The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1839-01-15 00:00:00

TO THE EDITOR OF THE LIVERPOOL CHRONICLE

Stir,—Owing to the many very conflicting statements
which have been made, by different parties, relative to the
lamented loss of the packet-ship Pennsylvania, I deem it MN
duty, as the only surviving, officer of that ill-fated vessel, to
give to the parties interested and the public generally,
through the medium of your valuable journal, an impartial
account of every circumstance relative to the sufferings and
management of the ship, from the moment we set sail to the
period when myself and the rest of tt.e survivors were taken
from the wreck and brought to Liverpool by the -Victoria
steamer. About half-past 10 a.m. on Sunday, Capt. Smith
came on board in most excellent spirits and desired the ship
to be got under weigh immediately, which being done, we
had a fine run with a south wind as taras Point Lynas, which
we reached by 9 P.M. when a dead calm came on for about ten
minutes, at the expiration of which time it began to blow fresh
from the south west. We then close reefed our topsails,
furled the mainsail, and endeavoured to reef the foresail,
but failing in the attempt were compelled to furl it. Things
continued in this state till 2 A.M. on Monday, when the wind
changed to the west and blew a perfect hurricane, carrying
away our fore and mizen topsail yards taking the maintop-
sail clean out of the bolt rope and blowing the courses, though
furled at the time, into the merest ribbons. At daylight we
found also, that our foreyard was very badly sprung. During
the whole of this day we were employed in clearing away the
wreck and wearing ship every four hours. About 2 A.NI., on
Tuesday we succeeded in bending a new foresail to run up
with about daylight, and when daylight came we made every
effort to regain the harbour, keeping au anxious look-out
for the light ship, and following in the track of the Lock-
woods, which kept about half-a-mile a-head of us; but being
perfectly bewildered by the aesence of the light ship, we
dropped an anchor abreast of Hovlake beach, 2 or 3 miles
from shore. When, however, we had got about 30 fathoms
of cable out, the chain snapped, and the ship, after drifting
for 2 minutes to leeward, struck very heavily on Hoylake
Bank, and after thumping ei;:ht or nine times, filled. When
she had thumped two or three times, the first and second
mates, five of the crew, and the five passengers, went off in
the jolly-boat. As soon as she filled we cleared away the
long boat, but to our consternation we could not find lines to
hoist her out with, and jest as we were straining every nerve
to hoist her out by main force, the vessel shipped a heavy sea
which stove the boat and bruised Captain Smith very much,
on which he made an attempt to spring into the main rigging,
but failing he fell down between two water casks, when she
shipped another tremendous sea, and Captain Smith, ex-
claiming " Oh! my God," was washed overboard and never
seen more. This was at 3 o'clock, P.M. Just before the last
sea came, I ordered the men into the rigging to save them-
selves it possible, and I followed them myself, when we finally
took to the main and mizen tops, and wrapped ourselves upin sails for preservation from the weather, and in this con-
dition we remained until half-past 10 A.M. on Wednesday,
when we were rescued from our perilous situation, and put
on board the Victoria steam-tug, which brought us all to
Liverpool, except three of the crew, who were starved to
death in the rigging during the night.
I ought to observe that the Magazine life boat would not
have attempted to render us the least service if they had not
been shamed into doing so by a small green gig, which suc-
ceeded, after a desperate effort, in reaching us.
There were 'lO souls on board, including five passengers—
Twenty-one saved from the wreck, and nineteen drowned.
Yours most respectfully,
GEO. WASHINGTON RICHARDS,
Friday, Jan. 11th, 1839. Third Officer.