Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1893-10-12
old OCEAN IN ROUGH MOOD
A Lively Trip from Baltimore
to Savannah.
MANY VICTIMS Of NAL De MER
Amusing Experience of a
Bewildered Passenger.
He Mistook His Damp Boiled Shirt for a
Rubber Poncho and Wrapped Il Around
His Grip--A Glorious Morning Follows
Night of Storm.
Special cOrro.ponaonee Of eazette anal lonrna

opcpiui correspondence OF Ohzette ana journal
AT SEA, Oct 5.-Here am once more
out on salt water and territorially out
side the jurisdiction of the United States,
languidly wondering, as l sit here on
the deck of the Decatur H. Miller
watching the dark leaden waves, which
one of the senatorial filibusters may now
be wearying the nation with his OBJ
structiye CAB. Personally, however,
feel that it is great boon to be for
little while out of the reach of even the
faintest echo of senatorial yerbosity;
out where the air comes uncon-
taminated to both lungs and brain; out
where the dark waters meet the horizon
with only one distant sail far In shore
ward to break the sense of utter isola-
tion-isolation peaceful, restful, inyigor.
ating,
Wilmingtonians need no introduction
to the steamship Decatur IL. Miller of
the Merchants and Miners Savannah
line, and many of them know her genial
captain, George w. Billups, who has
sailed her with such admirable success.
The steamer is Harlan & Holdings
worth boat, built in 1879, and the name
OF her makers is guarantee Of her sea-
worthiness and general fitness for the
trade in which she has since been en-
gagged. She was we'll tried in that
August hurricane when, on the up trip,
it was her good fortune not only to
bring through her own passengers and
cargo all right, but also to rescue % per-
sons from foundered English ship, two
women among them, who had been SO
hours In the rigging of their Inflated
vessel and were naturally badly used
up. Their rescue was q work of diff
Guilty in the high sea that was running,
but it was successfully accomplished by
Captain Billups and his gallant crew.
We left Baltimore at o'clock Tues.
day afternoon, with 26 passengers and
largo cargo of miscellaneous freight
chiefly for Georgia and Florida con-
slgnees. Before getting out of the
Patapsco, we all sat down to the excel
lent table which patrons of the boat
know SO well, but there are some who
have not appeared at that table since.
After supper sat on deck till past o
o'clock, watching the Sights along the
shore" and the shipping, at anchor, and
in motion, through which we glided
down the bay. The location of Balti-
more was still perceptible, on the
northerly horizon, by the reflection Of
the city's numerous lights against the
low-lying clouds, when | turned in. We
were then well below Annapolis and
the smaller reflection of that city had
gradually merged into and grown indis-
tlnguishable from the larger glow of
Baltimore, while to the eastward of the
latter city, the steel works at Sparrows'
Point were laring up internationally
with brilliancy that gave promise of
being visible at double the distance,
When / turned out yesterday morn
ing IT was to welcome the long roll of
the Atlantic and to find that we had
Just passed out Of the bay, with Cape
Henry light close on our starboard. The
swell proved too much for some of our
passengers, and not more than one. half
OF them showed up at the breakfast
table. IT grew worse as the day wore on,
and before noon there came rain with a
pretty stiff breeze from the southeast,
under Which the steamer, though stead.
led by her partly-hoisted sails, pitched
considerably; SO much so that only four
of us care.to join. Captain Billups at din
ner and supper Later on we sampled
a regular gale. 1t came from the north.
west--and 1t brought GOODNESS as we'll as
wind. It struck US about O'Clock last
night and staid by us till o'clock this
morning, and, what is more, 1t blew al.
most as hard as l ever experienced
ashore. The captain estimated the
velocity of the wind at so miles an
hou-so you may know it was no
gentle zephyr. But the good steamer
went through it beautifully, though Of
course she plunged till had to grip the
edge of my birth to keep from being
rolled out, and the heavy seas came
aboard in volumes of spray that washed
everything fore and aft.
There was an amusing side to the ex-
perience in the stories of unexpected
duckings received by some of the pas
sengers, as well as members of the crew.
One passenger who found the spray
coming through the blind of his state.
room window, the sash being slightly
open for ventilation, grabbed, what he
supposed from its clammy feel in the
dark, to be a rubber poncho and wrap
ped It carefully around his grip to keep
the latter dry. To his CONSERVATION,
when daylight came, lie found that ii
was his shirt that he had put to this
strange use.
The land is away out of sight in the
west-the last glimpse of anything on
shore was the distant CLEAN of Hatteras
light at $50 yesterday evening-but as
| write little lonely sparrow is trip
ping Familiarity over the deck and a big
red-wiuged butterfly is circling over
head; part of the tlotsam picked up and
whirled seward by last nights gale.
The waves have subsidized; the sun is
tying to break through the clouds, and
the victims of NAL de mer are con-
valescing and showing themselves again
on deck. With the returning sun and
the glorious salt air they will soon chirk
up, be glad they came and be prepared
to 80 to the table with such appetites as
they seldom knew before. The COM
pensation for little touch of sea-
sickness is that it makes one feel so
good on getting over it. JUDGE.