The Dawson news. (Dawson, Ga.) 1889-current, 1896-09-02

the Ship, but veered OF and Vanished
without Harming Her.
The Fabre line steamship Neustria
sailed On July % from Marseilles for
New York with full cargo of freight
and 400 italians below decks. For six
Gears Captain BRAND had been studying
tbe weather from the bridge of the
Naustria. and everything indicated that
tbo +rip would be a pleasant and pros
norons one to all on board. The skies
we're clear and showed no promise of
tronble in store. The air was warm,
and the Italians, after they had become
accustomed to the long ocean swell,
snpnt most of their time on deck lolling
in the shade of the stacks and bulwarks
The Dromise of the skies was kept for
two weeks, and then the Neustria ran
into thunder squall, during which her
Messengers beheld an unusual spectacle.
II was on Friday, Aug. IA. The ship
was in the gulf stream and steaming
steadily along, the gray waters churned
into foam by her propeller drifting away
without breath of air to disturb them.
The passengers were grouped about on
the upper deck In the afternoon the
few clouds that had followed the sun
toward the west turned tail and fled be-
fore a freshening breeze from the south
west. The breeze was not strong one,
but Captain BRAND saw trouble in it.
When he went below for his dinner at
6o'clOck, he left the first mate on the
bridge with orders to call him at any
sign Of a storm.
About $50 o'clock thunderclouds ap-
peared in the west, and soon the whole
sky was overcast by banks of gray and
black clouds, showing white where the
suns rays touched them and metallic
blue where they seemed to meet the
water. By Z o'clock there was a stiff
breeze blowing and the cloud banks
were driven before it across the sky,
leaving only strip of blue along the
eastern horizon. The mate summoned
Captain BRAND to the bridge. There
had been a few flashes of lightning,
sharp and vivid but no thunder up to
that time. Captain BRAND took his
place. a few moments after he mounted
the bridge the storm broke with flash
Of lightning more vivid than any of it's
predecessors and was followed the next
instant by crashing peal of thunder.
The lightning liberated the rain in the
clouds, and miniature food began.
The ralndrops fell so fast that they
merged into each other before thew
reached the decks. The sea was as
smooth as millpond. There was no
ground swell even, and the ship floated
as steadily as though she had been
moored to her pier.
Inc first fash Of lightning was fol-
lowed by others, and the thunder be-
came continuous, Captain BRAND saws
mat IN all his experience he never en-
oountered more noisy or more spectac-
UIaF storm at sea- AS it progressed the
HlouoS settled down upon the ocean, and
instead OF long twilight night set in
~ rev moments. The Italians, wet
~ Vhe skin, were restrained from going
osAoW BY the beauty of the storm. Many
~ 'heln were frightened, and here and
s"oi0 Che more devout ones told their
hands. '- = A'' AZ Vn0ll
mere was no conversation. for the
'nunoer was so loud that even a shout
bo hardly be heard. The storm had
C CSeu IN progress half an hour when
oI'a p."1n BRAND, looking to port, saw
boov;, Two miles away a waterspout
Conta:s rapidly down upon the ship.
and 5'S u: brand turned half way around
~. snu discovered another waterspout ON
w vr,o slarooard side. The one to port
s 1"s nearer and seemed to be heading
goUa ae-lv 'or the ship, and Captain BRAND
e"Ie most of his attention To II
cor,al, ~ ureW nearer the Italians on deck
lost D ~. Sight Of it, and all hands then
tUs, tnelr interest in the storm and
wato ~u 70 watch the progress of the
coIIisi @poHT Its course was such that a
inevit lon DetWeen it and the ship seemed
it wa ,s" 11s and the high speed at which
that I 49, gong made it seem impossible
ny s'S 'll9 Neustria could escape it. The
s rnoSpecV OF being swanped nv a water.
Who J he ,9rrlhed many of the Italians.
tbina n"G ~ never seen nor heard of such q
pravinu NE number of men and women
formad1 brew grew Larger, and groups were
Tboeo 90 %iound those who had crucifixes.
bepan VI Vne Italians who did not pray
d., ~ 10 shout, but their voioes 1vov.o
Tho gu ny the noise of the storm.
until = "aterspout raced toward the shin
40 L
Canta;sn Was MAS on ~ 20Oyards off, and then
be s So, BRAND saw that he was not to
sbo n,tu od oy it after all. The spout was
its ' w.. ~ 1eet through at the base. and