Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1885-06-17
A STUDY OF SEASICKNESS.
How the Matter Appears to
an Old Sailor.
Curious Instances Showing the Effoot Of
Temperament and Imagination.

letter TO the Now I 0rk ECeHtHy FOSt'
woletters from European correspond
ents have recently appeared nearly
simultaneously containing antagonis-
ic views Of seasickness. The writer
TO the Ecentng Post, who made the
outward passage on the Normandte, Is
an optimIst lie says: GAIL that Is
needed is self-control; preserve that
for five minutes and you are saved"
The pesslmst of the Commercial Ad-
cerIiSer 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 a disease
Of one and sometimes Of the other.
Dr. Stevens, the oculist, has written
on ingenious pamphlet, in which he
demonstrates to his own satisfaction
hat it is disease Of the eyes. l am
not able to controvert this, because |
have never had blind man for Il
,hipmate-not many blind men 60 to
sea professionally, or for the purpose
,f seeing anything abroad. Few per-
,ons 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
Of my seafaring life, and if / did not
have the will power of "Periander,'
my superiors had it, but all their
starting up" was of no avail. How
sver, that ten days was all that was
required of me, and he has never
ricd it again. On the other hand,
once sailed with captain who, after
hirty years experience, always suf-
iercd on the first day ola passage
A very curious, and to the ship an
expensive, idlosyncrasy once came
ander my observation. We had a
passenger from Boston to Leghorn.
During the whole forty days he vora-
.iously devoured six daily meals. First
,e breakfasted with the mate and me.
shall be sufficiently understood If /
ay that he Immediately afterward
vent on deck. lie then came down
below and had plenty Of room for
another hearty breakfast with the
second mate. lie observed tho same
'ule with regard to dinner and supper,
md the second mate stayed with him
10 that he enjoyed excellent health
excepting for the few moments of in
ervals, and arrived at Leghorn with q
gain Of avoirdupois.
In general it will be found that ro-
oust persons of good digestion are
more liable to seasickness than the
lyspeptlc. Faith and inspiration have
much to do with the matter We were
going out on a fishing excursion from
Hampton beach. A lady declined to
be 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
lime 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
garn 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
terribly i'll, 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
was awakened by a fellow-passenger
who said to him: "Well, we are out
,ide the light, and she is slipping along
very smoothly" Before he could get
IN the deck to look at the ocean he
vas 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
suredly put an end to seaslckness.
Whatever may have been the condi-
lion of the passengers of the city Of
Berlin in this respect at the moment
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
langer. Once when running down
!he Gulf of Lyons before n 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
we're improvised. The soldiers were
made to bail for their lives, and the
urgency of the situation soon got the
better of their stomachs.
An Engllshman has offered a prize
&c QDsOl .lrnr tha ipuaptinn or 1icnny