Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1888-03-22

Pacific ocean was in the mellow sweetness OF
the wind and in the gentle undulations OF the
silver-laced swell; but scarce had we passed
the height Of 40 degs. when the weather grew
sullen and dark, q heavy bank Of clouds Of q
livid hue rose in tho northeast, and the wind
came and went in small gusts, the gusts vent
ing themselves in dreary moans, insomuch
that our Oldest hands confessed they had
never heard blasts more portentous.
The gale came on with some lightning and
several claps Of thunder and heavy rain.
Though it was but 2 o'clock in the afternoon,
the air was SO dusky that the men had to feel
for tho ropes; and when the first Of the tenn
pest stormed down upon us, the appearances
Of the sea was uncommonly terrible, being
swept and mangled into boiling froth in the
northeast quarter while all about us and in
the southwest it lay in sort Of swollen hud-
die of shadows, glooming into the darkness
Of the sky without offering the smallest
glimpse of the horizon.
In q few minutes the hurricane struck us.
We had barred the brig down to the close
reefcd maintopsail; yet, though we were
dead before the outfly, its first blow rent tho
fragment Of sail as il it wero formed Of
smoke, and in an instant it disappeared, fash
ing over the bows like scattering Of torn
paper, leaving nothing but the bolt ropes be-
hind. The bursting of the topsail was like
the explosion Of a large cannon. Ina breath
the brig was smothered with froth torn up in
huge Clouds and hurled over and ahead Of
her in vast quivering bodies that filled the
wind with dismal twilight Of their own, in
which nothing was visible but their terrific
speeding Through these singing, soft, and
singing masses of spume drove the rain in
horizontal steel like lines, which cleaned in
the lightning stroke as though indeed they
were barbed weapons Of bright metal, darted
by armies of invisible spirits raving out their
war cries as they chased us.
The storm made a loud thunder in the sky,
and this tremendous utterance dominated
without subduing the many screaming, hiss
ing, shrieking and hooting noises raised in
the rigging and about the decks, and the
wild, seething, weltering sound of tho sea,
maddened by the gale aud struggling in its
enormous passion under the first choking and
iron grip of the hurricanes hand.
But though the first rage of the storm was
terrible enough, its fierceness did not come
to its height till about o'clock in the middle
watch Long before then the sea had grown
mountainous, and the dance of our egg shell
of brig upon 1t was sickening and alright
ing.
No man could show himself on deck and
preserve his life Between the rails IL was
waist high, and this water, converted by the
motions of the brig into q wild torrent, had
its volume perpetually maintained by ton
loads of sea, falling in dull and pounding
crashes over the bows on to the forecastle.
There was nothing to be done but secure the
helm and await the issue below, for il we
were to be drowned it would make more
easy laundering to go down dry and warm
In the cabin, than to perish half frozen and
already nearly strangled by the bitter cold
and flooded tempest on deck
There was Capt. Rosy; there was myself,
by name Paul Rodney, mate of the brig, and
there were the remaining seven of a crew,
including the carpenter We sat in the
cabin. one of us from time to time clawing
his way up the ladder to peer through the
companion and we looked at one another
with the melancholy of malefactors waiting
to be called from their cells for tho last jaunt
to Tyburn.
Thus it continued till daybreak, when
something of its midnight fury went out OF
the gale The carpenter made shift to sound
the well, and to our great satisfaction found
but little water, only as much as we had 9
right to suppose she would take in above
BY noon the wind had weakened yet but the
sea still ran very heavily, and the sky wa!
uncommonly thick with piles of dusky, vel
lowish, hurrying clouds; and though W,
could fairly reckon upon our position, tht
atmosphere was SO nipping it was difficult t.
persuade ourselves that Cape Horn was NO
close aboard
We could now work the pumps, and I
short spell freed the brig We got up new
maintopsail and bent it, and setting tn
reefed foresail put the vessel before the wind
and away she ran, chased by the swollel
seas Thus we continued till by deal recls
cnjng we calculated that we were abou
thirty leagues south Of the parallel Of tn
Horn, and in longitude 81 degs west. w
then boarded our larboard tacks and brough
the brig as close to the wind as it was prope
to lay her for a progress that should not b
wholly leeway; but four hours after we ha
handled the braces the gale, that had &c
yeered two points since it first came on t
blow, stormed up again into its first fury
and The morning of the lst of July, A. l
1901, found the Laughing Mary passionatel
laboring In the midst Of an enraged Cap
Horn sea, her jibboom and foretopgallan
mast gone, her ballast shifted, SO that he
posture, even in calm, would have exhibite
her with her starboard channels under an
her decks swept by enormous surges, whicl
fetching her larboard biige dreadful blow
thundered in mighty green masses over he
CHAPTER II.