The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1893-08-26
BATTERED By THE WAVES.
The Steamships Miller and NlcOOcheo
Caught in the Coast Storm.

Salt-The Storm Lasted From 10
O'Clock Wednesday Morning Until
9 That Night-The Big Ships Rolled
About by the Waves as if They We're
Playthings-The Nacoochee Shifts
It's Cargo-A Passenger Wanted the
Life Boats Lowered.
The steamship d. H. Miller, which ar
rived from Baltimore yesterday, and the
Nacoochee, from New York, encountered
OIL the Virginia coast one Of the heaviest
storms that has been seen on the Atlantic
coast in years.
The Miller left Baltimore for Savannah
about o'clock Tuesday afternoon, and
had fair weather until Wednesday morn
ing shortly before 10 o'clock, when the
gale began TO blow. The Miller was com
ing south, and consequently got the fun
benefit of the storm, the slight gale which
precedes the storm as well as the hurri-
cane itself.
The storm came suddenly and blew
gale from the start. The Miller is
staunch ship, however, and everybody
felt safe in Capt. Billups' hands. She
was closed up as much as possible and
made almost water-tight. Then she be-
gan to roll heavier and heavier as the
storm increased in intensity, for it was
impossible to make any Roadway before
It.
LASTED TEN HOURS.
The storm, which was one Of the ter
rifle August cyclones which came unusu-
ally near in to the coast, began about 10
O'Clock Wednesday morning and lasted
for more than ten hours. 1t Increased in
intensity until some time between and 9
O'Clock, when it seemed to cease suddenly
and the waters after a while became
almost calm, the moon and stars APP
peared and an almost unclouded night
followed.
The storm was at its hight between
and o'clock in the afternoon, when the
wind attained velocity of 100 miles an
hour or more. Tremendous waves dashed
over the ship, some of them breaking over
the smollestack upon which they left their
mark, for when the storm abated and the
water dried of, the stack was as white
with salt as if it had been covered with
snow. During this part of the storm the
barometer went down as low as 29.OS on
the record kept by Capt Billups.
Capt. Billups himself was stationed in
the pilot house during almost the entire
storm He left it for only a few minutes
at noon to go to dinner but none of the
passengers appeared in the dining room
and at supper time the Ia BILE was not set
Many of the passengers were frightened
almost out of their wits but.mOst Of them
We're too sick for fear All Of them stuck
close to their state rooms, some of them
thinking that theirlast'days come One
Florida farmer after it was over said he
would go home after going through that
storm and appear III the role of a hero.
THE MILLER NOT DAMAGED.
The damage to the steamship was
very slight il any at all. Outside of a
slight delay she experienced no inconven-
fence at all. She was due to arrive at
Savannah Thursday night but did not
reach Tybee until noon yesterday, being
about twelve hours behind time. When
she arrived at Tybee she had to wait for
the tide TO come and consequently did not
reach her dock until late yesterday af-
ternoon.
1t was practically impossible to make
the ship water-tight, although it was
made as nearly so as possible, and the
y
stantly during the entire storm forced
water through every crack and crevice.
The staterooms ana the cabin were all
wet, and when she arrived her carpets
had to be taken out and dried
The cargo as a whole remained steady.
but boxes and barrels rolled about and
against one another with such force that
many of them were broken open and
their content scattered over the ship.
h~,. L.
and their contents strewn amongst the
other freight Outside of this slight
damage TO the cargo, however, and the
temporary Inconvenience to the passen-
gers, the ship and its contents sustained
very little damage.
The second mate while on duty was
struck By heavy breaker and had
heavy fall, and one Of the seamen had his
hand badly cut. No one else was injured
in any way.
THE NACOoCHEE's EXPERIENCE.
The Nacoochee's experience was a lit
tie worse than that Of the Miller, although
no serious damage was sustained aboard
her, She encountered the storm about
the same time that the Miller did, but
from the accounts of those on board she
was in the storm for about twelve hours,
or considerably longer than the Miller.
The NacoOchee shifted her cargo while
the storm was at its height, which caused
the vessel to Careen. When she rolled
and heaved it made il appear all the
worse. So far as the storm was COM
cerned she had about the same experi-
ences as the Miller. Capt. Smiths ba-
rometer however, registered as low as
2o-9S during the severest part oft. The pas
sengers all remained in their state rooms
IN spite Of the fact that the water was
continually leaking in; some of them
tried 10 remain in the cabin but water
poured in there, too, TO the depth of
three or four inches. Almost everything
was drenched. Some Of the storm doors
were torn down from their fastenings
and all the glass windows exposed were
shattered as il they had been paper.
During the storm the Nacoochee headed
toward il and put on full steam. She
weathered It beautifully. and outside the
breaking of u few doors and the shifting
OF her cargo, which was rightedas soon as
the storm aOated, she sustained no dam
age whatever Her smOllestack, like that
OF the Miller was white with salt. and
when she arrived yesterday morning her
carpets had to be taken out and dried.
WANTED THE LIFEBoAT LOWERED.
Capt. Smith handled the Nacoochee
well, and very few of the passengers had
any apprehgnsiOnS as TO the outcome.
One man sent him d message two or three
times asking that the lifeboats be lower
ed lie was persistent and didn't seem
70 realize that anything 50 small as a life
boat COulQ't live for an instant in