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THE VOYAGE OF THE SOMERSET
SHIRE.
The Age has been favored with the follow
ing extract from the letter of a passenger by
the Somersetshire, which left Melbourne in
October last for London. The letter is dated
Valparaiso, 1st December, and has been re
ceived via Panama : —
' We had beautiful weather after leaving
Melbourne, until Friday, 21st November, when
it commenced to blow a gale, and on Saturday
morning, about 4 o'clocK, a sea broke on board,
catching the vessel on the hip, smashing two or
three of the cabin windows, and flooding the
place. This was our first mishap, and was
nothing very serious, as they soon got the
windows filled up with canvas, and the cabin
cleared out. Things then went on comfortable
enough till Monday, the 17th November, our
twentieth day out, when the weather became
very iihreateDing,? and at 12.15T the glass iad
gone down to 28'30. The weather got
worse and worse all day long, and the
glass went still lower. The captain says
le never saw it so low before, and he has
been at sea nearly all his life,, and this is his
twenty-ninth time round the Horn. By 8
o'clock at night the wind was blowing terrifi
cally, and the sea running to a tremendous
height. The wind still increased, and at half
past 10 she had not got a stitch of canvas left
on her. We had been only carrying foresail,
topsail, upper topsail, and maintopsaU. At 10
o'clock the foresheet carried away, making an
awful row as the fury of the wind lashed it to
and fro. ; The fore upper and lower topsails
went next, making still greater confusion; and
the maintopsail followed In a very few nalnutes.
About this -time she shipped a sea, which pene
trated into, the cabin, broke open the after
hatch, carried away die entire, starboard bul
warks; with two immense spars attached,
and a bunker of coal, whioh was on deck
for use in the galley. The water also got
into the second cabin and engine-room, and
if it had not been: that we were under
a good strong hatch we should have
received an . awful quantity of water.
When all sail was gone, -and we were filling
vrith. water in all directions! only one chance
was left, and that was to bring tha vessel before
the wind, a rather dangerous thing to try in
such a sea. During the time they were bringing
her to, the men at the wheel state that the
water was up to their waist, and the main deck
appeared like ond sheet of water. Two of the
boats broke away, and were washing about on
the main deck. The boatswain, Mr. Jones, a
man much respeoted, was on duty on the main
deck, and one of the boats fell on him, causing
internal injuries, from which he died in a very
short time. - Two firemen coming up from the
engine-room were washed overboard ; one, J.
McCartney, leaves a wife and five children, the
other was named Wm. Starkey. Of course
there was no sleep that night, and everyone
wished for daylight. Whea it did appear an
awful sight met our eyes. We found that, in
addition to what I have said, the foretopmast
had gone clean overboard, with all the yards,
except the lower one (the foreyard), and that
was dangling over the side, and every time the
vessel gave a lurch it made a frightful crash.
.Ropes were hanging loose in all parts of the
ship, and everything was in a state of confu
sion. The captain was injured, having been
carried off his legs when the water was on the
poop, at the. time of bringing her to. Two
men were injured in the forecastle ; one had
his ribs broken. The second cabin passengers
were baling water out all night, and some
of the lady passengers were Bitting in the
top bunks while the water was washing
about in the lower ones. The cabin passen
gers were as badly off . as any, for their
place was completely flooded. The ?team-
pumps were at work all day on Tuesday, at
least soon after the accident, and the ship is now
dry again. The wool is very wet in the after,
compartments, but they think there is no fear of
it firing before we reach Valparaiso, as it is too
wet for that; and too much exposed. We had
two captains proceeding to England as pas
sengers, and Captain Atwood placed one of
these in charge during his indisposition. Great
praise is due to the chief mate, second mate,
boatswain's mate (who is now boatswain), and a
noble and daring portion of the sailors. Four
sailors were standing with tha, water up to
their china, holding a sail over the. hatch to
keep the water out!fbr two or three hours. If
it had not been for their exertions, and the
bulwarks having carried away at the time they
did, thus making an escape for the water, ex
perienced men aboard say, .then we must have
met a watery grave. Water in the cabin,
enginerioom (three feet deep), after-hatoh in
secure, and half the vessel under water, there
was no help for it. But by the mercy of God
we were spared. There were more tears shed I
believe the morning when we found the danger
we had gone through than during 'the time it
was going on. The fact is, we did not know
our actual position at the time, and this
was a very good job, I think. They say the
conduct of all was, as a whole,- very resigned
and quiet. Even in the second cabin, where
the water was up to their waists, the men
turned to with a will to bale out, and the
women behaved with. great fortitude. The
captain seems to be a very cautious man, and
many blame him for not bringing the vessel to
the wind earlier in the evening, especially
when the barometer was so low. as is said ; but
I expect he thought she would ride it out. She
is said to be a very bad boat to heave-to. When
the captain saw how things stood, he went be
low, and bid his wife and child good-bye, and
came on deck again.- His wife followed him,
and it was only when he was injured, and had
to be taken down below, that she would stay in
the cabin. The mate is a fine fellow. He
worked like a lion, and always does so. He
does not say go and do it, but corns
and ao it. J*e/ always leads, and always
helps to do everything. The poor boat
swain is much missed. He was a first-rate
seaman, and had had great experience. I have
just been on deck to see the boatswain buried.
The service was very solemn, and there was
more than one wept at the loss of so -fine a
fellow. His wife died just beford- he left
England on this voyage. We have a sailor who
was on board the Dallam Tower, and also
'Ballarat Joe,' the organ man, but not a man
had seen worse weather. On Sunday, the 23rd
November, the order was given for the men to
get the tackle out for lifting the screw, -as they
intended to stop steaming, lay to, and effect
what repairs they could, which they considered
would take about a week, and to then try and
get round the Horn. This announcement caused
great excitement, and all the passengers were in
arms, including the two shipmasters, and they
protested against it. A petition was got up,
signed by nearly all the passengers, and headed
by the names of the two shipmasters, against
the steps proposed to be taken, and we
were delighted to see the idea abandoned, as
the vessel was in such a frightful bad state to
go round the Horn ; not at all safe. We had
very nice weather all the way here, and arrived
at Valparaiso on 29th November, at 8 p.m.,
but lay outside till morning, and came in' the
harbor first thing, about 5 o'clock. Itis quite
open,. but vessels lie very comfortable in it, as
it is only exposed to the north, and the wind
does not blow very hard from- that quarter at
any time. It is in about the same latitude as
Sydney, and very warm. The city is in a com
plete valley, being surrounded by very large
bills or mountains. It sweeps round the bay
something like Sydney, though it does not look
so large as that place. It seems to be well
fortified, and has a number oC large and very
conspicuous buildings.'
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