Spirit of Jefferson. [volume] (Charles Town, Va. [W. Va.]) 1844-1948, 1891-11-10
MlscELLANEous
And They Were seasick.

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the New York Times, who accompa-
MED Congressman Tucker and Ed
munds of Virginia, and Congressman
Wilson and Capt. Baylor of this
place, on a portion of their recent
Lake trip, gives graphic account of
the event. Wehad heard some things
of that trip, but, as certain female
sovereign ence remarked, I" the half
had not been told" We append
several extracts:
The night was bad one The wind blow
from the northeast freshly enough to how,
through the rigging, aud it swept sheets OF rain
and spray into the faces of the men on deck
For two days the wind had held in the eame
quarter, and now 1t was lifting the black water
of Lake Superior in great mounds that curled-
and broke at the tips in masses of Kissing white
foam. The Gladstone, 800 feet long and with
40 feet of beam and with 9, 800 tons of ore in
her hold for ballast, rose and fell easily fore
and aft with the passing of the sea- and now
and then heeled over to port and back again to
starooard as she fell into the trough.
There were passengers in the Captains cabin,
some of them below and others above in the
Stateroom abaft the pilot honse. As this state
room was stthe highest part OF the ship, and
near the bow, where every roll and dip was
exaggerated, and as 1t was occupied by q VIr-
ginia member of Congress, who was very stout
and poor sailor, having no skill in balancing
his ample figure, 1t had become his retreat by
day as well as In the night, and If its walls had
his. vows, they would have supplied evidence
of his determination to be never again be.
guiled Into trying an excursion ON the ..peace-
full" inlandlakes. Down below, In other berths
were slim Virginia Congresaman, whose nat.
ural playfuness had been changed into desper-
ate dejection; a West Virginia Congressman,
who was sailor and who enjoyed the misery
OF his colleagues, and an ex-Coufederate
trooper, who wearied himself with intermina-
bly, Wishing that the ship would run aground.
or sink, OF blow up, SO that it should cease
rolling.
The Trooper was the only one of these pas
scngers who heard the call: "HeIlo belowl"-
Suicidal as his thoughts had been. disgusted
though he might ba ut the very notion of liy-
ing with comfort another moment, an instinc-
tive clinging to life in spite of unseaworthiness
was quickencd by this shout He fancied 1t
was to him that 1t had been directed So he
responded, with tremor in his voice, and In u
very polite but unseamanike manner, "Yes
what is it7" And the mate did not hear him;
or If he did, treated him as though he had not,
as man who spoke in his sleep, or as other
men might have spoken when they were sea-
sick.
But the Trooper was nervous and susccpti-
BILE to sensations of concern for his personal
safety. noise smote upon his ear 1t was a
slopping of water within confined space, and
1t wns beneath his hearth down In the hold
somewhere. As the heels and head of the
trooper rose alternately above each other this
distressing noise continued. The vessel had
undoubtedly sprung a leak. With an eye
upon the chairs that were riding about the
cabin aud another eye upon the creaking shelf
of drawers that was fastened against the parti-
ton, but screaming to be let loose with every
dip of the ship, the Trooper dressed and then
confded his alarm to the slim Congressman,
who declared that he hoped it was true, then
groaned in his reckless misery. and addressed
himself again to the effort to sleep.
With as much haste as the difficulty of get
ting to the upper deck would permit. the
Trooper made his way to the fret mate, where
he kept watch pacing back and forth before
the pilot house, all unaware of the imminent
foundering Of the Gladstone. Very consider.
ately the mate listened to the story of the ris-
ing waters in the hold, then sounded the pumps
TO show the Trooper that he was needlessly
fearful, and then went into the cabin to hear
the water Slssbihg about under the Troopers
bed. The ruddy-faced mate, smiling in an
led fS,H
cabins Of the passengers and the crew and po-
litely explained that the water heard by the
trooper had been pumped aboard, and that
some OF 1t Would be used in the morning, II
the passengers then thought It worth while 70
wash again, in removing from their faces some
of the traces Of enxiety that were likely to
gather during stormy passage on the lake,
and some Of the SCOT that might be expected
to adhere whether the passage be pleasant or
disagreeable.
Rain and wind and Epbbllug motion eontin-
ned from morning until night Of the seeond
day out The fat Congressman bore mp by Iy-
Ing down. and by mechanically repeating,
from time to time, Os the Gladstone buifesed
the storm, now on her port bow, O. che was
headed on course nearly east. the words Of \
Virginia orator in 8 celebrated convention.
when he inquired. "shall we win in this ightl'r
The Judge was reasonably confident that he
would win In his fight against tendency 10
collapse II the ship would pull out Of It, but he
vas sure that he should never be oble TO con-
vince FATAL Tuck Of Hslifex of the truth OF
the fearful experience that he hoped to be able
to describe on land. For few moments the
prospect for . clearing of was 90 good that the
passengers crawled together In the cabin and
drew from its hiding plsce q silver pitcher,
'muggled aboard in brown pepper at Duluth,
and when they had brought Capt Holmes into
their midst they presented 1t to him, With an
informal speech from the West virginia mem
Der, in token of their appreciation Of the Cap
tain's skill in having thus far kept them from
watery graves. The Captain put the three
members of Congress to shame By making .
speech in response mnch better than the one
of presentation; aud having inspected with
pride his name inscribed upon the side Of the
pitcher, with the name Of his ship, he pro-
ceeded to put it away in the brown paper and
u