The Daily times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1886-1889, 1888-02-16
TERRORS OF THE SEA.
cycL ONlc, VOLCANIC AND OTHER
TYPES OF WAVES.
Col,ssa BiIIows which Run Mountain
uich-The Passage OF Cape Hern-a
,v,,irlvind at sea-EHects of tho Vol
cnnIc MaYe.


yy,,irlwind at sea-EH'ects OF tho Vol
canic Wave.
4 waye is a thing of beauty, but it -
only 4 ioy 10 those who watch II marching
in sulendor and foam from the safe refuge
| NJ fine shore. Ii is very nauseating con
dition of vovaging II makes the bones
| of ships creak as If they were full OF
rheumatism. II fills the brain with
sense of chaos, and one moment swings the
moanino traveller TO the stars and the next
nlunoes him into an abyss hideous Win
| pIoom md the Kissing as OF millions oil
! snntcs 10 measure waves in severe
tempest il even more difficult than TO
mark effects When the weather rises to
| such fury as makes the seas colossal
enough to render the determination or
their height exceedingly important there
s usually too much anxiety, and even dis
traction. for observation. The weight OF
the wind is so violent that 1t is almost I'M
possible to show ones face TO it. The
! ship, whether sailing vessel or
steamer, hove TO plunges so abomlnaoly
that mans main concern IS to hold on
and save himself from being drowned
should one Of the frothing mountains tum-
| bic Oh board There may he other rea-
sons why the officers Of the mercantile
| marine have not very zeai0usly devoted
! their leisure moments to measuring the
| height Of waves. But more information
! t.3u may already be found collected IS
hodlv wanted and unquestionably, cap
tains and mates would be doing substau-
Hal service by neglecting no opportunity
70 ascertain by the best means in their
bower the true altitude'Of ocean seas.
down By CAPE HORN.
For the true Andean sea one must 60
down to Cape Horn. perhaps 10 as far Is
| GO degs. south There are sailors who,
standing at the wheel OF n ship running
before these seas, Will never willingly
| look behind them, lest the sight OF the on
coming rampant Of green water archins
toward the tafTrail, should unnerye them.
/ Standing on deck twenty feet above the
water line you yet look up at the crest OF
these seas rs at the top Of mountain.
| The Gigantic grace the huge majesty OF
these LIQUID Titans cannot be described
| II j. necessary 20 be hove TO to appreciate
| their height, volume and power. TO watch
from the low brOadside the swelling APP
prOach OF the mighty mass with IT'S
I frcckled front and foamless head flicker
inc in bottle green 10 the dull light of the
gray sky: To feel the sweep Of the ship mp
the enormous activity, aud then while,
for the space Of breath only, she hangs
poi ed with upright masts and shreking
rigging on the headlOng brow, 20 look
down and behold the valley beneath, into
which the vessel an instant alter slides
I Ike n comet
II is difficult to write Of the seas which
run ia heavy weather off the southern
most point OK South America without
fsl; Of being charged with eXaggeration;
( they must be seen, and a little spell ol
custom will render admiration easy. II
/ is impossible 10 be tossed by them in such
vessels a. now make the passage OF the
Horn, without wondering by what miracle
OF luck or phenomenal merit or seaman
ship the old nayigators were enabled to
beat against them In their small half
decked boats, some no bigger than Deal
lugger, without touch OF the weatherly
qualities OF such craft
CYCLONE AGITATION.
But let # not be supposed that the high
wave is the dangerous one The regular
running surges may all be as tall as the
biggest hotel in London, with q ninth
/ fellow among them as high as the mOnu-
ment, and yet none prove nearly SO dan
ger0us as the pyramidal seas OF the
cyclone OF all forms OF vexed water the
cycl0nic agitation IS the worst Here is
whirlWind of astonishing fury so many
miles in diameter For a little while IL
runs steady sea, but presently its gyra-
tons brings up n surge from another
quarter, then comes the lull, followed by
Il frightful outlly Of storm from drec-
ton opposite TO the point from which the
wind last blew The seas. coming into
collision fight like wolves. They snap
and howl leaping high in conilied shapes
in the very similitude OF sentent
passion. The staggering Of the
Ship is udescrbable There is no
rhythmic swing to give her motions
something Of the vibrations Of the pendu-
lum. Her decks are filed with water.
while her bows dive into chasm that has
opened under her forcfoot, valley yawns
under her stern and O hill Of water flashes
up on either side. IL has not been sug-
ges,ed that the altitude of the cyclonlc
wave should be determined. Probably
there Is no eye aloat equal 70 such au IN
dertaking
Another very uncomfortable sea is the
volcanic wave. lt is not very long ago
that vessel, steaming through quiet
waters on dark night. was suddenly
hurled up by an invisible billow that was
reckoned to be between thirty and forty
feet high. Three such waves passed under
her, the last being the least ia volume,
and then all was dead flatness of ocean
arain. The stoutest heart might well
thump 10 such an encounter as this 49,
London Telegraph.