"Three Old Men of the Atlantic,"

Otago Witness, Issue 2309, 2 June 1898, Page 52

"Three Old Men of the Atlantic,"

" You don't know what the ' Three Old Men of the Atlantio ' are P " a veteran sea capfain asked the writer lately. "Well, ask any old sailor, and he ought to be able to tell you from his own experience.

" I've met them many times id crossing the Atlantic ; and once they gave me such a reception that it seemed very likely neither I nor thoae who were with me would live fco tell anybody anything sboiifc it. " You only meet the old zentlemen ia gales*

and tbey take fche shape of three huge waves which invariably follow each other in regular succession.

" We wore coming from New York fco Eogi:uid, and a gale sprang up which forced us to heave to. Those of na who wero on deck were secured to the standing rigging by ropes, to prevent us from being washed overboard. " Suddenly I saw fche ' Threfi Old Men of the Atlantic ' coining, and I roared out. to everybody to prepare. The first appslling wave rusbed down on us and buried the ship so completely that T thought she would never rice again. Bat she staggered up, and we had just time to take breath when the second thundered on us ; and so with fche third, which was tha next wave fchafc followed.

•' When fchese terrific eeas had swept us, we found fchafc the deck had been absolutely shorn of everything that roso above ib ; and how fche old ship stood it at all I don't know.

" I've knocked about all seas in fcbe world, but never came across* worse waves than fchese three partners. How high are they ? It's very difficult to tell ; bub I don't think I exaggerate when I say that they rise 40f b above the normal level of fche sea. When you remember that in such a gale there is a hollow as well as a crest fco account for, you will easily see that fche total height of fchese formidable « Three Old Men of the Atlantio ' works out to 80f fc.