isa-normaladvance-1914-00062

Description:	62THE NORMAL ADVANCE&n Cbentng on Hampton Hoabs H. F. CARMICHAELDURING the summer of the Jamestown Exposition, Hampton Roads was, in some respects, the most interesting body of water on the entire globe. There, at one time, the combined navies of the world were gathered for a grand review. Most of these mighty ships, however, had departed for foreign waters before I arrived on the scene.As I stood on the upper deck of the steamer, the City of Washington, which lay anchored at Newport News, and gazed out over the smooth expanse of clear blue water, bordered by beau¬ tiful cities and dark, evergreen forests, I was filled with a feeling of awe mixed with that of pleasure. There, the men of the Cumberland, had found a watery grave. There had occur¬ red the deadly conflict between the ironclad Merrimac and the curious little Monitor. There, at that moment, were arrayed many of the largest battleships and cruisers owned by the United States.A few hundred yards southwest of the harbor lay the massive Brooklyn as quietly as if she were an island projecting above the wTater. The sailors, dressed in white, were moving around on the deck, under the shade of some awning that had been stretched to protect them from the rain and the sun. Occasionally some of them would lower a boat and row to the near-by shore, or to a neighboring vessel. Soon great clouds of smoke began to rise over her, and the close observer could tell that she was moving slowly eastward.Not far from the Brooklyn, lay the Missouri, and the famous gunboat Texas, and a little north of these, floated a modern monitor. The new cruiser, Vermont, lay just east of the pier of Jamestown. Many fishing smacks, withlowered sails, were visible in the distance, and a few, that had received their loads, were coming towards the shore. Many petty steam-boats and noisy gasoline launches were plying be¬ tween Newport News and the wharves of Jamestown, which were only a few miles apart. A bright flash of lightning drew my attention to the sky, which was being quickly overspread with threatening clouds, that seemed to rise out of the water, into which the sun had sunk, only a few minutes before.- While I was ob¬ serving the gathering of the storm, our ship moved out of the harbor and began steaming slowly towards Chesapeake Bay. There wras a good breeze blowing, but the water was not disturbed, and the steamer glided along smooth-i.y-Soon the deck was covered with passengers who came up to enjoy the cool breeze and watch the progress of the storm. But as the storm in¬ creased, and the vessel began to tremble, the timid ones withdrew to the shelter of the ship. The wdnd grewT sti-onger and stronger the waves rose higher and higher, and the vessel rocked so furiously that it was almost im¬ possible to walk across the deck. Many of the passengers then got sick and were forced to go to their berths, and only a few remained to watch the fury of the storm.The coming of night gave the storm a more terrible aspect. All the beautiful scenery of the evening was completely hid from view, ex¬ cept when a flash of lightning momentarily changed the darkness into day. The lights on the towers and spires of Jamestown looked like jack-o-lanterns floating in the air. Far down the coast a faithful lighthouse winked at regu¬ lar intervals, while distant fog-horns mingled
Source:	http://indstate.contentdm.oclc.org/cdm/ref/collection/isuarchive/id/32506
Collection:	Indiana State University Archives

Further information on this record can be found at its source.