The Sun.
London, England, 1844-03-28 00:00:00

UNITED STATES.

THE LATE CALAMITY AT WASHINGTON.
(Correspondence of the .New York Herald.)
From the multitude of accounts which must have
reached you since I wrote to you last evening, you will
have obtained the leading particulars in addition to those
I sent, of the awful catastrophe which has literally
plunged a nation in grief and agony. All the; usual
forms of language utterly fail in conveying any ade-
quate conception of this horrible calamity. I think
there was very little, if any, sound sleep in this city last
night. Multitudes of eyes were never closed in sleep at
all ; others were filled with tears from night till morn,
but it was most painful to add, that not a few eyes could
shed no tears. Among these last was Mrs. Gilmer—
poor, distracted woman—who eyes, as Mr. Wise said,
were " arid as ashes."
Many, many stout hearts have broken and melted
now which never softened before. Think of those
bereft—and so terribly bereft! All, I think, who were
killed had large families to deplore their untimely end.
Had they died a natural death, in the ordir.ary course of
Providence, their loss would have been painfully dis-
tressing. But to be so taken from time to eternity ! Who
can, unmoved, contemplate the fact! " Tell me," said
Commodore Kenyon's wife, "Oh tell me if he is dead!
don't deceive me!" Mr. Holmes, M.C., from S. C., ig-
norant of his death, and in the kindness of his heart,
assured her that he was not dead, but safe. Still she
was not content. Mr. Holmes pledged her his honour
that he was not dead. This was overheard by Mr. Sykes,
M.C., from New Jersey, who beckoned him away from

the frantic woman to assure him that he was misttiken•

that the Commodore was dead.
The reports of the frenzied remarks of Mrs. Gilmer,
are mainly true. Senator Hannegan desejibes her as
wandering in her mind—" No, no—be is not dead!—
He cannot be dead. He was with me but
.a moment ago!
Bring me my husband!—where is he? Dead! Yes,
he is dead!" and then, with a vacant smile of incredulity,

again denying the evidence. " Oh, that she could
weep!" said her surrounding friends, but she wept not.
A few minutes before the fatal explosion, toasts were
drank at the table. Judge Upshur was called on for his
toast. In attempting to comply he took up accidentally
an empty bottle, and pleasantly remarked that the dead
bodies (alluding to the empty bottles) must be cleared
away before he could give his toast. Accidentally an-
other empty bottle was pushed within his reach—and
he again repeated the joke, which was seized upon with
applause, that the dead must be taken away. This
drew from Captain Stockton the reply that there were
plenty of living (meaning bottles) to supply the place of
the dead.

At the same time the President gave the toast—
•' The Princeton and her three guns—the Peace-maker,
the Oregon, and Captain Stockton—but the greatest of
them is Captain Stockton." These leading gentlemen
then withdrew from the convivial table to make room for
others—and, within ten minutes, Judge Upshur himself
was a lifeless " body."
It is a most remarkable circumstance that song and
wine should have been, as they undoubtedly were, the
means of saving, no one knows how many lives. For,
in the hilarity of the occasion, and when the captain and
others withdrew to attend the firing of the " Peace-
maker" the third time (and at the request of Secretary
Gilmer), Mr. Waller, the President's son-in-law, com-
menced singing a song, by general request. This de-
tained the party, for the most part, below, to the pre-
servation of many lives.
I have been on board the Princeton this morning, and
have learned that it is hoped the wounded subordinates
will all recover. They are all removed to the Navy
Yard, with the exception of the gunner and officers.
The Hon. Henry A. Wise, Robert Tyler, and nume-
rous other gentlemen, went down this morning, to meet
the committee appointed by the President, to make a
formal investigation into the matter, and prepare for the
funeral.

On arriving at the Princeton, we found that coffins for

all the dead were already on board, and several of the
bodies had been already washed, and put in their final
resting place. While this sad work was going on, the
committee alluded to, composed of Coro. Shubrick,
Capt. Ramsay, Col. Murray, of N. Y., Reuben M.
Whitney, and others, were preparing their report,
which will be published.
The report not only honourably acquits Captain
Stockton, and all the officers of the Princeton of the
least blame, but deeply sympathises with him and the
afflicted. It states, on the authority of Lieut. Hunt,
that the gun was only loaded with twenty-five pounds of
powder, that it had been fired with forty-nine pounds,
and frequently with thirty pounds. The gun was pro-
perly and carefully loaded with the usual ball and wad-
ding, and fired nearly at a horizontal level, so• that
the ball could not possibly have rolled away from the
powder.
The Committee had collected a large number of frag-
ments of epaulets, of swords, &c., belonging to the de-
ceased. A piece of iron broken from the cannon, weigh-
ing a pound or more, was taken from between the clothes
and the flesh of Judge Upshur. It was not known whe-
ther it passed through him or not.
And here it is proper to say, that not only was there
no post mortem examination, but every pains seems to
be taken to conceal the injuries which the dead bodies
had sustained. One thing is certainly known, that they
were dreadfully, horribly mangled and disfigured—in a
way which it would be disgusting and revolting to relate.
(From the Madisonian.)
THURSDAY MORNING, FEB. 29, 1844.
The Committee met, pursuant to adjournment—pre-
sent, all the members except General Jones and General
Eaton.
The Sub-Committee appointed to visit the families of
the deceased, to ascertain their wishes in regard to the
disposition of the bodies on their arrival in the city—
having executed the duties confided to them—reported.
That in the discharge of their duty, they visited the
families of each of the deceased, and ascertained that
they were desirous their respective relatives should be
brought to their homes; and, at the request of the Presi-
dent, that the body of Colonel Gardiner should be taken
to the President's mansion. In consequence of which,
arrangements were made, that hearses should meet the
bodies at the wharf in the city, to convey them to their
family residences.
The Committee, at the request of Captain Stockton,
proceeded to examine witnesses as to the cause of the
explosion, and accordingly called upon the officers,
whose duty was most immediately connected with the
loading of the gun, for such information as they had to
give.

Lieut. Hunt, ordnance officer in charge of the great
pins, represents that he loaded the gun himself, with
but twenty-five pounds of powder—the usual charge
being thirty pounds. Over the powder was placed a
single shot, with the usual number of wads. That the
persons nearest the gun at the time of the explosion
were Captain Stockton, Mr. King, the gunner of the
ship, and himself.
Lieut. Hunt also states, that this gun has been re-
peatedly fired with a charge of thirty-five pounds of
powder, and once in New York, with a charge of forty-
nine pounds.

In the statements of Lieut. Hunt, Mr. King, the gunner
of the ship, concurs. Mr. King is a blacksmith by trade,
and is of opinion that the gun was indifferently made, of
iron of an inferior quality.
The Committee, as well from the foregoing testimony
as from their own personal observation and examination
before and after the accident, have no hesitation in exo-
nerating Captain Stockton and every officer and man
under his command, from the slightest imputation of
rashness or carelessness, and are unanimously of opinion
that this melancholy event rests upon causes over which
they could have no control.
Th• Committee having made the necessary provision
for carrying into execution the arrangements of the Sub-
Committee appointed to visit the families of the deceased,
Resolved—" That a copy of these proceedings, signed
by the Chairman and Secretary, should be transmitted
to the President of the United States."
On motion, adjourned sine die.
W. BRANFORD SHUBRICK, Chairman.
JOHN T. MACLAUGHLIN, Secretary.
- ARRIVAL OF THE DEAD.—Between twelve and one
o'clock to-day, a steam-boat came up from the Princeton
having on board the bodies of the dead. At two o'clock
five hearses, conveying the remains of Upshur, Gilmer,
Kennon, Maxey, and Gardiner, and followed by a long
train of carriages, citizens on horseback and on foot,

passed in silence along the avenue, and proceeded tO the
President's mansion. The coffins were taken into the
East Room, and laid on frames placed in the centre,
arranged according to the rank of the deceased.
The President of the United States, who was almost
overwhelmed with grief, remained a few minutes, sur-
rounded by the survivors of his Cabinet and numerous
body of citizens, to receive the several Committees, Con-
gregational and others, appointed to wait upon him, and
the report of the Committee of investigation that had
remained on board the Princeton after the sad occur-

rence, and then retired to his private room.
The Committee of Congress appointed a Sub-Cora
mittee to meet a Committee on the part of the Execu-
tive, at the President's house, at three o'clock, to arrange
a programme of the funeral ceremonies.