The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-11-08
ROUNDING THE HORN.
Not Now Considered a Great Feat of
Navigation.

of the great feats of sea travel TO round
Cape Horn without disaster for the first
iutimation of its presence was a great
leaden cloud obscuring the heavens and
bringing IL tempest of wind and water.
Then came the order to clew down and
haul the reef tackles. close reef the fore
topsail, furl the main and heave to on the
starboard tack.
These nautical phrases are not from the
sea Voca bulary of our esteemed Capt
King, but were the expressions of Dana
on the occasion of his first experience as a
sailor when rounding Cape Horn. He kept
a diary from which this thrilling passage
is taken for the benefit of our battle ships,
The Oregon and Iowa, which are to round
the cape some time in November, about
Thanksgiving probably.
Monday, Nov 10.-During part of this
day we We're hove to. but the rest of the
time were driving on under olose-reefed
salts, with a heavy sea, a strong gale and
frequent squalls of hail and snow.
Tuesday, Nov. 1.-THE same.
Wednesday-The same.
Thursday-The same"
In view of the exciting events of the pres
ent we can imagine our sailors of the Ore
gon and Iowa dying of ennui with such
log as that, but the pretty brig Pilgrim,
from Boston, with royals and sSysails
fore and aft and ten studdingsails." was at
the mercy of every wind that blew. II
sounds like a leaf from Kipling to read:
Fun is fun, but furling one yard-arm al
a time off Cape Horn is no better than
man killing"
When the Oregon and Iowa steam around
Cape Horn they will not fly the American
flag or that of any other country, for hey
could not unfurl 1t before 1t would be torn
to tatters in the gale that inevitably
awaits them. 1t will be spring time there,
gentle Annie, but the weather will be tor
rid and frigid all an a breath, with such
seas rolling as are only seen once in
lifetime. Doubtless those noble war ships
will breast the storm and anchor by and
by in a safe port, but when a wall of deep
green water twenty feet high comes roll
ing down on them, things will look bill
ious for a while. II In the next hour they
experience the peculiar calm which fol-
lows this exhibition of Cape Horn seas
they can take a shy al the steamer
ducks which ride the waves These re-
markable birds are too gamey for food,
but they are the largest ducks in the
world and challenge attention from the
sportsman. This species of duck is also
called the loggerhead, that being the name
given them at the Falkland Islands. Sail
ors call Il the paddle-wheel duck, because
It's wings and feet revolVe like the paddles
Of a steamer. The race horse" is an ep-
pellahon bestowed too, on account of its
wonderful speed. 1t moves It's wings al
ternately, and uses its feet like paddles,
and at full growth measures forty inches
from beak 10 tail, with an average weight
of twenty-nine pounds.
Cape Horn, with its steep. black sum-
nit 500 feet above the surface of those
storm troubled southern seas. stands like
a grim watchful sentinel on the south
ernest island of the Fuegiau archipelago,
south of South America. 1t was dscov-
cred by Schooten, 1916, and named after
his birthplace in the Netherlands II now
belongs 10 Chill, although formerly II was
owned by the Argentine Republic. A more
dreary, desolate stretch Of coast could not
be found in navigation, and its waters
have submerged many costly cargoes and
cost thousands of valuable lives. No mat
Ter how fair the weather may be on the
approach of a ship, 1t changes so sud
denly. and with such intensity that even
the most trustworthy barometer fais TO
Indicate anything but the preceding calm,
the mercury acting as if bewildered, ris-
Ing and falling several inches in few
hours or remaining In fixed condition.
This indicates the disturbance or the at
mosphere when the wind blows from all
not eaualed in the China seas. when the
tvphoon RACES and the barometer an
nounces its coming The phenomenon OF
one ship-where two were speaking each
other in distinguishing in fine weather,
ana another in a stiff gale, has been OBJ
served at the same time. One ship laid
TO in a gale for seventy days. Next to an
actual engagement with an enemy, the
American naval tars will be delighted TO
/. att ont Of fha4Y O
voyage Of 1900 miles to Honolulu by way
Of Cape Horn.
one traveller met with an iceberg In that
region, and he let's his Imagination loose
to describe II. He says:
ats tall minaret-lke plunacles glisten-
ed like purest silver under the light Of the
moon and stars, with terraces and Gu
polas everywhere sparkled and glimmerdd
as though all the mosques of Islam had
been Joined to form one splendid temple
IL is amusing to hear or read the de-
crlntions of different writer's or sailors
who have rounded the Horn, and note the
pojnt of view conveyed. One saw a blood
red sea and thought it denoted some ter
rible misfortune, until told that il was
caused by the presence Of myriads OF crus-
tacea of a scarlet color. Another discov-
cred the ships pig, motherly creature
with a brood Of stockings on board, try
ing to commit SUICIDE Dy Climbing over
the ships rail. the various degrees Of wea-
Their and longitude having turned her
brain. although pigs are the best sailors
of the animal world.
on July 4, il Is midwinter off the Horn.
A marty of Americans who spent that DAY
in struggling against wind and weather
in that vicinity, kept the day with all
honors. They tied their flags 70 the masrs,
had a programme OF patriotic music, read
The declaration of Independence and con-
Quoted themselves generally like Ameri-
can citizens on independence day.
II by any untoward chance our sailors
or the oregon and Iowa should be
stranded az Cape Horn let them not for
get the regions OF pocket gold IN that
Tantaius land. 1t is all in nice little mug
Gets the size Of kernels of corn, the ideal
eold OF the placer miner. The discovery
Of the gold fields in the region lying be-
tween Cape Horn and the Straits OF Ma
pelan was made by the shipwrecked sail
ors. who filed their pockets with gold and
took the first ship homeward bound, hav-
ing the proverbial sailors disdain for
n,o,,ev They used common suice boxes