The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1892-07-13
MIGHTY GALE in THE BAY OF BIscAY
Tossing Amid Mountains and Valleys oi
Green and Treacherous Water.

"Those who have never been in 9
real blow on the ocean cannot form q
conception of the power of the wind
and sea-" said a gentleman who has
travelled extensively. 81 have been
in many an ordinary gale, but in only
one that would rank as a frst-class
one. | never want to get into another.
'The ship that | was then in was an
old merchant steamer of about 1900
tons, and was as unpleasant craft in
heavy weather as a man can imagine.
To begin with, she was steered from
the bridge by wire ropes leading aft
on high stanchions, and even in COM
paratively calm weather they were con-
tinually parting and causing delay and
danger; in a gale, when to broach-to
would mean Davy Jones' locker in
short order, they did not add to ones
feeling of security.
"We passed Cape Finnisterre, the
northern point of Spain, one fine even
ing and expected to have a pleasant
run across the dreaded Bay of Biscay.
about four bells the glass began to
fall and the Captain seemed anxious,
but instead of putting back for San
Sebastian or some other of the Spanish
ports, as he would have been quite
justified in doing, seeing that the old
tub he commanded was hardly sea-
worthy, he held on his course BY
morning we were into the thick of one
of the worst gales of the century.
"We boasted high poop, and be-
tween it and the bridge the waist of
the ship was filled with water, and it
was a most risky passage to wade
through it even with the help of life
lines. We passengers did not make
the attempt.
"For three days we lived in the poop
cabin, and gnawed sea biscuits soaked
in salt water, but we had little appe-
tite, and l believe green turtle soup
would hardly have tempted US. The
steamer appeared to stand -on end
every now and then. On the second
morning of the gale I crawled up the
narrow companion and lashed myself
near where the wheel would have been
in an ordinary vessel. The appear
ance of the sea was beautiful, but
terrible. The rollers were several
hundred feet from crest to crest; great
mountains of cool, green water, with a
line of Kissing foam along their sum-
mits.
"As one would approach the ship she
would rise slowly, mounting upward,
quivering from stem to stern. Then
the broken crest of the waves would
curl over her bows, burying her fore
castle under tons of water. The decks
would be swept from end to end, and
of course everything movable, such as
boats, vanished early in the struggle.
While on the top of the rollers the
wind would feel like living force and
seemed to beat man down; then the
steamer began to slide down the long
watery slope. In the hollow it would
be perfect calm.
"For three days and nights we lay
to, under easy steam, just keeping
enough way on the ship to make her
steer, and dodging the seas by consum-
mate skill in steering. The sailors
worked like tiends; each man knew
that, should the engines break down
or the steering-gear fail to work, even
for few minutes, the steamer would
broach to and capsize.
cat length the agony was over, and
the Captain called all hands into the
chart-room and treated in the good old
fashioned sailor-man's way. Two days
later we were sailing up the channel
and passed the Isle of Wight in a flat
calm. Boston Herald.