The Vinita daily chieftain. [volume] (Vinita, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1902-1913, 1906-07-23
SANDSTONE AT SEA.
EvENTFUL VOYAGE OF A SHIP
FROM CALCUTTA.
Encounters Most Singular Conditions
in the Red sea-Decks Two
Inches Deep with Pow
dery Grit.


New York.-The log of the Ger
man steamship Schonfels. from Cal
cutta. which docl1ed at South Brook
lyn the other day, tells a story OF
storm experiences Of a more varied
character than is often encountered
By China traders of modern times in
single voyage.
With the exception Of the time the
steamship was in the Spez canal il
had only one day Of good weather
from the time it entered the Red
sea, the succession of disturbances
it encountered ranging from a sand
storm in the Red sea to a hurricane
as it neared this coast and winding
up with the strong westerly blow
which compelled Capt. Denker to an
chor off Liberty island before he could
safely dock on the exposed Brooklyn
side Of the bay.
The Schonfels left Calcutta Janu-
ary 20. touched at Colombo FeDru-
ary S for "a hours, reached Suez the
18th and Algiers the 26th.
February 16. while in the Red sea,
the ship ran into sandstorm which
lasted for two days. covering the
decks several inches deep with a
fine, powdery grit and keeping the
officers and men who had to be on
deck continually sneezing and cough
ing.
We first noticed the sandstorm
early on February 16," said Chief or
ficer Diedrich Kloppenburg. Ahead
of us the air was dense with thick,
yellowish mist, which at first we
thought to be smoke-laden fog When
we ran into it every man on deck was
set to choking and sneezing. 1t was
like running through a light smoke.
You could DISCERN objects in every
direction for a considerable distance,
but everything had yellowish tinge.
We had to keep all cabin ports
closed and every time one passed in
or out Of a door cloud of the fine
yellow sand sifted in and covered
everything. There was little wind at
the time and the sea was compara-
lively smooth. but the air was com
pletely surcharged with the fine grit.
Evidently there had been a severe
sandstorm just before we reached
that point and we ran into the after
math.
4Aissv leaving Port Said we had
continuous rough weather with one
storm after another. which kept our
decks awash and the ship laboring
heavily all the way through the Medi-
terranean. A peculiarly about these
storms was that one would be bitter
~ cold, with biting, freezing wind, |
and perhaps the next would be like
summer gale, high wind, but ais not |
as though coming from a blast fur
mace.
After leaving the Mediterranean
we had about 36 hours good weather
and then the Storm King got after
us again. He came at us from the
westward. the northwest and the
southwest, one blow after another.
The ship was rolling and laboring
heavily in these successive storms,
with high. dangerous seas continually
breaking on board, undl we were
nearing this coast on March IA, when
he wind died down for few hours.
But before midnight it broke out
again from the eastward and by the
9th was blowing a gale. We made
he Delaware breakwater in that gale
Ind were safe in shelter during the
worst of it, in which this coast was
lotted with distressed and stranded
ressels.
the 81 Lascars in our crew of 60
lad no clothing but their customary
lative garments of cotton and the
rst thing wlen we docked they sent
messenger ashore for heavy fan
Iels before they would come on deck
o clean up ship. We are fortunate
hat. with all the terrible weather
'e came through not a man was
nrt and no damage vas done on
oard which Chips, The ships car
enter. could not renalrf almost as