A NEW PILOT—AGAIN UNDER WEIGH. 
205 
visage ghastly, and now the whole frame writhes under a most 
distressing cough. A few short months have done their work. One 
year ago, a stalwart, robust, enterprising man, full of life and 
enthusiasm, left his wife and children to seek his fortune in a 
distant land. He reached his destination, and struggled hard, 
his prospects alternating between hope and fear ; still he strug¬ 
gled on until at last he discovered that some lurking disease was 
undermining his constitution. The approach was gradual, but it 
did its work. The victim borrowed money and sailed for home. 
He is before me. He is destined to clasp to his bosom, once 
more, his wife and children, but in one short week is borne to 
a neighboring church yard. 
This is the history and fate of more than one of our passen¬ 
gers ; we, however, have many on board who are returning wdth 
robust constitutions and well-filled purses. Their countenances 
are lighted up with the fond anticipation of soon being restored 
to those whose greeting smile and warm embrace will heal the 
laceration of the past. 
The excitement runs high ; there is a prospect of reaching 
our dock by 10 o’clock. As we approach the Harrows, our 
steamer suddenly slackens her pace, and we hear a cry of 
“ aground.” Our pilot has run us upon the shoals of Coney Island: 
the wheels are reversed, but we are fast; the lead is thrown 
with a cry of “ three fathoms o’ the deep ho !” We can plainly 
see the light of the city looming up from the horizon, but the 
chances are against us. A new pilot comes on board, who points 
out the channel; our wheels are reversed, our tiller put hard 
down, and after several efforts, we are afloat, with the loss of 
part of our keel. As we pass through the Narrows, our pilot 
hands us the morning papers, containing a detail of the Hague 
street disaster. The city is now in sight, and we are steaming 
along with lightning speed; anxiety most intense. We near 
our pier, which we find much obstructed by ice; small boats 
attempt to come off for our hawser, but we are obliged to steam 
over toward Jersey City and come up again; this time we suc¬ 
ceed, and as we are nearing the dock, the death of one of the pas¬ 
sengers is announced. He was the last of a party of six that 
had embarked for, and I believe the only one of the party who 
