The Bryan daily eagle. (Bryan, Tex.) 1895-1898, 1896-09-20
IN a oArAT aFA or Iol.
a Vessel iiemmcd In by IeeberEs Hut Il
Mlrna 4 -nnalY snNeh.


a Vessel ilemmod In by Icebergs Hot Il
Mirae 'nnsiy saved.
Capisin Joseph Swain. OF the Amer
lean bark Alice had one OF the most
remarkable aud perilous Voyages ever
made BY an American sailing vessel
Tho Alice left Auckland. New Zoa-
land. laden with gum and fax. She
encountered fair winds and In just
thirty days rounded Cape Horn and
entered the waters OF the South At
lantic One morning soon after Mate
Hensen entered the captains cabin and
exclaimed. In evident apprehension;
There's something wrong, capiainl
! sight land oil the starboard bow"
Captain Swain went on deck. and
through his glasses made out Mato
Hensen's Hand" 10 be- an iceberg Of
inky blackncsS Within an hour
eight moro bergs were sighted. those
10 starboard being iot black aud
those TO port a vivid green. Each
passing half hour resulted In tho dis
covory Of more iceborgs, all bearing
down toward the Alice.
The captain crowded on all sail In
tho hope Of running away from his
threatening noighbors but he bore
down upon tho largest field Of leo 70.
ported by sea captain la recent
years
This was In latitude 43 deg. 40 min.
south aud longitude SO deg. east
Standing ON yard Captain Swain
aud Mate Henson on8ily counted 500
bergs OF all sizes and three distinct
colors In height the icoborgs varied
from an estimated forty foot 20 DO.
tween 400 and 900 feet They we're
behind. beside and In front Of the NJ.
Ito bark as far away as the eye could
sec aud many OF tho smaller ones
touched sides with tho vessel ID DO.
came bitterly cold. The thermomo.
ter which had registered g deg. fell
20 zero and tho mombers Of the crew
suffered intensely.
The vessel sailed along In this sea
OF Ice n fresh breozo blowing steadily
until nlghtfAll when by tho grace
ol Goo" rs Captain Swain saya tho
wind diod down into very moderate
breeze
40 this fact wo owe our saliva.
ton. said Captain Swain. Had tho
wind remained fresh at night We
would certainly have been crushed.
As II was wo were able TO keen up
enough light sail 10 navigate but
even then death stared US IN the face
for two nights
Both nights kept all my fourteen
mon on deck. the ma,o forward near
tho iorocasile, myself amidshipA and
two mon at tue wheel Even then
We had at least two dozen hair.
breadth escapes from collision with
some monster borgS Il was only by
tho closest lookout and the most
prompt work at the wheel that We
were able TO just escape running into
bores directly ahead Running slow.
as No did the danger was le,sened.
for VIZ practically driited along In the
Icy channel With the dawn OF day
came a ireshor breoze and We on.
deayorcd 10 sail away from tho ice.
bergs and l think In the sail Of that
DAY We must have passed nc least
!. 800 borgs OF different sizes for at no
time did We sight less than 800 OF
thom
1T was the most exciting and
perilous voyage OF my liio continued
the captain and have rounded that
Horn thirty timoS never expected
~ see land again.
But what fantastic shapes those
monster borgs took You could con.
iuro up churches domoS steoplcs
gigantic men aud animals OF all de.
scriplionS 4 peculiar thing about
thom WIS that all we're black on ono
side aud white or green on tho other
side can only account for the
blacknoss Of many Of ihom by their
age and having broken away from
land. One berg must have been at
least 500 feet high As two.ihirds Of
an Iceberg is below water this made
. total height Of !. 800 foeL
1T was not until midnight OF tho
22d that We finally escaped thom and
Just In time for before dawn We we're
struck by a northcasior that devol.
oped into one Of tho severcst hurrl.
canes have over been In, This hur.
ricane lasted twelve hours but tho
Alice stood II well-botior than my
tired crow. From that time on wo had
splendid weather aud made the voy.
age from Auckland to New York In
oighy.threo days"