Alexandria gazette & daily advertiser. [volume] (Alexandria [Va.]) 1817-1822, 1819-11-26
ALEXANDRIA,:
Friday MORNING, .Noosm5sr 90.
Loss OF THE scHR. HANDY.

The schr. Two Brothers, captain Updike,
arrived at Norfolk, on the 21st inst. from
Gloucester. having on board James Kelly,
captain Eppes Greenough. mate {; Zepha-
niah Martin, passenger, taken from the
wreck Of the schr. Handy, Of Washington
City.--Captain Kelly gives the following
melancholy account OF the loss Of his vessel,
which we copy from the Norfolk Herald
" The schr. Handy, under his command,
sailed from .alerdndria 18th inst. with car
go of stone for the Notifications at the Rip
Raps, and six persons besides himself, two
of whom were passengers. On Thursday
night last, about half past II o'clock, three
miles S. s. E. from New Point Comfort Light
House, came TO anchor in six fathoms water,
the weather at the time calm and clear; at
midnight sudden squall came up from w.
which induced captain X. to pay out about
SO fathoms of cable at half past 3 yesterday
morning, the wind hauled to n. n. y. and
and blew 20 fresh that capt. K thought it
prudent TO prepare his storm sails; the ves-
sci, which till now had appeared staunch
and in good order, was found 20 be leaking
so rapidly, that all hands turned to throwing
over her deck load-but finding on sounding
her pumps that she had feet water in her
held, al half past 4, cut her cable and stood
in for shoal water, and a, 5 o'clock, on the
tail of York spit. in 3 fa.homs water, she
went down From the time of cutting her
cable until this period the crew end passen-
gers were busily employed al The pumps, y
in getting the boat ready but unfortunately
the going down of the vessel was so sudden,
that tbs boat was capsized and swept from
the deck, and one passenger, two of the
crew and the cabin boy, who were all Of
them on the lee side Of the vessel were swept
off by the sea and drowned. captain Kelly
did not learn the name of this passenger, but
says that he was slim thin vsaged man,
about Is or 60 years Of sge--he had under
stood that he was from Boston bound to
Georgia, and that his baggage had already
gone in brig from Boston 10 Charleston.]"
Captain Kelly, bis mate and the other pas
senger, caught hold Of the weather rigging
and with difficulty reached the masts' heads,
where they remained nine hours (until Two
o'clock in the aiternoon) when they were ia,
ken olfby the Two Brothers as abovemen-
toned. Captain K. states, that in about two
hours after his vessel went down, her decks
began to 60 TO pieces, which loosened the
masts, and he momen,ly expected that him
self and two fellow survivors would soon
share the fate of their friends who had airea-
dy persisted. Aud what particularly added
to the poignancy of Captain Ks feeling was
/ that four small vessels passed very near him,
! but disregarded his signals of distress, al
though they could have come within hail
without The least difficulty.
Captain Kelly, in behalf of himself and
survivors, feels indebted to an experienced
ship master OF Norfolk, Capt, P. E. Tabb)
who was passenger on board the Two Bro
Tiers, for tie salvation (under a merciiul
Providence OF their lifes--and in this man.
ner, and with this expression Of their graft
,ude to him, and also to Capt Updike, the
other passenger and crew of the said vessel,
they tender all they can--their humble and
sincere thanks. -
MR.. CALHOUN.
The report OF the dangerous illness OF the
Secretary of War is confirmed by letter re-
ceived by the editors Of the National Intelli-
gencer, from highly respectable gentleman
now with him, dated at Gen. Bethel's, in
Rock ngham county, n. G.. near the Virgil.
MIA line, on the l7th November of which
the following is an extract:
Mr.. Calhoun has been lying here DANCE
rously i'll OF bilious fever, which has sunk
down to typhus type. His disease, which
has ragged with extraordinary violence, has
been borne without murmur and is now
thought by his physicians Or. Smith Of
Hillsborough, and DR.. Foulke) to be hap
& PLY subsiding. He is, however, so very
low, as to be by no means cut OF danger.
His family are fortunately with him."
The writer of the above, who is personal
friend Of Mr.. Calhoun, arrived at Ger. Be-
thel's on the day preceding the date OF his
letter.
! WEST INDIES.
Upon every storm, aud every deficient