28
th This was a day that caused many mixed
sensations of pleasure & pain grandure & solemnity
hope & fear to many. To me it was a day that satisfy
ed mine eyse in many respects. When we arose
in the morning we still found strong head winds
which soon increased to a great storm & tempest
which scenery I have not language to describe the
sails were close reefed or taken in as soon as pos-
sible, it took 16 men to cloose reef the main top sail
the tempest was now raging with all power the
sea piling up into mountains, the ship mountain the
waves & billows & pitching into the valleys & rocking
tremendiously & shiping seas occasionly, in the midst
of this seenery the cry of help was herd in our
cabin I rushed to the scene & found the ropes giving
way & breaking which held the whole mass of baggage
which was piled up between decks, consisting of
heavy trunks, chests, Boxes & barrels which if once
liberated from their confinement would with one
surge be hurled with all their force into the births
of the men, women, & children which would endanger
the lives of all on seeing the foundation of this mass
give way Elder & myself sprang to
this place of danger & braced ourselves against the
barrels & held them for a few moments untill it
was a little secured I then went on deck to the
Captain & informed him of the situation of things
below & he sent the sailors with some ropes & secured
the pile which was endangering the lives of many
After this was done I again repaired to the Aft quarter
deck to behold the raging of the tempest & the wonders
of the deedp & the movements of the ship which was the
greatest scenery I ever beheld upon the water
Elde[r]s , , Richard's & was with
me on deck for a time but all had now gone below
except Elder Richards & myself & the officers &
crew, we were shiping heavy seas it was now
about sun set I stood in the middle of the aft quarter
deck holding the Captains speaking trumpet in one
hand & holding to a fast bench with the other when
we shipped a tremendious sea on the windward
side of us which passed clear over the quarter deck
on which I stood. On seeing that we could not esca-
pe it Elder Richards flung himself close under the
Bulwarks & the body of the wave went clear over
him without wetting him but little but as I could
not take the same advantage I flung myself
upon the deck & held upon the fast seat whare I
remained untill the sea passed over me & left me
drenched in the surge I now thought it time for
me to leave my seat of observation for the day
& go below as I was thoroughly wet with salt water,
I went to bed but did not sleep but little for
the ship rocked at a dredful rate boxes, barrels,
& tines were tumbling from one end of the
cabin to the other. And in the steerage about 15
Births were flung down 9 at one surge with
all the men women & children flung into a pile in
the midst of the berths but no lives lost or bones
broken. This is the 8th day in succession that we
have had strong headwind
