The Norfolk Virginian. [volume] (Norfolk, Va.) 186?-189?, 1895-05-15
MANY DANGERS OF THE SEA
Hurricanes and Tidal Waves Make
Havoc on the Pactolus.
Her Masts Gone and Decks Swept
Clean. A Comber Drove Two Boys
Through Stout Partition, but
CouIdn't XII Them. A
Won IN on Board.

Singapore for New York ia days ago,
sbo was as trim lis any of the deep sea
ships in the China trade. But when she
arrived q few days ago she was battered
and squat. wreck aloft and all sprung
about the bows. Half of her spars wcro
lost. the stem garcd from the planlls
her boats had gone by the board, and
only few plunks werc left OF the orig
&nal forward deckhouse.
u was combination of Indian ocean
hurricane and tidal wave, IL mixture of
wind and water. that put the Pactolus in
this plight. The bark had fair weather
down the Indian ocean until Jan 30,
when q gale came on from tho northeast
as 1t veered around to the southwark
the wind grew i'll force and before long
it was blowing Il hurricane With the
shifting of the wind the sea arose to
tremendous heights aud hcset the bark
on all sides. Wave after wave broke on
board until the bark was half drowned
in lather of foam, and the best that
Captain Watts could do was to hold the
craft head to on the shifting blasts and
hopo for n milder breeze, Mrs Watts.
who accompanied him, lay down below
sinu lfleu nOU 10 DO AFRAID.
Along toward l 1 p. IN. when the bark
was staggering under bare poles one
squau fiercer than all tho rest cracked
down on the ship. For moment tho
bark hove almost hard down. and then
the spars, unable to stand the strain
snapped off like etraws and tumbled by
the board.
First, with Il roar, the fore topgallant
mast broke of ut the heel and fell far
to leeward, and directly after it went
the main royal, both with all the gear
and yards attached. The fore topgallant
mast fell far clear Of the ship, but II
tanglc Of rigging dragged it back again
in toward the broad bilge of the Pacto-
lus. Then rs the giant seas sent tho
bark swaying up and down the ragged
end of the spar ground away at her side
Before the rigging could be cut away it
ripped slice of copper of the bilge and
was gnawing hole in tho bark, when the
crew, at the risk of their lives, sent it
adrift.
All through this time tho ship was
buried III foam and staggering under Il
main spencer no larger than the sail Of
yacht tender.
This hurricane died away, but there
was continuation OF unsettled wealth
eli. The barometer i'll the captains cabin
began raising high jinl;s on Feb. II,
and With the vecring of the wind anoth-
er hurricane came on ont of the north
east. Tho ship lay TO under bare poles,
rs before, and by the time night fell
was buried fore and aft in seas that
raced almost masthead high up against
her sides and broke with fierce cannon
AIDES across her decks. twas impossible
to stand on the after deckhouse, and all
hands were dashed down to save them
from the seas
Toward midnight out of the gloom
there arose great wave, crowned with
d crest Of roaring foam. 1t swept down
ON the helpless craft and crashed upon
her deck. For an instant, they say, she
tembled with mighty throe fore and
aft, and then, with the rending Of tim
bers and the roar OF the flood, the bark
squatted III the seas until she was awash
Us high as her rails. In its course to-
ward tho stern of the bark the sea first
cracked the great beam of the bowsprit,
then tore the iron stanchions along the
fo'c2stle head and broke up against the
forward deckhouse.
III the house We're the Chinese cook
and the two ships boys, ALI Arculeer and
Mountain Hayes One of the boys was
IN his bunk, the other standing mp. The
sea, hurting itself against the side of
the deckhouse, crashed in the wall, swept
one boy out Of his bunk, and, with the
other fioundcring after him, sent both
head over heels through the partition in
to the oilroom. There the sea broke
through another partition, and still with
1t went the boys
As they We're thrown through the par
titions with splinters and wreckage they
gave themselves up for dead. The sea
broke through every window and all
but one door in the house and went
rushing aft. In its flight it swept everv-
thing out OF the galley and the carpen-
ter's cabin, swept out the chest OF tools,
the cooking utensils, pots and pans of
bread and beef, and with this wreckage
III tow went overheard through the Soup
pers.
A part Of the cataract crushed the
three boats into liindling wood, carried
them away and then tore the bridge
leading to the roof of the deckhouso in
to tangle Of wood and twisted iron, in
which form it went after the boats.
The sea swept down into the fo'cagtle