A NARRATIVE BY THE REV. L. P. W. BALCH, AN ADDRESS BY REV. LYMAN BEECHER, D. D. AND A SERMON BY THE REV. THOMAS SMYTH, D. D. PREPARED ON BOARD THE GREAT WESTERN, NEW-YORK: ROBERT CARTER, 58 CANAL STREET, ADVERTISEMENT. THE nature and design of the following work will be apparent from its contents. It is a pillar of remembrance, a memento of danger and deliverance, and a testimonial of gratitude. It shows how God brings light out of darkness and good out of evil, to them that seek Him. The occasion gave rise to its contents, which were all written on board the vessel, for the purposes referred to in each, and given without modification or adaptation to the rules of refined taste or of caustic criticism. To our fellow-voyagers those "memorials of the sea" will be grateful; and to all who delight to trace God's footsteps, even the repeated delineations of the storm, given in each of the publications, will be interesting as exhibiting in different lights one of God's most wonderful works. NARRATIVE. SATURDAY, September 18th, 1846. The steamship Great Western, B. R. Mathews, Esq., Commander, left Liverpool at 4 o'clock, P. M., having on board one hundred and twenty-six passengers, Captain, five officers, five engineers and seventy-four crew, in all two hundred and eleven persons. The weather, generally, was pleasant for the season of the year, and our progress good, averaging 200 miles a day. "Saturday, Sept. 19th, lat. 48 34, long. 37 43, at 4 P. M., light airs from the S. E. and foggy, with light drizzling rain. Got the yards aloft, and set the jibs and fore spencer. Breezes refreshing. At 6 set the singlereefed main spencer and the square sails, with two reefs in the topsail. "At 8 P. M., the wind increasing and variable to the westward, took in the square sails, outer jib and main spencer. At 10 P. M., freshening gales and ugly weather; sea getting up and tossing high. At midnight, increasing gales and heavy squalls; took in the fore spencer, the outhall having broken; in the mean time, the inner jib-stay bull's eye hook broke and the sail became useless; hauled it down and set the fore stay-sail." The above is an extract from the captain's log book, and gives an account of the commencement of the awful storm which the Great Western surmounted on her passage from Liverpool to New-York; one so terrific during its continuance, and marked by such a signal deliverance in the end, that it should be carefully related. "Sunday, 20th, at 40 minutes past 2 A. M.," continues the log, "split the fore stay-sail; took in the remains of it, and lay to under bare poles. "The sea rising frightfully, and breaking over and against the ship. At 4, the wind increased to a heavy storm, and the sea running most furiously at the ship. The wind veering to the N. W. at the same time, and the ship breaking off into the trough of the sea, rendered our situation more critical. A great quantity of water got into the engine room, from the sea breaking over the ship, which was pumped out by the lee bilge pump." Sunday morning most of the passengers assembled in the cabin and saloon. Their haggard faces told too surely of the sleepless and anxious night which they had passed. Even those most ignorant of nautical affairs could not fail to discover that we were in the midst of great peril. Few could dress with their accustomed care, owing to the violent pitching and constant rolling of the vessel. The stewards abandoned any attempt to prepare the breakfast table, and both then, and throughout the day, were obliged to content themselves with bringing such articles of food as were most convenient, to those who felt any disposition to eat. "11 o'clock, A. M.-A heavy sea broke over the fore-part of the starboard wheel house, or paddle box, which started the ice house, and large iron life boat, from their fastenings, and washed them to lee-ward, and with much difficulty they were temporarily secured." 32-VOL. V. |