The Sun.
London, England, 1864-05-13 00:00:00

THE HE GALANTITOMO.

The Gibraltar Chronicle of the 28th ult., in reporting the
departure on the previous day of the Italian frigate Re Ga-
lantuomo for Naples, gives the following additional parti-
culars of her disastrous voyage across the Atlantic :—" An
American gentleman, who was accommodated with a pas-
sage to Italy in the ship, bears admiring testimony to the
discipline and calm courage with which both officers and
crew conducted themselves in the perilous crisis. It appears
that for three days and nights they were literally looking
death in the face. The straining of the vessel in the storm
made her leak so much that in the contest between the over
tasked crew at the pumps and the water pouring in from the
opening seams, victory was long doubtful. At one time they
gained slightly on the water in the hold—at another a fiercer
paroxysm of the hurricane overpowered all the exertions of
the crew, and the ter. ible report went round that the water
was gaining upon them. To aid to the horror of their situa-
tion, some of the pumps at one time got out of order, and the
water so far got the mastery as to extinguish the furnaces and
deprive the ship of the aid of her steam machinery. But
throughout this desperate struggle for life nothing like
flinching or despondency was visible, and the American
gentleman who had admired the performances of the gay
young Italian officer in the ballrooms of New York, in which
city they had been hospitably entertained and feted during
the winter, was mach struck by the coolness and pluck with
which they worked away at the pumps, and by their ex-
ample encouraging the crew to exertion. There appears to
be an impression on the part of the officers that the Com-
mander of the Star of the West did not make every effort ho
might have done to keep by them. When he came within
hail, and their sinking condition was made known, he re-
plied that he could give them no assistance. It is admitted,
however, that he made the signals as stated in hie report,
and the circumstance of the vessels parting company is ex-
plained by the fact that they were not lying to, but that the
Re Galantuomo was running free, and the Star of the West
was apparently accompanying her, but not steering in a
parallel line, and therefore her oblique course every hour
separated the vessel by a greater distance. Besides the
main-deck guns, the cattle that had been taken on board for
their supply during the voyage were thrown overboard to
lighten the ship. For three days all the fires were extin-
guished, and officers and men working at the pumps had no
other food than biscuits, water, and whiskey. When the
storm was past the commander of the Re Galantuomo de-
termined to return to New York. A succession of strong
westerly gales frustrated this intention, and he then stood
to the northward in order to make the port of Halifax; bui
as if a perverse fate were opposed to the gallant ship, hard
north-west breezes barred her progress in this direction
also, and it was at last decided to bear up for the Azores.
It was thus 35 days alter leaving America before the Re
Galantuomo reached a port in which to refit."