The Republican journal., 1895-02-28
Ship W. H. Macy.


says: "When a few years ago the keel Of
vessel was laid in the town OF Rockport
Me-, and a mass OF timber was wrought
into the ship William II. Macy, the work
was done in good old, orthodox New
England fashion. 1t is due to this thor
oughness Of construction that when, on
the morning of Feb. Sth, off Cape Hat
teras the terrors of the sea laid violent
hands on the ship and cast it into wild
prison OF snow and fog and vapor, with
walls miles in thickness. scoulged it with
icy winds and seas, and put every beam
and brace and seam to the strain-it is
due to this that the VI ssel went bravely
through the storm; that the shapely hull,
beaten and butfetei by monster seas,
emerged from its weird prison with hard
ly a Scar: that its masts stood as firm as
trees in the forest, with roots deep down
in the earth.
The ship sailed from Kobe, Japan, Nov.
3D. and with the exception OF gale off
Mauritius, had prosperous voyage. AT
!, p. ~ Feb. 7th, the ship was off Cape
Iiattcras in the Gulf stream, and only D5
days from port the fastest run ever made
from Kobe Although the weather was
still pleasant. the barometer began to fall i,
/ and Capt. Armstrong shortened sail and
things were made snug. The Herald re-
\ port continues
4 When the n. gIt Shut down it was ac-
4 companied by storm. 1t gathered
\ strength rapidly, increased all through
i the night. and when the morning came
aud the sun shoul,i have shone forth it
\ WAS Shut Out from the ship by a tempest
"a tempest that bore in its train clouds
OF snow and sleet. The temperature had
dropped from .,G degrees the day before II
~ M the morning If Friday, and the ei
feet of this volume Of icy air upon the
warm waters of the Gulf stream. while a
natural one. seemed like touch "a magic.
CIttt clouds If vapor rose, heavy and
binding. from The SEA till the watel ali
about The ship seemed like the boiling If
i mighty caldrom. Clouds OF Napnl hid the
Ship from Sight And wrapped round every
thing till The captain on the qnartcl deck
could not see the lulecastic. 1t was near
IN si~ dark rs though Tic DAY hal not
aawnca
The bitterness Of 1he coll v.,~ vell nigh
unbe;uahle >ieet dashed in the faces pt
NE tTew ana slui-, lilSe particles ot glass
l'h@Se thtt AaG scaiied about the decks
on the preceding day in bare feet gum
blee because tie taest uirped their toes
4 eiaN lib stocking and Shoes. There WIS N
ScHrIYin4 toI thicker nnderwctr. Ihr
stove in The captain cabin roarvd its
loufiest in the cndeaNs,r to keep the place
I Mann Despite an THAT could ID done
there were several III tile crew THAT Had
noses and fingers frost bitten.
The shin struggled along all OF Friday
under three lower topsails, and whether
they We're sufficient VI whether more SAL
would have been better it was all the
4 same. for no human power could alter
\ them. TheN We're frozen stitt, and like
wise every inch Of rigging. HE snow
and sleet us they fell upon masts and sparS
] rigging and sails, clung there and troze
h Ropes gradually sweled out " AZ pro-
portion. Spas were glistening With coat
ings of lee The sails. under blows, wonld
4 haze split like boards II was in truth 4
n frozen ship.
But she sailed on. siuggishly, all day
Friday and all that night and the next
,laN, tlea,ling her way as best Sire could
w tieAd ieekonngs through the stormy
seas her own way, II might he >aia, for
no change could he made N the course.
and had there been 4 lee shore ahead il
mN, have been tll rn+ same ON ~aillr-
daN we lni11entYpmast WAS spliMttNee by
the gale, and the ves>el proceeded under
the other Two ToN4tils.
'lAey Neie dismal days. that Friday and
~afuidAv, Struggling darklN through the
storm With one half the vesScl pb>cllled
rom the other halt and yet do~pits the
fury Of ii I'LL. there was 10 los, IT lite
one seaman. Charles Mttllrrsen. fell on
the slippery deck. hat received nO serious
Injuries. otherwise there was iip casualty
Aes. there was one life l@St after all.
and as it occurred in the height III tie
storm and was curious incident thereof
/ i should perhaps be mentioned. On the
4 voyage nut Captain AmsnurA mad taken
aboard ia the Strait Of Sunda twu tiny
Java deer. They were little things about
fourteen inches high They were given a
pen il the cook galley La the midst OF
the tempest ON Saturday the cook ran into
the Captain 5 room with the news that one
OF the deer had given birth to a tawn
N oct1 liNAl W. NpI'NtiH 1hiiiNNJdit. NIlii 81
his solicitude for his ship, found time to
see that the new arrival on board was
cared for; but the cold was too severe and
4 the fawn lived but few hours.
The gale continued III full fury all day
Saturday and throughout all that night,
still accompanied by snow and sleet. The
| only cry Of distress THAT was uttered was
the dismal, shrill screeching of a foghorn
which was turned by crank day and
night, for the greatest danger Of all was
the possibility Of collision with some
ocean steamer.
Sunday morning the storm abated some
what, the weather moderated and the
Ship proceeded. AT 10 D. clock y. M, Feb.
l4th, Shinnecock Light was sighted-the
first land seen since st. Helena was left
astern-and pilot taken aboard Feb
18th the ship was locked at Brooklyn,
and the voyage Of 100 days was ended.
The Herald reporter says:
There was a jolly party in the captain 5
cabin when boarded the ship yesterday
h afternoon. There WAS the captain wh1
by the way. halls from Rockport, Me-
where the Ship he commands was launch
ed and a more genial oul.can he found
\ anywhere from Kobe to New ork. on
I shin Or snort-tn ne raptainf s hlpt Her