Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1891-04-16
Exciting Voyage From the Gulf Of
Darien to the Port OF Phila-
delphia.
Rough Weather Causes Il Business
Man on Board the Atalanta to
Long for Home.
Account Of a Briggs Perilous Voyage
and Experiences With Monsters
of the Deep.

short distance from the town Of Carta-
gena, the most northerly point of the
United States of Columbia, and which
country is washed on the south bv the
waters of the Caribbean Sea, and with tie
lsthmus Of Panama as its northwestern
extremity, and with the Gulf of Darien
running inland between the Isthmus and
Cartagena.
While sailing vessels from that part of
South America but seldom make the port of
Philadelphia their destination it is still
rarer to find Philadel phia business man
making the voyage from the Gulf of Da-
rien to this city On one of these vessels.
William A. Coon, representative of an
importing house, has recently arrived home
after spending one year in business opera
tons in the interior of he United States
of Columbia, and it cost him thirty days
time and stormy passage to find himself
sailing up the Delaware.
While talking about his recent voyage
Mr.. Coon said: THE Rio Atrato is a
stream that drains an extensive tract of
country, from its source near the equator,
and the river is fed by numerous streams
from the mountains east and west, extend
ing almost the entire distance and enter
ing the Gulf of Darien at its head at
about eight degrees north latitude. The
country for many miles surrounding the
Gulf of Darien is an immense marsh, and
| the Rio Atrato, which is the fourth river
in size in South America, empties its i'm
mense volumes of water through fourteen
| branches Or mouths, forming delta equal
to the one at the mouth Of the Mississippi
river The volume Of water that pours
into the Gulf from these mouths of the
Rio Atrato is so great that the brig Alta
lanta, on which | took passage home,
while loading with timber, found the
water where she was loading to be so
fresh that the captain had the casks filed
then and there, for the return trip.
sit was about 6 o'clock one bright
morning when the Atalanta, Captain H.
S. Aldrich, weighed anchor and set sail
for Philadelphia, but the many currents of
the Atrato and the rough water of the
Caribbean Sea made it difficult to proceed,
and as the water vas still fresh before we
got out into the gulf those who could do
so washed their clothing, as they could get
no Washing done while at anchor, as there
| were no inhabitants for many miles,
Soon after we started it commenced TO rain
in torrents, and the wind not being strong
enough to overcome the strong incoming
current we were fore ed to lay at anchor
| all day.
1.-The next muning-it was the early
part of DecemOer-there was a strong
head wind and we spent all day and night
beating out of the gulf, and for four Or
five days after that we were backing up
and down the coast from the San Bias
nearly to Cartagena, After dark, about
the 4th of December, there was the cry of
'Porpoise! Porpoisel' and rushing TO the
bow of the brig saw what appeared to
be great number of large balls of fire
darting hither and thither through the
water with almost lightning rapidity. To
novice the effect was decidedly startling,
for it seemed as though old Neptune
was throwing ire-balls around from out of
the deep.
The phenomenon was soon explained
from the fact that the porpoises in these
waters are highly charged with phosphor-
escent light, and they swim with great
rapidity. Although we tried then and
afterwards during daylight flor we saw
hundreds of them during our passage) we
failed to harpoon single porpoise. We
had, however, the good fortune to capture
two splendid specimens of that rare fish,
the dolphin, and | watched with great in
terest the surprising changes Of color they
give out when they are dying. In quick
succession follow all the changes of the
rainbow, When we had been out a few
days we GOT into the trade winds and
and they lasted four or five days and Their
we skinned along at the rate of $50 miles
per day, but on the 10th instant we got
into regular 'norther. For two days
the sea was very heavy and then we had
light, but very contrary winds.
about this time | had another sight
which was not sc pleasant. A number of
large sharks, regular 'man-eaters, swarm
ed about the vessel for some time, and they
often showed their capacious mouths, as
though asking for meal of human flesh,
and shortly afterwards we passed two
schools of whales, in which there was an
aggregate of not less than one hundred of
the monsters of the deep.
1--WE had up to this time, when south
west of Cuba and in about 20 degrees
north latitude, worn slippers and the thin
est Of clothing, and when no breeze stirred
we would be tanning ourselves on deck.
Suddenly it got bitterly cold for this part
of the world, and linen busters gave place
to overcoats. We sailed along for two or
three days under light sails but contrary
winds and kept lacking from east to west
and vice versa. About December II we
sighted a schooner that appeared to be
laboring hard and day or two after we
harpooned another dolphin, and had some
amusement and a little excitement with a
school of PROPOSES, this time by daylight;
but we had our previous luck in trying to
harpoon any of them. Other whales came
IN sight, but they kept off from our yes
col a hnI1t tho "A IS hnT Wiz
breeze sprang up that gave US hopes of
in Philadelphia, but it soon died out
and what did come was always il the
other direction, and we crept along at a |
snail's pace
''On the morning of December Is, the
light of Cape Antonio. on the western end
of the island of Cuba, broke on cur view
and as we gazed on it with much satisfac-
ton, and a number of other vessels be-
sides ours were caught waiting here to get !
around Cuba. We We're one entire day off
Cuba, but on the 18th q heavy 'norther' |
sprang up and it caused sea that tossed /
our vessel about like cookie shell. We
were two or three days in sight OF Cuba
and the temperature was quite cold: The
'norther' continued until the 18TH and |
that evening it became warmer, and The
captain told ME we were just entering the
gulf stream off the cost of Florida.
Although there was but little wind we
ma e good time while we were in the
gulf stream, for this remarkable stream
itself will send vessel along at the rate
of three miles per hour without the aid
of Wind or anything else.
The remainder of the voyage was a
very rough one. The fair wind we had
produced d very heavy sea. which coming
In contact with a worse one from the
northeast caused the brig to literally stand
first ON its head, then ON lis heels. The