No Loose Lights
Are Allowed, And A Passenger Who Struck A Light Would Be Severely
Handled.
These are proper precautions against fire, and should be
obeyed.
But at 12 we are in total darkness - the ship rolls and pitches
- every now and then a sea strikes her, and burr - hush - swish - goes the
water over her sides or bows, and along her decks.
Then the men above run about, ropes are pulled, sails set or taken in,
and a general hullabaloo goes on - no doubt in the interest of the
passengers - but very disagreeable. Then the boatswain's whistle - Pee-
ee-ee ah! Pee-ee-ee ah-h-h! - every now and then wakes you up. Light is
a comfort, and darkness at sea seems to aggravate the strange feeling
which now and then affects you, as you think you are following a great
road without track or guide - save that which the stars, if visible, and
the previous day's observations afford.
"On Saturday morning (10 August) I was called up to see the Great
Eastern: and certainly an immense steamer was making its way eastward,
about 15 miles due north of us. You will see by the date of her arrival
if she was the object we saw or not. Saturday was very cold. We had
heard at Queenstown, from a note from Capt. Stone to Judkins, that
icebergs had been seen on the homeward passage, and at 3 o'clock we saw
ahead of us something which looked like the wreck of a steamer - but
which was pronounced to be ice. It was about 10 miles off. As we
approached it we found it was a little mountain of ice, covering
perhaps a couple of acres in area, and about 50 or 60 feet high. It
assumed all sorts of shapes as we caught sight of it at different
points - it looked, once, like a great lion crouching on the water - then
it took an appearance like part of the causeway at Staffa. As soon as
we got abreast of it we saw pack ice around it, and the light, then
shining upon the whole mass, gave a fairy-like whiteness - transparent,
snowy whiteness - which was very beautiful to see. While we were
observing it, a great mass broke away, toppled over into the sea,
sending up an immense snowy spray, and disappeared. The remainder
stayed in sight, with the evening sun-light upon it, for a couple of
hours.
"Yesterday, Sunday, morning, we sighted Cape Race, the eastern
extremity of Newfoundland, and ran close in shore along a most
desolate, dismal, coast, for a couple of hours. Abreast of the
lighthouse and telegraph station a boat came off, and we pitched over a
packet, with a little red flag attached, containing the latest news, to
be telegraphed from thence to New York and other places, so that our
passing would be known that afternoon everywhere - and if the steamer
had not left Halifax it might bring the news thence to England; thus
you may know of our safe arrival, so far, by about the 18th or 19th.
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