinner and supper,
md the second mate stayed with him
70 that he enjoyed excellent health
Excepting for the few moments of in
:ervals, and arrived at Leghorn with a
gain of avoirdupois.
In general it will be found that ro-
oust persons of good digestion are
more liable to seasickness than the
lyspeptic. Faith and inspiration have
much to do with the matter We were
going out on fishing excursion from
Hampton beach. A lady declined to
oe one of the party because she was
always seasick even in crossing a ferry.
told her of a sovereign remedy which
would be effectual for three hours, the
sime we expected to be in the boat,
acknowledging that it would last no
.onger. This candid admission in
creased her faith in the skeins of red
yarn l tied about her wrists. I'm
fortunately we were becalmed so that
we did not get ashore for five hours,
during the last two Of which she was
.erribly ill, having been without a
lualm for the time of guarantee. 1t
is, perhaps, needless to say that the
remedy was invented on the spot. A
gentleman going upon an East India
voyage was troubled by seasickness on
the passage nine miles from the wharf
to Boston light The ship anchored in
Nantucket Roads to await fair wind,
and our friend turned into his berth.
After he had slept an hour or two he
vas awakened by fellow-passenger
who said to him: "Well, we are out
side the light, and she is slipping along
very smoothly" Before he could get
IN the deck to look at the ocean he
was so overcome by the enemy that he
required the stewards attention. The
ship had not moved from her anchor
age.
A sudden sense of danger will as
uredly put an end to seasickness.
Whatever may have been the condi-
lion of the passengers of the City Of
DoftH III titio kCopcSt dV eiiO hiohAVho y
when she struck the iceberg am
confident that they were an active,
healthy set of persons until they were
assured that there was no longer any
ianger. Once when running down
;he Gulf of Lyons before a miStrale,
all of the 500 French soldiers we had
On board seemed to be at deaths door
because of the rolling of the ship. AT
last the water got the better of the
pumps, and rose nearly to the furnace
doors. All the hand buckets were
called into use, and canvas buckets
were improvised. Tie soldiers were
made to bail for their lives, and the
urgency of the situation soon got the
better of their stomachs.
An Englishman has offered prize
of s2500 "for the invention or discov-