The Sun.
London, England, 1867-11-13 00:00:00

The Hurricane at St• Thomas.

A telegram despatched to Havannah, inquiring as
to the safety of the Columbian, bound to St. Thomas,
and of the West India and Pacific Company's wharf
at the latter place, has produced the following
reply :
HAVANNAII, Nov. 1.

" Telegram, supposed from St. Jago, advises-loss
of Columbian. Property of British and French
companies destroyed. No mention of yours."
The Columbian was a new steamer of 2,000 tons
gross register, and had on board a full cargo for the
West Indies and Colon. The ship is very largely
insured in Liverpool, London, Glasgow, and on the
Continent. She wits commanded by Capt. Peters,
and had a crew of 50 men. As there is no mention
made of passengers or crew, it i 3 hoped that there
was no loss of life. The loss of this steamer will
cause no interruption in the company's service.
-The following has been received from the Manag-
ing Director of the West India and Pacific Com-
pany

" A telegram from this company's agents at St.
Thomas, received on the 13th November, via New
York, states that on the 29th ult. there was a fear-
ful hurricane at St. Thomas, with dreadful loss of
life and property. All vessels in port sunk or in-
jured.

" The Columbian steamer sunk in 35 feet water ;
cargo lost, crew and passengers saved.
" The Rhone and Wye completely lost, with great
loss of lives.

" Other royal mail steamers and the Robert Todd
ashore, dismasted.
"The West India and Pacific Company's whir f
not in j ured."
It appears that the news of the hurricane at St.
Thomas was conveyed to liavannah by the Panama,
belonging to the Compagnie Generale Transatlan-
tique, which arrived at St. Thomas on the 31st of
October from France, and sailed for Havannah on
the Ist of November.

Extract from a report dated St. Thomas, Novem-
ber 1, addressed to Mr. R. B. Lamb, Lloyd's agent
at that place, no it iu London, received per Atlantic
cable from New York :

" Hurricane worse than '37. Rhone lost, with
Woolley and crew."
Extract from a letter from St. Thomas, dated
October 24, addressed to Mr. R. B. Lamb
" Rhone goes to Peter Islaud to-dity in conse-
quence of fever here. The fever is ol the decrease."

Yesterday morning official information reached
the head of the Post-office department in St. Mar-
tin's• le-Grand, of the loss of the mails of the Royal
West India Mail steamer the Rhone, and that both
the clerk in charge and the sorter who assisted him
(both of whom belonged to the London office) had
been washed away in the discharge of their re-
spective duties.

From what can be learned, it appears that the
Rhone was lying in the anchorage of Tortola Pas-
sage, off the island of St. Peter, distant about 20
miles from St. Thomas, as iE customary in cases
when the yellow fever is prevalent, and that she
had her steam up in case of being compelled to
" run in" in case of a sudden hurricane, but so sud-
den and -violent was the storm that all the efforts
of those on board to get the Rhone away were
fttile, and she was driven upon the coral reefs of
St. Peter's Island, and went down with all on board
the ill-fated vessel.
•
The reporter was unable to ascertain the name of
the unfortunate officer in charge of the mails as
clerk ; the name of the sorter is John Martin.
Both of them have left wives and families to lament
their untimely end, and amongst their fellow-officers
attached to the London office they were equally and
deservedly respected. It was also rumoured at the
chief office during the morning duty of yesterday
(Monday) that the Right llon. the Postmaster-
Gcneral will immediately report the particulars of
the case to the Lords of her Majesty's Treasury,
with the view of obtaining a permanent allowance
to the bereaved families.
The melancholy event has caused the deepest
gloom throughout the establishment, especially
amongst the officers connected with the West India
Ocean Mail service ; as, besides the calamity above
recorded, this peculiar branch of the duty has been
singularly unfortunate. The first officers who un-
dertook the service from the Loudon office (which
is to the West Indian Islands and back again to
London) were seized with yellow fever. Both clerk
and sorter in that instance died on the passage, and
were " committed to the deep." In the second
vessel which sailed the sorter was first seized with
the virulent disease, and he died on board ; then the
clerk fell ill; and he died also, and was also cast
into the sea. The commander of the Rhone was
Captain Wooley, a most experienced navigator,
highly approved of as a careful seaman, by the
Royal Mail Company and the Post-office autho-
rities who have charge of the service, both in Lon-
don and the island o St. Thomas,