The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1895-06-30
TOSSED EN-. ABOUT
PARTY OF WICHIrANS HAVE
ROUGH TIME ON THE GULF.
They were First Attacked by Mosquitoes as
Big as Mocking Birds, then a Storm
Came on Them which Gave Them that
Tired Feeling and After that Lig dtning
Struck Their Ship and Broke a Mast
The Boiler Didn't do a Thing but
Blow Up and Render Them Helpless
Safe at Last.

Mrs NJ a McFerren has received the
first news of her sons stormy exper-
fence in the Gulf of Mexico. Her son
is George McFerren, who until recent
ly lived in this city, and is generally
known. Nothing serious happened. In
his letter to Mrs. McFerren he says
that they had plenty TO eat and that
comforts Of the vessel were everything
that could be desired. OF the storm he
says:
We left here CNew Orleans) at 8
O'Clock Saturday afternoon, June LIST,
the ships ensign having been over
hauled, and supposed TO have been in
good condition. II was nice ride
down the river until about dusk, when
they stopped her 10 tighten up some
OF the new bolts which had worked
d little loose, and there We were COM
pleIely overwhelmed with mosquitoes,
not the kind you have up there, but
some of the kind they have down here
in the SwanpS, some of the crew called
them "buZZards" and knocking birds. -
You could not brush or drive them off
just had to take hold of them and I'M
screw them and throw them overheard.
Our party composed of Mrs. McComas,
Mr. Mott, Allie. Julia and myself, and
being joined here by a DR.. Chalarson.
who was going down there as repre-
sentative of the quarantine board here.
All went up on the bridge" with the
captain until we crossed the bar into
the gulf about midnight. There was
so much breeze up there that the mos
quitoes did not trouble US so badly, and
after we got out into the sea breeze
they all deserted the ship, and there
was nothing further TO prevent our re-
firing with that tired feeling" which
seems TO become so natural to everyone
upon starting out on a sea voyage.
The ladies and Julia went to their state
rooms, and we men hung up on the
benches in the cabin, or on our blank
cts up on deck when the weather would
permit.
We had heavy seas and high winds
from the time we left the river and
how that little ship pitched and toss
ed about was enough to make anybody
sea sick and even wish they were dead.
1t was my fifth trip over and the first
time have been in the least sick. We
all had this time sure, and as poor
little Julia would say, "Oh here il
comes" and "Well we all have TO feed
the fish. don't we papa?" Now give
me some more ham,"
The first three days we all felt so
tired" that we did not care TO sit up.
eat or anything, just wanted TO be let
severely alone. After that. however.
none of us We're sick at all, and all
seemed to eat with "a coming appe-
tite," and the way we all made things
vanish was a surprise as well as a
seeming pleasure to the captain, after
our previous fast of three days.
BY this time we struck severe thun-
der storm. and the constant pitching
of the vessel was such strain on the
machinery that it blew out the cylin-
der head of the high pressure engine.
Although we had not seen the sun for
two days then, our log showed that we
ought TO have been within 1I5 miles of
our destination, but a heavy head wind
blowing and also the gulf stream
against us. We all went to work and
made a new cylinder head out of wood
and by disconnecting the rods of the
high pressure engine we managed to
run the low pressure alone. but that
head only lasted few moments, and
il gave out. Then they set to work TO
make another and better one, and
which worked so well that we were en-
abled to keep up steam and run along
at or knots until we got back to
port again. OF course we did not know
how long ii would last nor how long
the storm would continue. With rough
weather il was likely TO go up at any
time. and then the pumps got out of or
der and there was danger of her filling
IN unless we could pump her out by
hand so all decided that the best thing
we could DO was TO run over into the
track of the Royal Mail line from Be
lie. and headed our boat that way.
When we next got an observation or
the sun we found that the wind and
current had drifted us away off to the
northwest and instead Of being in the