Staunton spectator and vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1896-1916, 1903-03-27
WHAT ARE THE WILD
WAVES SAYING !?
A Night Of Storm and wind at
Sea--A GrandIy Spectacular
Scene mysteries of the
Gulf Stream--Incidents of a
Voyage, Etc.
(staf Correspondence of the SPECTATOR

(Staff Correspondence of the Spectator
# Last year on my return from Flor
da | wrote series of letters for til
SPECTATOR giving an account of tt
unusual scenes and incidents witness
d ed in that State This year my tri
!. has been more extended, taking in bt
t sides Florida, the Bahama Islands, a
English possession to the north {
, Cuba.
With the consent of our readers
, shall therefore attempt o describe i
another series of letters the unusua
as it impressed me in that far ava
3 land.
Our small but congenial party ha
been lettering along the Florida Eas
Coast from st. Augustine southwar
fol some days, taking in as we wen
the great beauties of that section, til
finally we halted at Miami, the south
ernmost part of Florida and the tel
minus of the railway. Here we tool
; passage aboard the U. 8. mail steame
Martinique, bound for Nassau, BAHIA
ma Islands. The name of the Martin
ique did not impress US, save Will
grave forebodings, associated as it wa
with a disaster, the appalling nature o
which is as yet fresh i'll the minds o
all people But we were not supersti
iiOuS, SO pinning our faith to the fail
weather flags and to the endurance o.
our staunch looking craft, we Went
aboard. From the decks of the steam
er we looked down upon the busy
scene of ship taking on her cargo
OF all the freight items there Wer'
none so large as the one of persona
bagsage-trunks there were every
where upon the wharf and piled higher
than the tops of railway coaches, fol
be it rememb ered that Florida is a
tourists State, and every female tourist
travels with an excess of baggage.
| Many of our passengers carried OF
| large trunks, and one wealthy Dabob
with his family had no less than "a
pieces, all Saratogas. But as all things
come to those who walt, so by and bye
the great mass OF luggage and stores
was aboard and amid shouted fareWellS
and a great futter OF handkerchiefs
we were Off.
From the decks of an ocean steamer
the sight of city as it melts into dis
tance is al impressive one; the large
buildings along the shore with their
towers and chimneYs and spires, are
all seen double, reflected in the
clear water Gradually they fade into
distance and finally disappear beneath
The hOrlZOn-again demonstrating the
truth of our geography lessons learned
in school boy days-the rotundlty of the
earth. All afternoon our vessel was
steaming through the beautiful waters
of Biscayne Bay, which were in color
a rich pea green, yet clear as crys-
tai, in fact so clear that by looking
over the ships rail, we could see plain
ly the coral formations and other sea
grOwths at the bottom Of the bay.
Darling here and there were schools of
fish, which were seen in every color
the most brilliant-red, yellow. blue.
silver etc.
WILD NIGHT OF STORM.
AS we passed from this placid scene
into the wide Atlantic there was obsered
in the distance great black expanse
of snow capped waves which seemed to
rise in tumult till they met the sky
line. Dark angry clouds, darted
with forked llghtnings rushed
onward with roar. A deck
hand toward whom we looked enqulr
ingly, volunteered the information that
we were about to enter the mysterious
Gulf Stream, body of water at all
times turbulent, tonight it was being
dashed to fury by West Indian hur-
ricane. AS we neared the ominous
black line, the sea swells became per-
ceptibly greater and rougher. till final.
ly we were in the very Jaws of the
great storm. The first gust of wind
laid our vessel over on her side, and
when she righted it was to ship water
on her starboard side. Then the pilot
turned her to face the wind and waves.
1t was the sight of life time, indes-
cribable IN its beauty and grandure
The waves came mountain high and
as our vessel climbed up them the sem
sation was fine exhilaratlng Then
turning at the crest of the waves, with
her propelIers revolving wildly in mid
air, the vessel would plunge down the
trough of the seas till she righted on
the succeeding swell. In many instan
ces her flight down the seas was SO
precipitous that her PROV disappeared
beneath the waves, shipping leavy
seas. AS night came on the phospho-
resent display became apparent in all
Its beauty-churned into action by the
storm, it became grand spectacle.
AS far as the eye could reach oyer the
great expanse of water, the fOaming
crest of each angry wave was lit by a
thousand fires, a glow that frightened
into day the dark surface of the deep.
Aboard the vessel there was much
confusion, deck hands and crew rush
ed here and there under hastily given
commands, hauling chains, ropes, ETC.,
while in the great saloon the dishes
and crockery went scurrying from the
tables to smash in fragments on the
floor. Chains and every thing movable
were engaged in an animated shuttle,
while over them occasionally tumbled
the hapless passenger who had reck
lessly attempted to navigate alone.
The scene was one of a. mixed, upside
down confusion, calling to mind the
familiar comic picture SO often seen,
depicting the waking hour of drunk
en- man after night of debauch--one
boot is over the gas jet, his clothes
scattered over the floor, a broken
pitcher and chairs turned over. His
soliloquy-"What hi of time [
must nave had" So it was aboard the
Martinique. That night we passed
under the sheltering lea of some small
| islands, that afforded temporary relief,
but when morning came the sea was
stil raging. Ali on board were sick,
with scarce a passenger well enough to
leave his stateroOm.
But speaking of sea sickness-it is
| the meanest sick, the most desperate,
the most diabolical, don't care what
happens feeling in the world. The
most-but manga man has failed tC
describe it, so I'll let it pass Before
the storm broke on us and while the
ship rode smoothly, there was not tc
he found more congenial, jolly com
pany than was ours, but i'll an hOul
after, every one aboard was sick, ever
old salts and members of the crew
They told US the wind had gotten int
water-we were glad to know that. fol
most of us thought the - had gotteI
into it, and it was some comfort K
know that it was only the wind.
AS we emerged from the mouth o
Biscayne Bay the afternoon of GU
i \