ten o'clock
That was all . For sailors never think of danger until that danger , whatever it might be , is imminent ; and never speak of it until it becomes necessary to do so , in order to save life . Thus the passengers on board the `` Oceana , '' on the night of the 20th of December , were totally ignorant of the real nature of the perils that beset them , although , as I said , an undefined misgiving and a sense of insecurity oppressed their hearts . At ten o'clock that night the weather was thick , foggy , and intensely cold , with a heavy sea and a high wind . The captain and first mate were on deck , where a number of the hardier and more anxious passengers were collected to watch . In the dining saloon were gathered around the tables those inveterate gamblers who seem to have no object , either in the voyage of the ocean or the voyage of life , except the winning or losing of money . In the ladies ' cabin there were two social whist parties , formed of the ladies of the Scotch professor 's family and the gentlemen of our set .