Alexandria gazette, commercial and political. [volume] (Alexandria [Va.]) 1812-1817, 1812-11-12
PHILADELPHIA, Nov. 8.

PHILADELPHIA, Nov. 8.
Extract of a letter, from The Sutercargo
ofschr. Crown. Prince, dated Hamilton
Roads, October 25.h, 1919.
DEAR SIR-You will no doubt he
surprised to hear from me at this
time and from this quarter. l have
to assure you am yet alive. tho at
times can scarce myself believer it.
1t is with extreme regret l have to
say, that all orr fiatterins prospects
in this voyage in one moment vanish
ed--in place Of which inevitable
destruction appeared to present its
horrid face to the whole crew oftIe
unfortunate Crown-Prince. We have
however, been more favored than
even our most sahguine hopes could
ever have expected.
TO enteri into the whole particulars
of our sutRtrings would indeed De
tale of woe. 1t must suffice to tell
you, nothing material occurred from
the time Of our sailing. until the 25ih
Of September, whena gale comnenc-,
ed from the Eastward. We reduced
our sails in proportion as the gale
increased, until aye brought her too
under a two reeled ;oresaii before.
meridian, but this was found too
much f.r her, and was taken ia. A
spar was Put on the sguaresajI boom,
which was heavy spar. and wore
to windwars, by almost 60 fathoms
of the siaaii bower cable. This /
had repeated on my fermer voyage
with success, and she now laid near
ly head to wind. extremely dry. We
sent down the msin-yard and fore
tcp-mast On deck. Jib-boom in and
every sail neatly furled; We deter
mined on sending down the topsaii-
yards and foretop- mast. bAt the gale
increased with such violence not a
man dare venture above deck. Fluid
ing her to lay over so as 10 yep tho
Ice waist almost entirely constantly
full of water. we unshippcd all the
lee ports, and stove oat all the Ice
bulwarks, and stove all the water
casks Oh the lee side of the deck, and
had the axes. hatchcts. &c. prepared
for cutting away the mainmast; but
we had not time; at this moment, a
sudden blast more violent than the
rest upset her. We were all over
board. and after being washed from
the side several times. all succeeded
in getting dashed, but capt. Hassell
and two seamen. who were unscrtu-
nately drowned. In about rs mi
nutes the foremost went over the
deck, when she rishted with The
mainmast standing. About 8 p. M. |
this went over. The only part Of
her ever out of water was her bow !
spirit. where We ali dashed ourselves. |
and l suppose We were one half the |
time at least, entirely under wa
ter. Such another night rot the
wealth Of worlds would induce me
to experience.
The next day it moderated, but we
were two or three days before we
got adrop ofwater, when after much
diving and labor we got part Of a
cask from The after hatch, which we
dealt out at the rate of three giIls
per day to each man. this together
with flour mixed with salt water was
our only sustenance. She swan so
deep that fer between ten and eleven
days we were nearly altogether un-
der water, the bowsprit was our only
habitatiOn at this time it fell calm.
when We boarded up the sides ofthe
main hatch way (tlle matches were
carried off when she upset. and with
old sails, blankets, &c. we ehoaked
up the different holes in the deck,
and after great exertions we cot her
1ailed out. We found her still tight
n the bottom. With some steering