Mr. Burling ame to Mr. Seward
No. 120.]
Shanghai,
October 6, 1866.
Sir: I have the honor to enclose an extract
(marked A) from Captain Noel’s account of the typhoon of the 15th of
September on the coast of Japan; also extracts (marked B) from the logs
of the British steamers Niphon and Nepaul; also letter (marked C) from
Pilot Robert Smith, in relation to the currents and winds between
Yokohama and Hong-Kong. From these may be derived facts in the interests
of our navigation, and especially useful to the Pacific Mail Steamship
Company.
The typhoon was the severest known for years, barometer falling to
28.01.
The rarefaction of the air was so great as to affect the passengers
painfully.
The wind appeared to strike the vessel unequally, in one place breaking
strong iron bolts, and in another leaving weak objects unharmed.
Our safety, next to the good conduct of Captain Noel and two or three of
his officers, was due to the excellent model of the ship. She was very
high out of water and very strong. I think it will be found that in
nearly every case of loss of steamships at sea, the result has, as with
the London, lost in the Bay of Biscay, occurred from weakness of the
deck, or defective arrangements for keeping the water from penetrating
by the skylights and other openings into the spaces below. In such cases
the shipping of one or two seas will fill the vessel, and she will go
down at once, leaving no trace. So, probably, perished last year, on
this coast, the steamships Chanticleer and Corea.
I have the honor to be, sir, your obedient servant,
Hon. William H. Seward, Secretary of State, Washington, D. C.
A.
Translation of extracts from report of Captain
Noel, commanding imperial mail steamer Dupleix, concerning a
typhoon experienced en route from Yokohama to Shanghai, on 15th
September, 1866.
On the 14th, at some distance from Kiusiu, a heavy sea from the
southeast, and a slight but continued: falling of the barometer,
announced the approach of bad weather. In the evening rainy and
heavy weather, which did not permit our seeing the land, and which
prevented me from heading into Van Dieman’s straits before the next
morning. In the anticipation of a gale, I took measures to find
myself in sufficient sea-room (assez au
large)not to fear being dashed to pieces upon the coast.
On the 15th, at 2 o’clock a. m., the barometer at 752, (French
measurement;) violent squalls from the northeast, and a threatening
sky made me appreciate the fortunate determination I had made in the
evening, all the more as the strong wind and enormous sea from the
southeast prevented me from running further out to sea.
At 8 o’clock the barometer was at 745, the seas from the southeast
monstrous, and a gale from the northeast. There was no longer room
to doubt a cyclone was coming upon us with fearful rapidity; the
northeast strengthened, augmenting its force to fury, and from the
rate at which the barometer fell, it indicated clearly to me that we
should be in the line of progress of the centre of the méléore*
[cyclone?] which was travelling towards the northwest; and further,
that we should be fatally destined to encounter this centre, since
we were not able to go on and pass to the other side of the line of
its passage (the northeast side,) on account of the strength of the
northeast wind and the enormous seas from the southeast; and as for
the other side, the neighborhood of the shore absolutely prevented
us from running to the southwest, the only movement which could be
made to avert the catastrophe which I so justly dreaded.
It was necessary to resign ourselves to it. I immediately ordered all
the arrangements requisite to put us as much as possible beyond the
reach of a disaster.
At noon the barometer was at 730, a tempest from the northeast with
furious squalls, the seas from the northeast and southeast
confused.
[Page 562]
At 3 p.m., the mercury 728, the northeast frightful, (épourautable,)the sea roaring; but what
reassured me was to see the Dupleix behaving admirably well, the
machinery working very easily, and keeping herself with this help
(á six quasts du bent) within six points
of the wind.
All the openings of the deck were securely closed, and I awaited with
confidence the fatal hour of the centre.
At 4 p. m. the barometer fell rapidly; at half-past 4 it was at 720;
at half-past 5 it fell to 714. From 5 to 7 o’clock p. m. we were
exposed to the most frightful tempest which could be imagined. The
sea was really horrible on all sides; as for the wind, there were no
longer squalls, but frightful howlings. The Dupleix continued her
struggle with success, in spite of the redoubled blows which struck
her; but injuries succeeded each other rapidly, and gave me a mortal
anxiety.
Two small boats and the life-boat were carried away, and their davits
torn off, all broken by the wind. The gig and the two other small
boats were more or less injured. The main topmast was disabled; the
bed (emplauture) of the mainmast was
broken.
About half-past 6 we were literally the sport of a whirlwind, which
caught up everything on deck, and whirled things in circles to the
height of the head of the mizzen-mast. An enormous metallic plate
was projected from forward to aft. Our masts bent like reeds. I
believed they would be carried away, and I do not really know how
they were able to resist such violence. Happily none of us were
thrown into the sea, but we had none too much strength to keep
ourselves within the railing of the bridge.
In a few moments the centre would have been upon us, and, considering
the state of the weather, we should have been forced to perish
there; for in my opinion nothing could then have saved our ship from
complete destruction.
At this moment, supreme and full of horror, a single chance of
salvation offered itself to my mind. This was to try and escape the
centre by turning, so that the wind would be behind us. I was so
much the more induced to try this last and perilous effort, because
leach instant that we waited we were in danger of the vessel’s going
on her beam ends, if the masts continued to hold; and besides, I
wished on no account to cut away the masts, because of the screw,
which was our only chance of safety; for if in this terrible moment
the machinery had failed, all would have been over with us. The
machinery was started at an increased speed, and after some
hesitation the valiant Dupleix obeyed her helm; at last the wind was
behind us, and we were literally raised up and carried on by the
whirlwind with dangerous rapidity, without the vessel’s suffering
from it otherwise than by immeasurable rollings and heavy blows from
the waves.
A half hour afterwards the squalls changed rapidly from northeast to
north-northeast, north, north-northwest, and northwest. The centre
passed behind us. Immediately the barometer commenced rising more
rapidly than it had gone down. We commenced to go toward the
northwest.
At 9 o’clock we were out of danger, the barometer 722, a gale from
the northwest; at 10 o’clock barometer 730, and a heavy gale from northwest; at 11 o’clock 740, and an
ordinary gale from the northwest.
At 2 o’clock a. m. (16th) all was finished. The wind was yet strong
from the northwest, and the barometer at 748.
C.
Letter concerning winds and currents, from
Captain Robert Smith, pilot at Shanghai.
Shanghai,
September 25, 1866.
Sir: In reply to your request to give you
some idea of the set of the currents on the coast of China and
Japan, during my passages in the Messageries Imperiales mailsteamer
Dupleix, I have to state that I joined the said steamer at Hong Kong
on the 24th July, 1865, as pilot for the river Yangtze, and to give
such information as in my power concerning the islands and harbors
on the Chinaand Japan coasts in our route.
During the fourteen months I have been on board we have made thirteen
voyages to Yoko-hama and two to Hong Kong, and have experienced
several heavy gales, and encountered a; typhoon on the 25th July,
1865, (two days after leaving Hong Kong,) before getting to the
Formosa channel. We avoided the strength of this typhoon by heaving
the ship too, with her head to the southwest, as we found the centre
passing through the Formosa channel.
The barometer stood at 751° (French millimetre) equal to 2905 English
inches. On the 14th June last we experienced a heavy gale, during
which we were hove to for thirty-seven hours, when seventy-five
miles to the east of Van Dieman’s straits, when the French barometer
showed 750 millimetres. This afterwards proved to be the typhoon
that the steamship! Dumbarton encountered in the China sea on the
13th June, the day previous, during which the lowest point attained
was 28°33 on her barometer. As regards the currents along the Japan
coast, I have particularly noted the strength of and sets of those
which we encountered
[Page 563]
at
different times, and find the average to be about three knots to the
northeast; but on two occasions we found a southwesterly current of
twenty miles in twenty-four hours, but always more or less
influenced by the prevailing winds and their direction.
From Osima to Cape Idsu we have, at times, with strong northwest
winds, had a two-knot current to the east-southeast, and with strong
southeast winds have had a westerly one of ten miles during twelve
hours steaming.
This irregularity in the currents makes it very dangerous in a dark
night or during thick weather, especially while running between the
red field rocks and the Portsmouth breakers, (the latter I think are
doubtful, however,) as in one instance we found the steamer no more
than three miles from the red fields, which, by the course steered,
we ought to have been from twelve to fourteen miles distant. On
another occasion we were set within one mile of the place where the
Portsmouth breakers are laid down on the charts, and although the
sea was very high at the time, no breakers could be seen from the
mast-head, and if they do exist at all, it is my opinion they must
be looked for more to the westward.
As you are already in possession of the report of the late typhoon in
which you were present, I do not think it necessary to
recapitulate.
As I have above mentioned, the lowest rate to which the barometer
fell, previous to the last gale, it will fully bear me out in my
opinion that we were in the most severe one recorded here at least
for many years, the barometer falling 28°01, although the course of
the winds, were nearly similar.
I have the honor to remain, sir, yours, very respectfully,
ROBERT SMITH, Shanghai
Pilot.
Hon. Anson Burlingame, U. S. A., Minister Plenipotentiary, &c.
