Jenks's Portland gazette. [volume] (Portland [Me.]) 1799-1802, 1800-03-24
OFFICIAL PARTICULARS OF THg
Djlaferfo The jTigats GonSrsG
PHfLApPLpHIA, March I

PHLaDRLPHIa, March 10.
TIE fslc-uins is sxtraS u sfter rem Captain
,Tdmsy Sever TO tie Secretary Of ne Macy. II
evas qurtfm at )sa, lGsn atfr TIE mbj.rtane
qcbie5 kaptened 10 tie Frgate Cosgrxli) in an ex.
pei7atioa Of an opportunity Of Finding II on i.me-
dfafsd bm nsa: ss2srsd t5fors bar aryiVal at
NoysA.
"on board the Frisate congreG, at fea,
g Jan. "a, 1900.
" Under the imprellion of the moa poignant
regret, | have the misfortune to report to you,
Sir, the dilaarous fituation of the United States
Fdgate Congrefs under my command. fail
cd from Newport on the 9th inn. accompanied
BY the Eaex Fiigate, Capt. Pr.blc, having IN
der convoy, flip and brig, belonging to
Philadelphia and fmall flip f,om New.Ha.
ven, bur finding them to fail very heavily, and
two three being in ballalt only on the day fuc.
ceeding that On which left Newport, deter
mined on leaving them and with the Enex
to make the be!f of my way, to carry INFO ef-
feS, the in,trusiions with which you had been
pleafed TO honor me, The Ara three or four
days fubfequent to leaving port, we had the
winds far northwardly, the weather cool, at
tended with fnow and hail On Saturday the
nth, the wind veered to the fouthward and
came on TO blow very freih, attended with warm
rain, and heavy fea this weather produced
an afonifhng effef upon my rigging, (which
had previou1y been in very good order) il
lrctched 70 much as to induce approximations,
for the fafcty of the mats. The weather be.
ing fuch as TO preclude the pratlcability Of fet.
ting il up: caufed tselcs to be got up 70 fnc,
cour the mats, and the rigging to BE- fwiiter'd:
but unfortunately every itep taken 10 fuppsrt
me MATS proved futile. On Sunday morning
the I2th it blowing hard, and heavy fsa run
ming at half paa 1, the mainmaa iprung about
eight feet above the upper deck immediate
~ caufed the main yard to be lowered down
1.-THE top gallant yard having previcuily been
fent down, and th. top gallant MATS houied
on confaltation with the officers it was decided
as sGording the only probable means of faving
the mammal, to endeavour to cut away the
main top-maa. This was immed a,ely at
tempted Mr.. Botworth, my fourth Lieu,cn-
ant, with 4 or fmaEt active men, going into
the top to perform the fervce while in its ex-
ecution the mat unfortunately gave way, and
in its fall involved the lois of that active deferv.
ineoaicer; the other men who were alofr, and
engaged in The fame fsrvice, were all happily
faved. The fall of the mainmalf carried away
the mizen top matt, with the head OF the miz
en- mat. Being under an apprehension that
from the roughnefs of the fea, the hull of the
flip might be efentaly injured by the action
of the wreck, was induced to clear it from the
fhip with all poilible expedition, by which means
very fmall part only of the rigging and fails
attached to thofe mats were faved. l now
turned my attention 70, and made ufs of every
practicable exerton to p.ef.rve the foremaif
the wind aill continuing to blow hard with a
heavy fea, and the thip from the lois OF hy af-
ter mats, laying in the trough and labouring
very mueh--at half paif II ihe rolled aw y
her fore top mat ioon after which it was diff
covered that the bowfprit was very badly
fprupg, jult without the gammoning. l inn
nedately csufed The lib. boom to be rugged in,
and endeavored to feeure the bovfprt By ltrong
laihings round the heel OF the boom at the
fame time getting up tackles to tue foremaa
head TO lecure the mat (Which was already
fprung) and to relieve, in fome meafure, the
ilrefs upon the bowiprt, cauied by the fore and
fore prcventer lfays.
1t is with great regreat ! am 70 sdd, that
all my endeasors proved of no farther confe.
qnence than probably to reiard, for very lit.
tie time, what eventually took place, as at half
paa p M the bowipiit gave way, and at the
fame infant the forenaa went ever the iide,
leaving us totally difmaned, and with the lois
of the principal part of the fails and rigging,
which in our then iituaton it was not praaca.
BILE TO prsierve.