An Atlantic Hurricane.
The Steamship Oity of Brussels, of the Inmau Line, which arrived in New York on October 16th, experienced terrible weather during her voyage. She left Liverpool on the Ist, and on the morning of the 9th the vessel was canght in a hurricane, which, although lasting but a few hours, was of such violence that the captain said that in his experience he had never known such another. It had been blowing a little hard on the;eyening of the Bth, and at one o'clock on the morning of the 9th the wind rose with a sudden roar which will never bo forgotten by those who heard it. The ship was not tossed, but hurled about on the waves, which were running mountains high, and which broke over her with frightful fury. The passengers were panicstricken as the vessel rose up on the foaming mountains or plunged again into the deep as if she were never coming up again. The greater number of the cabin passengers crowded the saloon, and there was not a soul in that saloon that_ thought the ship could last in such a hurricane, and they prepared for the end.- Men and women cried aloud and wrung their hands in an agony of despair. Two or three ladies fainted, and strong-hearted men, with faces as pale as death, were uttering what they thought would be their last prayer. Husbands and wives, and brothers and sisters, and friends were embracing each other, expecting in a moment to be parted for ever. And as the fury of the hurricane increased the panic became greater Many were almost speechless with fright. When the storm began to subside, the terror-stricken passengers came to their senses, and most of them, with tears in their eyes, offered up prayers of thankfulness for their merciful preservation. There was another scene in the steerage—7oo passengers, of nearly every nationality, rushing about and being burled mercilessly about their quarters, screaming and howling in despair, prayers and oaths mingling in strange contrast. Every now and then they made a rush for the deck, and it was with great difficulty that the officers could keep them below. If they had once made their way up, they must have been washed overboard. Every officer, from the captain downward, was unanimous in saying that they had' passed ithrdugh the most awful hurricane that they had ev»r experienced.
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Bibliographic details
Cromwell Argus, Volume XII, Issue 587, 8 February 1881, Page 7
Word Count
400An Atlantic Hurricane. Cromwell Argus, Volume XII, Issue 587, 8 February 1881, Page 7
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