Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1899-12-08
TRANSPORT In ASTORM.
Terrible Experience of Cavalry
Horses In a Heavy Sea.
FINE BEHAVIOR BRITISH LANOERs.

Magnificent Manner n which the
Men Held on 10 Th-tr Chargers to
Protect Them Froa. injury During
n Terrific storm Or he East Coast
of Africa.
The Northern Whig (EnglishI pub
fishes the following letter from Lord
Frederick BlackwOod 60 his father,
Lord Dutferin, giving 8 vivid account
of the experiences passed through dur
Ing Il terrific storm encountered on Oct
~, Off the east coast Of Africa. by
Squadron c OF the Il1th lancers In
transport
do not really knuH where to begin
this letter, such cXCi'Ag and horrible
things have happened since last
wrote TO you. We sgt 20 Durham oil
safe and as happy a. ilrks on Oct. 8,
expecting TO diSembaFl and go up to
the front Immediately. 70 our disgust,
however, we were told not TO land. but
TO 80 OF NJ once u T." Cape. Accord
ingly. at p. IN. tLat light. we started
off again. Next morning the sea seem
ed fairly calm, and We we're all laugh
Ing aud 10, tug at ta. way we were
rolling about. You must understand
that our troop of horses were in wood.
Ell stalls on the uppe7 deck. This was
my troop, consisting oc - troop horses
together with my owa chargers, and -
mules. All the othe- troops and their
horses were down below between
decks.
STABLES" was at 4 .. m, when it
had begun TO get ra; aar rough. How
ever, we still SMILE. but the rolling
got worse and worse, ani my horses on
the upper deck began > fall down. and
we smiled no more. Every man was
told TO hang on to IS horse so as TO
keep its chest away from the front
board when the al nal was thrown
forward by the roll Al last the roll
Ing became terrific 4ad the seas cnor,
nous All my trocH9 were drcnchcd
over and over again one man. n cor
poral. got washed oil his feet and was
thrown four times Win great violence
up and down the d~>k The cXtraOr-
dinary thing was IL did not break
anything. At last the wooden frame.
work OF the stablinZ began to crack.
and ! expected every minute to see the
whole thing collapse and all my Ecn
killed. then went 10 Lund. n captain
in the Ninth lapcers and told him that
thought II was getting dangerous for
my men TO stay ON any longer and he
gave the order for No. ! troop horses
TO be abandoned Five minutes after
that one entire side Of the woodwork
gave way. Two Of my charges and
four others were immediately washed
overheard.
Now came the most horrible scene
! have ever Witnessed. The deck was
covered with one mass of struggling
horses and mules mixed up with the
broken woodwork OF the stables, the
whole being hurled first TO one side Of
the deck and then to the other, all hor.
ribly wounded, most with broken legs
6nd some with eyes torn out. My first
charger, the one you gave me and the
incest horse | AIN ever likcl to have,
was among them. but managed from
a hatchway TO get shot at her with
my revolver and SO ! am glad to say
none Of my three suffered the tornents
of he'll like the Others. To make
long story short. ou; ot 10 horses and
mules on my deck, CuIy three were
saved, two horses, wC0se stalls had re-
nained intact and 1Hc mule. which
had q most m!rarUlC, : escape, having
been washed down ;co hatChway into
the hold below anU ueInS absolutely
unhuIt. Things were Eardly better be.
tween decks below. On one deck a
hurllIg about killing Two horses. On
this account this decE Tad to be aban-
doned by the MtD. i was horrible
thing having 10 jump this way and
THAI to avoid horses ttAt kept hUrliug
up and down Kicking and screaming.
The arms rack gave way, and was
sent to try TO collect the CArDines,
We had managed "a stack most Of
them when an enormous roll came,
and down they went .0Ahing from one
side 70 the other AurKily. we were
oil able TO jltnlp on ;!i'ies. except one
man. who fell amou.s the wrpckage,
cutting his head open GDd laying him
out.
Al tie EleU down EtiOw remained
with the horses IN y m. when they
np,0,.'.sl ~ MI - oil hIl1lInH
10 the passages ana on top Of the on.
giLe room. shiyeT!ng nNA chattering all
night with the coll. All my men had
been long since dvenIhcl to the skin,
and not MaD got bite Of food en-
cCpt what We could give them in the
way Of few biscuits wish you could
have seen TIE way The men behaved.
1t was really magnifi'Fns They never
thought Of letting so Of their horses
until they wee. absolutely ordered 10.
though they Iid net tn0w when the
wooden frame m!Ehi give way. All
this time, an TIE cnpiN'n told us, the
ship was not unleg CCnNol and would
not steer lie Thought at the time It
was because Key tad :Gkcn out lot
Of her cargo at Durham and so tighten
Ell her, but the neNt morning, when the
sea went down aLd ehC still would not
answer ler helm. be had the ruddcr
examined md found II WAS broken and
useless. II was not very pleasant when
the dear o.u skipper .Ame down and
Informed 10 that We We're ruddcrleSs
ana that Il No easteily Rnle sprung up
We wouii 50 ashCiC, I did my best.
bot cGul1 not e:i much breakfast
that mo!E.HP Eoweycr, things turned
ont better than we expected. and We
are rav SONG I've knots an hour with
!,yy rulder ana a'C getting IN the
track Ct ships again, when we hope to
get t3w-i sGt-CweFre.