signee, will overrun by a vast deal (on
account of the swelling of the grain) the quantity consigned. This
result is occasioned by settling during the voyage, and is the more
perceptible in proportion to the roughness of the weather experienced.
If grain loosely thrown in a vessel, then, is ever so well secured by
shifting-boards and stanchions, it will be liable to shift in a long
passage so greatly as to bring about the most distressing calamities.
To prevent these, every method should be employed before leaving port
to settle the cargo as much as possible; and for this there are many
contrivances, among which may be mentioned the driving of wedges into
the grain. Even after all this is done, and unusual pains taken to
secure the shifting-boards, no seaman who knows what he is about will
feel altogether secure in a gale of any violence with a cargo of
grain on board, and, least of all, with a partial cargo. Yet there are
hundreds of our coasting vessels, and, it is likely, many more from the
ports of Europe, which sail daily with partial cargoes, even of the most
dangerous species, and without any precaution whatever. The wonder
is that no more accidents occur than do actually happen. A lamentable
instance of this heedlessness occurred to my knowledge in the case of
Captain Joel Rice of the schooner Firefly, which sailed from Richmond,
Virginia, to Madeira, with a cargo of corn, in the year 1825. The
captain had gone many voyages without serious accident, although he was
in the habit of paying no attention whatever to his stowage, more than
to secure it in the ordinary manner. He had never before sailed with
a cargo of grain, and on this occasion had the corn thrown on board
loosely, when it did not much more than half fill the vessel. For the
first portion of the voyage he met with nothing more than light breezes;
but when within a day's sail of Madeira there came on a strong gale from
the N. N. E. which forced him to lie-to. He brought the schooner to the
wind under a double-reefed foresail alone, when she rode as well as any
vessel could be expected to do, and shipped not a drop of water. Toward
night the gale somewhat abated, and she rolled with more unsteadiness
than before, but still did very well, until a heavy lurch threw her upon
her beam-ends to starboard. The corn was then heard to shift bodily, the
force of the movement bursting open the main hatchway. The vessel
went down like a shot. This happened within h