The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1900-04-29
That Point Is Known As
the Storm Center
of the Seas.
GALES ALMOST NEVER END.
Experience Of the Bark Lota. Which
Required 1853 Days to Reach
the Western Coast.


W. quainted with the truly ter
rible character of Cape
Horn to those who would try and weather
it, climb, as II were, inch by inch up the
vast slopes OF those pdtiless eastward
rushing seas or hang on day after day,
week after week, with the most logged
determination against the steady fateful
oncoming OF a westerly gale that seemed
as IL 1t would never end. Had those early
discoveries encountered Cape Horn, re-
marks correspondent OF the London
Leader, what term of dread / wonder,
would they have applied to It? For stormy
as 1.-The Cape" (as sailors always term the
southernmost point OF Africa undoubt-
ediy Is, and ugly as are its untrue seas.
severity with the Horn, whose black,
grim wedge thrusts itself so deeply down
into the stormiest region of the world.
The Picture Not Overdrawn.
All readers Of Two Years Before the
Mast" will remember the graphic comfort
disturbing picture there drawn of a
sailors life in those painful seas. a pic
ture that is studiously moderate in its
coloring. That It Is so all those who know
1t will admit II they will read the follow
ing extract from a ships log sent to me
by the owners from Bristol-a story terse
and seamanlike, intended for owners eyes
alone, but full of tragic interest to all
those who caro- for the men who 20 down
to the sea In ships. She was a bark
called the Lota. of some 200 tons regis
ter. bound from Barry, in Wales to
IquiQue. on the west coast OF South Amer
lea. Her outward passage. as far as what
sailors call the pitch OF the horn"--that
is. right south of It. but In this case actu-
ally little to the westward OF twas
uneventful IL slow. occupying seventy nine
days. Thenceforward the captains own
explanatory note:
I'VE got to the westward of the Horn
three days later September 2O). but were
driven back by westerly gales which con-
tfnued with little or no intermission for
nearly two months. We were for eight
weeks south of latitude Sc degrees south
chat Is to say, they were In a position
corresponding In temperature to the coast
OF Greenland In February and March,,
and six times succeeded In getting from
sixty to seventy miles west of Cape Horn
but were as many times driven back
again. Not once from September 20 to
November could we keep the upper top
sails set for twenty-four hours consecu-
lively (Which meant that as the wind was
foul they were not only making no
progress. but were being driven bodily to
leeward).
Swept with Fearful Fury.
"On September "a and October we had
extra heavy gales. and on both dates saw
two other ships without sail set, appar-
emily having sea anchors out At
o'clock on the morning of October 10. we
being then in latitude 59is south, longitude
Is west, lying on the port tack with only
the main lower topsail set the wind IN
creased to a hurricane force. Its general
direction was from the southwest but
sometimes II would change two or three
points, and with the terrible sea that was
running the danger to the ship OF a gem
eral smash-up was very real. indeed.
About o'clock sea broke on board,
taking three of the boats and smashing
the fourth We had extra lashings on the
boats. but everything was smashed, even
the thocks being torn from Their fasten-
ings on the skids. AT a. M another sea
broke on the bowsprit and carried away
the fore-topgallant and royal stays (wire
ropes only about one inch In diameter).
and while trying to secure this another
sea struck the port hulwarks. doing much
damage. Il omit technical detailsD Sew
| eral OF the men had very narrow escapes
OF being washed overheard and four were
intured-broken leg. cut head, broken arm
and broken ribs respectively. At midnight
the wind ceased a little. but continued
blowing a very heavy gale, while the shin
was practically under water, the sea was
bad.
AT o'clock the following morning the
fore-topgallant mast snapped OF close to
the cap Its fall knocked many other
spars sdrirt making quite wreck OF her
alorf, but details are too technical In the
afternoon was knocked down by a sea.
injurinE my back, and for several days.
besides much pain. had only partial use
OF my legs
Heroic to the Last.
AZ this time we had eight men laid IN
out OF at most fourteen. The Officers
worked splendidly and dld everything they