Alexandria gazette & daily advertiser. [volume] (Alexandria [Va.]) 1817-1822, 1819-08-17
.Nsw- HaDsn, augast 10.
NOBLE.ACT

.Ne,C-HdDen, .duSHst III.
NoBLE.AcT.
As the Huntress packet, Capt. Beecber.
was returning from N. York last week, a
child of Mr.. Hoyle, recently from England
by some uniucky accident, fell overheard.
The wind blew fresh, and the unhappy
parents beheld in agony their only son on
the brink of eternity, without an ray of
hope that he could be rescued. In this dis
tressing moment, while the vessel was pas
sing rapidly through the water, the helms
man. Joseph Seveas, sprang from the quar-
ter deck, committing himselft to the waves,
with the noble resolution of saving the in
FAINT or perishing in the attempt. He seiz-
ed the child as it was sinking and held him
above water TO convince the wretched pa
rents that he was still alive. The packet
by this time had left them about half mile
aad was with much difficulty rounded to.
Captain Beecher Immediately manned his
boat and pushed to their assistance. Just
as be reached them, poor Joe's strength
was exhausted, and lie sunk, leaving the
child to its fate. Captain Beecher, with
great presence OF mind, as he seized the
child with one hand, plunged the other I'M
der wafer up TO the arm-pit, and luckily
succeeded in raising the sailor. Both Joe
and the child were apparently dead. Al
ter rolling them in salt, however, and APP
plying all the restoratives which are usual
ly employed on such occasions, they both
revived, and we are happy to state, are
doing well. The rich men boast of their
charity, and princes of their nobility but
never did any rich man perform more
disinterested act of ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
did any prince achieve more honorable
one, than did this poor sailor, in restoring
to the arms of its parents their only child,
by snatching it from the grasp Of death, at
the risk Of his own life.
The wreck OF the brig Orleans, captain
Smith, arrived at Portsmouth, IN. H. last
Wednesday, in 55 days from Liverpool
She was run foul of at sea, on the 29lh
June, by British transport from Demera.
ra, with troops for Portsmouth. The fol-
lowing are the particulars Of the disaster,
furnished by capt. Smith.
" June 20, in lat. II 40. long. 35, at
halfpast II P. NJ. the Orleans standing to
the N. w. by w. with her larboard tack
on board, wind S. w. with all sails set,
two ships were discovered very near on
the weather bow steering F. S. E. which
were passing US, when instantly third
appeared directly ahead and close aboard.
The helm of the Orleans without alterna.
tive was put hard to port, and she had
fallen off nearly before the wind, and eve
ry exertion was made to clear the ship,
hailing her several times as loud as posi-
BILE, without answer, she continued her
course, and run her jibboom in between
our maiE and trisail-masi, with the officer
on deck and all the watch except the man
at the helm asleep, taking the cap Of her
bowsprit directly against our maiCmast,
which broke it off in The partners OF the
upper deck, and carried it overboar with
all the sails and spars, being broken and
split to pieces-also parted all the main
shrouds and back stays on the larboard
side-toek away the fcretopmast, sails and
spars, leaving nothing standing but the
foremost, foreyard and bowsprt. The
cracking alarmed the commodore and ofti-
GERS who were below asleep. The first
answer we obtained was from one Of our
own men, three OF whom had jumped OH
board the ship, supposing tie brig sinking.
Ii was long betore we could get The ships
crew to lay heir sails aback that they
might not sink us.-in the junction of the
vessels they broke in our larboard waist
near the main chains, broke the gunwhale,
split the plank share, broke all the plank
in the upper and lower decks, split a
beam in the lower hold, and started some
knees between decks. We found 81 feet
water in the hold, which the crew OF the
ship assisted in pumping out, while the
carpenter and men were employed in stop
ping leaks to keep us from sinking-in
his situation we remained ten hours, be-
lore the wreck was cleared. The commo-
lore finding it was my determination not