The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1891-09-11
TRUE STRANGE SEA STORIES.
Ships Tossed on unruly Seas in Fine
Weather,
From the Nsto York Sun

FROM Inc NSto OFh sun.
The one writer Of sea storieI who OF all
others has q regular constituency SO to speak
among the seataring people: the one whose
stories, no matter how Strange OF unusual
they may be. are always read with atten-
ton and respect; the one, moreover, that
Is the most prolific of all sea writers is the
photographic officer at Washington. There
are two things to be said Of his stories
which commend them to seetaring men
they are true and they are short Besides
that, some of them are exceedingly strange.
II George w. Cable or some other writer
would collect the Strange True Stories of
the Sea- he would find the task fascinating
TO himself and the result interesting to the
reader.
The last publication of the photographic
oftice-the periodical for September--is u
fair sample of the story telling ability of
the photographer, and contains three
strange stories, besides a host Of tales of
such thrilling experiences III storms as
would make a landsman's hair stand on end
were they related in graphic detail.
On Aug. % the British steamship Robert
Narrowing. Capt. Hughson, was about $50
miles east of the capss of the Delaware. 1t
Is quiet part Of the sea, NOT at all specially
subject to storms or unusual happenings
such as one might look for in the Caribbean
sea, but at a 10 80 o'clock that morning,
although the wind was light, the sea sud
denly became so much agitated that the
waves poured over the ships sides, filing
her well deck completely full. Then the sea
subsidized again, and by l D. III. IL was a dead
fat under calm.
Ths British ship Ben Cruachan, Capt
Roberts, had u similar experience on
April % last. She was then in the In
dian ocean, about half way between Ceylou
and Sumatra, when at 5 Al o'clock in the
afternoon, without any previous warning
the ship began to tremble as If in a COLI
sion with some hidden wreck and so con.
tinued for seventy-fve seconds. A heavy
swell from the southeast arose, while there
was an unusual CONFUSION of the water in
addition to the swell. According to the
photographer, both Of these experiences
were due to earthquakes.
Another strange story that is quite as
remarkable as, though less striking than the
others, was that related of the German
steamer Scandal. Capt. KopR, which at s
O'Clock on the morning of July 10, in leti-
tude AZ 05' north, aud 49, 49, west en-
countered strong current about oue-third
OF a mile wide, sea river. running from
north to south with such velocity that while
crossing it the steamers helm had to he put
over l59 to counterfeit its influence. The
water was = colder in the current than on
either side of it. It's banks were very well
marked in the water. This is part Of the
sea worry often crossed, but no such phenom-
enon has been noticed there, a fact that sug-
gests the existence OF a current flowing from
north to south beneath the gulf stream,
which may now and thea break through to
the surface as sub-currents in rivers are
known to do.
Among the tales of perils by storms was
that of the British steamship STynedale,
Capt. Love. She was in the Gull Of Lyons
when gals came on very suddenly, with a
sea that rose more rapidly than the wind.
The waves were so thigh and steep that the
ship had no chance to rise-they buried her
almost out of sight at every blow thew
struck her. In this emergency the cargo
shifted and the steering gear carried AWAY
She drifted helplessly for two days. when
the wind and the sea went down as rapidly
as they had come up.
Then there was the British bark Emma
Payzant, Capt Dexter. In gale off the
American coast the weasel was thrown on
her beam ends, and there rolled in the hurri-
cane for two days wholly unmanageable.
The case OF each ship was as near hopeless
as one could we'll imagine. Lighter gales
and less trying circumstances have often
sent as good ships as these TO the bottom
and for forty eight hours the crews were on
deck facing what seemed to be certain death
In most terrifying form. But they pulled
through with no loss OF life and compara>
lively small damage to the ship, because in
both cases there was an abundant supply of
oil on board suitable for smoothing the
combers. The waves that we're burying the
Tynedale ceased to break as soon as the oil
hegaO 20 spread. while the bark rose and
fell, even il on her beam ends, WITHOUT
strain as soon as the oil was used. It was
because of the saving effect of the oil that
the stories were printed by the hydro
grapher.
The last strange true sea story 80 be told
Is that Of the great hurricane at Martinique
Because it shows the sailors idea Of the way
to tell a story Of that kind the hydrogra-
piers report Is given in full:
Reports received by telegraph state that
q very severe hurricane was experienced ia
Martinique on the evening of Aug. IS,
causing great destruction to life and prop
erty and the loss of numerous vessels. The
official report is said to state that the loss Of
life was 6lS and Of property $4,000, 600
The7 data thus far received are too incom-
plete TO allow Of plotting the track of the
hurricane with any certainty, although it
appears to have moved about west north
west over San Domingo and thence north
ward and eastward. Il is desired TO collect
as complete information as possible, In
order to publish more complete account"