Butler citizen. [volume] (Butler, Pa.) 1877-1922, 1888-05-25
THE TYPHOON.

Olvive Risley Seward, in Wide Awake fol
May.
When my sister and l were chill.
dren, our home was on Lake Erie,
near Chautauqua, and we grew up
sharing the common opinion of the
people of that region-that we knew
rather more about wind storms tina n
those of less favored experience.
More is known about storms now
than when we were children; fol-
then there was no weather bureau al
Washington, no Signal Service any
where.
A cold wave, or tempest, sweeps
across the continent to-day, and pays
flying visits to many out-of-the. way
places, taking no one by surprise; for
the moment it leaves Manitoba, or
even a more distant point, its pro
gress is spoken and made known
every where by the telegraphic storm
signals which our government has
organized and maintains for the bone.
fit of farmers and seamen.
But when we were children we
never heard of tornado.traps, and
storm signals were unknown. The
wind on Lake Erie seemed to blow
capriciously, and just for fun, and we
never knew at what moment it might
come. We understood that as rule
it began blowing among the great
guns of the fort at Detroit, aud skip
ping down the lake, stopped for frolici
at Sandusky, Cleveland. Erie, and
Dunkirk, and finally ended in 6
doble- banked cotillion graud-chain at
Buffalo.
The maple and apple trees in our
country, by the lake, grew with their
branches turned southeast-that is
away from the breeze; and a Chau
tauqua boy whom we knew, named
George, who rivaled the west vino
in whistling as it scared around the
church steeple. used to sing in high
soprano, while We all battled with a
Northwestern, on the way home from
school:
"'A life on the ocean wave
The man who wrote it was green;
He never had sailed on the lake
And gale he never had seen."
And we never doubted Georges
knowledge or authority.
We learned later from the seameI
who chanced to come to our country
and to sail on our lake, that they
really dreaded tho winds there, anG
made taste to put into the nearest
port whenever cloud or a flaw be
tokened the prospect of squall.
Now Lake Erie is long shallow
sheet of water, narrow. and full o
dangerous channels. 1t lies in th,
track of prevailing winds which sweer
it easily from end to end. The "olt
sails" said this was why the gale
were 80 disastrous. and stoutly aver
red that there was nothing to b.
dreaded from mere wind if one had .
good ship and plenty of sea room.
When crossing the Pacific, my sis
ter and l heard tales of the fierce bur
ricanes or typhoons which sweep
that great sea, they had no terrors fol
US, for we remembered what the
sailors said. We rather hoped to
meet typhoon in the middle of the
boundless ocean, and to compare i
with a Lake Erie gale. Our wisl
was granted Unexpectedly, as wishes
often are, but not exactly in the way
we had chosen, which also may hap
pen.
We landed at Yokohama, in Japan
and for many days wiseacres foretol'
that something unusual was ABOUT tc
happen there; signs appeared, mean
ingless to us, but unmistakable tt
them. The air was clear, and tn
barometer higher than usual, cattl
were dull and restless, and storks flew
languidly.
We were going to Yeddo by sea
little voyage, of not more than fifty
miles, along the coast, in United
States man-of-war
Our ship. the Monocacy, ali iron
clad double.ender, carrying four guns
was built in Baltimore and sent ou
to the special duty of waiting il
Asistic waters for any stirring event
which might happen there, and sh
| proved worthy the trust before W
left her.
The Monocacy had been listlessl,
riding at anchor for many months
and when she now weighed anchor
and got under way, everyone OF
board was glad of the change to
cheerful outing.
A war vessel always gives per
feet picture of order and neatness an'
discipline, and our ship now outshon
the highest standard Freshly paint
ed, and FURNISHED at every point, he
decks newly "holy stoned" and he
sails just bleached, she was as fair, a
crisp and fragrant as pure pond ILL
floating under the July sun.
| We were a party of six, and tn
captains guests. His cabin wa
quite large and, used for dinin
room and salon, was cosey, almos
luxurious.
The younger officers presided owe
the ward room, their special cabir
"aft," and they had now converted
into o sort of boudoir. and ha
brought out photographs and keel
sakes, and adorned it furthermor
with nosegays and Towering plaut
Nothing could be calmer than tt
sea that day, and we steamed slowl
along near shore, the graceful coa'
line fringed with palm trees an
Fusiama's fair coEe, resting anon
the clouds, in full view. Our fla
scarcely stirred in the gentle breei
90 u,e cat on deck under the shin