Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1889-03-22

i bal mildness of the
Pacific ocean was in the mellow sweetness OF
the wind and in the gentle undulatlons OF the
silver-lnccd swell; but scarce had we passed
the height of 40 dogs. when the weather grew
sullcn and dark, a heavy bank of clouds of a
livid hue rose in the northeast, and the wind
came and went in small gusts, the gusts vent
ing themselves in dreary means, lnsomuch
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 o'clock in the afternoon,
the air was so dusky that the men had to feel
for the ropes; and when the first of the tenn
pest stormed down upon us, the appearance
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 a sort of swollen hud-
die of shadows, glooming into the darkness
of the sky without Offering the smallest
glimpse of the horizon.
In few minutes the hurricane struck us.
We had barred the brig down to the close
rcefed maintopsail; yet though we were
dead before the outtly, its first blow rent the
fragment of sail if it were formed of
smoke, and in an instant it disappeared, flash
ing over the bows, like a scattering OF torn
paper, leaving nothing but the bolt ropes be-
hind. The bursting of the topsail was like
the explosion of q large cannon. Ina breath
the brig was smothercd with froth torn up in
huge clouds, and hurled over and ahead Of
her in vast quivcring 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
II Il. -,
the lightning stroke, as though indeed they
were barbod 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 docks, and the
wild, sectlpg, welterinG sound of the sea,
tladdcncQ BY the gale aud struggling in its
enormous passion under the first choking ana
iron grip Of the hurricanes hand.
But though the first rage Of tho storm was
terrible enough, its fiGrccncss 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 q brig upon 1t was sickening and alright.
ing.
No man could show himself on deck and
preserve his life Between the rails it was
waist high, and this water, converted by the
motions of the brig into a wild torrent, had
Its volume perpetualiy maintained by ton
loads of sea, falling in duh 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 if we
were to be drowned it would make more
Il,
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
bv name Paul Rodney, mate of the brig, and
there were the remaining seven of a crew
Including the carpenter. We sat i'll tho
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 the last iaunt
to Tyburn.
Thus it continued till daybreak, wher
something Of its midnight fury went out oil
the gale. The carpenter made Shift to S'un[
the WELL and TO our great satisfaction found
but little water, only much as we had {
right TO suppose she would take in above
BY noon the wind had weakened yot but The
sea still ran very heavily, and the sky was
uncommonly thick with piles Of dusky,' vel
lowish, hurrying clouds; and though W.
could fairly reckon upon our position, tho
atmosphere was SO nipplng it was difficult tC
persuade ourselves that Cape Horn was no
close aboard.
We could now work the pumps, and
short spell freed tho brig. We got up new
mantopsail and bent it, and setting tht
reefed forosail put the vessel before the wind
and away she ran, chased by the swolci
seas. Thus We continued till by dead reck
oning we calculated that we We're abou
thirty leagues south of tho parallel Of tn
Horn, and in longitude 81 dogs west, w
then boarded our larboard tacks and brough
the brig as close to the wind as it was prope
TO lay her for progress that should not b
wholly leoway; but four hours after we ha'
handled the braces the gale, that had no
veered two points since it first came on t
blow, stormed up again into its first fury
md the morning of the 1st of July, A. u
1901 found the Laughing Mary passionatel
laboring in tho midst of an enraged Cap
Horn sea, her jibboom and foretopgallant
mast gone, her ballast shifted, so that he
posture, even in calm, would have exhibits
her with her starboard channels under an
hnr lapkG gvvaI1t, l.va which