The Chickasha daily express. (Chickasha, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1899-current, 1906-08-03
lSANDSTORM AT SEA.
EVENTFUL VOYAGE or A SHIP
PROM CALCUTTA
Encounters Most Singular Conditions
in the Red Ssa-Decks Two
Inches Deep with Pow
dsry Grit

cefy drlL
New York.-The log Of the Ger
man steamship schonfels. from Cal
cutta. which dOcked At South Brook
I'm 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
q single voyage.
With the exception Of the time the
steamship was in the Suez canal Il
had only one day of good weather
rom the time il entered the Red
sea, the succession Of disturbances
II 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 10 an
chor on Liberty island before he could
safely dock on the exposed Brooklyn
side Of the bay.
The Schonfels left Calcutta Janu-
ary 20. toucned at Colombo Febru-
airy for p hours. reached Suez the
18th and Algiers the z6th.
February l6. while in the Red sea.
the ship ran into a sandstorm which
lasted for two days. covering the
decks several inches deep with
nne. powdery grit and keeping the
officers and men who had 70 be on
deck continually sneezing and cough
ing.
I'VE first noticed the sandstorm
early on February l6." said Chief Of
fcer Diedrich Kloppenburg. Ahead
Of US the air was dense with a thick,
yellowlsh mist. which at first We
thought 10 be smoke-laden fog. When
we ran into II every man on deck was
set TO choking and sneezing. II was
like running through a light smoke.
You could discern objects in every
direction for a considerable distance.
but everything had a yellowish tinge.
I'VE had 10 keep all cabin ports
closed and every time one passed In
or out OF a door a cloud OF the fac,
yellow sand sifted Il and covered
everything. There was little wind at
the time and the sea was compare.
lively smooth. but the air was com.
pletely surcharged with the fine grit.
Evidently there had been severe
sandstorm just before we reached
that point and we ran into the after
math.
After 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 peculiarity about these
storms was that one would be bitter
ly cold, with biting. freezing wind.
and perhaps the next would be like a
summer gale. high wind. but as not
as though coming from a blast fur
mace.
After leaving the Mediterranean
We had about SO 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. unul we were
nearing this coast on March IA. when
the wind died down for a few hours.
But before midnight 1t broke out
again from the eastward and by the
10th was blowing gale. We made
the Delaware breakwater in tnat gale
and we're safe in shelter during the
worst Of II. in which this coast was
dotted with distressed and stranded
vessels.
Tine "a Lascars in our crew Of 6S
had no clothing but their customary
native garments of cotton and the
first thing wLen we docked they sent
q messenger ashore for heavy fan
nels before they would come on deel
TO clean up ship. We are fortunate
that. with all the terrible weather
we came through. not a man wa'
hurt and no damage was done OF
board which Chips" the ships car
penter, could not repair almost as
soon as II occurred"