The Savannah morning news., 1903-10-15
BATTLE WITH WAVES
THREE DAYS OVERDUE, STEAM
SHIP MISSIONER ARRIVED.
STORM WAS THE FIERCEST
IN SHIPPERS EXPERIENCE OF
NEARLY THIRTY YEARS.

Capt. b. w. JOY, Veteran of Ty-
phOOns, Hurricanes and Ship
wrecks, Says Gale That Swept
the Jersey Coast Last Week Out
did Amy storm He Ever EncOun-
tered-HeaviIy Loaded With Coal,
and without Even Shattered
Glass, the WestOVer Reached Her
Wharf Early Yesterday Morning
and is Discharging.
In an experience of nearly thirty
years in every part of the world, 1
never saw three consecutive days like
those last week. 1t was one COM
plete smother; it was impossible to look
windward; there was nothing but fly
ing scud.
Capt. B. w. Joy, master of che
steamship Westover, used this Ian
guage in describing the storm that
swept the Jersey coast last week. The
Westover, staunch vessel. arrived at
the wharves of the Atlantic Coast Line
early yesterday morning just three
days overdue. She was heavily loaded
with coal from Philadelphia, out
weathered the hurricane in goodly
fashion.
Although the Westover faced the
fury of the gale she came into port
without a broken spar-with not even
a glass missing-and none the worse
Tor the worst encounter in her life of
thlrty-two years. While there were
not few who believed. when she aid
not put in an appearance Monday, that
she had gone down to Davy Jones
Locker Capt. Joy was at no time un-
easy. He had friend on board, how
ever who does not care to go through
dhother experience of the same sort
Ana too he is connected with the gov
| eminent Weather Bureau service. The
passenger was Mr.. Howard Friez of
| Philadelphia.
WestOver Behaved Nicely.
The story of the storm is more in
teresting as told by Capt. Joy to a
! representative of the Morning News in
| Ihe sklppers stateroom on the West
| over. An Englishman with a world of
| experience Capt. Joy is an entertain
| ing talker.
But don't you give the old skipper
any credit for weathering this storm, -
ne said by way of prelude, because
| u amt to him that it belongs. This
IS the little girl who did the real work
ohe the prettiest sea boat that ever
| crossed the pond and she kept her
head to the sea when others that laugh
| at her couldn't Oh she's a corker is
| this little girl. She'll forge ahead in
any gale and never slip.
| III swear it was a wicked time
and this little girl, 80 years old and safe
| in port without a scratch. We left
| Philadelphia, heavily loaded, at noon
last Wednesday. Just a weak ago. We
/ should have gotten to Savannah Sat
! urday Wednesday night we were out
| the Delaware Cape with a moderate
wind from the South 1t didn't look
much like there was going to be any
great trouble then.
Sea Was Very Heavy.
Thursday morning there was a very
heavy sea and the wind was strong
afternoon the wind suddenly shifted to
the north. And 1 can tell you as
an old mariner that it howled. too
We were off Body Island then and
hove to.
cat O'Clock Friday morning we were
| just north of Hatteras. We eame
around the cape, and made our way
up under the land. We were off
| Ocrocoke all Friday night with the
| wind bowling. I'm a land lubber if
the gale blew knot less than seven
ty-five miles. On Saturday morning
we left Ocrocoke with a rising glass,
and wind moderating.
I'VE passed Cape Lookout at noon
and went forty miles sou'west. The
sea was running SO high that we had
| to heave to again. We pushed all we
could to the north to get under land
! and got under about midnight. We
anchored Sunday morning in Lookout
| Cove and laid there until the weather
! improved and the glass rose.
Barometer Fell Rapidly.
| my baremetor went down to 1920
| and it staid there. That's the lowest
| I've ever seen it in these parts. And
| it's right, too, because l took it to
| the weather man this morning and he
| found it accurate. I've seen it lower
| in the China sea where 1 have been in
typhoons.
why, once across there in the
! Orient my barometer oscillated for
| two inches with % as the center But
| that's in the land where they have
! typhoons. I've been in typhoons and
| I've been wrecked in hurricanes, and
I've lost schooner in the Far East,
/ but I've never seen the equal of the
| three days we encountered on the Jer-
| sey coast
Capt. Joy didn't see any wreckage
along the coast for the reason that the
| Westover was below it. The wreck
age, however was in evidence fur
| Their up the coast