Martinsburg gazette. [volume] (Martinsburg, Va. [W. Va.]) 1833-1855, 1837-01-18

.hle 70 hold to windward, and was
blown off n distance Of some 80 miles.
Al this time, SIX ofthe crew we're BAD
jv frost. bitten, and the captain, mate,
and wv seamen were all that were leit
able to hand and reef the sails.
On Monday morning at III o'clock,
standing in shore, they made the south
ern end of the woodlands, when she
wore round and headed to the north
under a close reefed main top sail, reef
ed foresail, two rcefcdtry sails and fore
stay sail. At A O'Clock the mex morn
ing, the mate took a cast of h lead
and reported TO Capt. Winslow that he
had fifteen fathoms water. ~Supposing
from the soundings, as laid down on
the chart, that with this depth OF water
he could still stand on two hours long.
er with safety, tho Captain gave orders
to that effect, and was the more indu-
ced to do it, as the crew were IN so
disabled a state, and the weather SD IN
tensely cold, that it was impossible to
remain on deck longer than half an
hour at a time. The event has shown
that the information given by the mate
as to the depth of the water, was IN
correct, his error probably arose from
the lead line being frozen stiff at the
time it vas cast.
Fifteen minutes afterwards the ship
struck the bottom, twenty six miles
east Of Sandy. Hook, at the Hemstead
beach, and no more than a cables
length from the shore. The scene that
ensued on board, we leave to the read
er's Imagination. For hour and
three quarters she continued humping
heavily, without making any water,
the sea however breaking continually
over her. Her rudder was now knock
ed off, and the Captain ordered the
main. mast to be cut away. The boats
were then cleared, the long boat hoist
ed out, and veered away under her
bows with a stout hawser, for the pur-
pose of filling it with passengers, let
ting it drift within reach of the people
who crowded the beach, then hauling
her back again, and thus saving the
unfortunate people on board, but this
intention was frustrated by the parting
of the hawser, which snapped like n
thread as soon as the boat was exposed
70 the heavy surf. The yawl was next
go. alongside, and stove to pieces al
most instantly. Att o'clock the same
morning, the ship bilged and filled with
water. Orders followed from the cap
tain to cut away the foremast /; and
that every soul on board should come
on deck. In inexpressible agony they
thus remained until 4 o'clock in the
afternoon, when a boat was launched
from the beach, and succeeded in get
ting under the bowspsit of the wreck.
This boat took of Capt. Winslow and
seven men, and succeeded in reaching
the shore with them in safety.
The attempt however was attended
with such imminent danger, that none
could be induced to repeat 1t. And
now, the horrors OF the scene were in.
d~iscribable. Already had the suffer
ings OF the unhappy beings been such
as to surpass belief. From the mo-
mcnt of the disaster, they had hung
round the Captain, covered with their
blankets thick set with ice, imploring
his assistance, and asking if hope was
still left for them. When they per.
ccived that no further help came from
the land, their piercing shrieks were
distinctly heard at u considerable dis
lance, and continued through the night
until they n by one persisted. The
next morning the bodies Of many of
the unhappy creatures were seen LASH
ed to different parts Of the wreck, EN-.
bodied in ice. None, it is believed,
were drowned, but all frozen to death.
OF the one hundred and four passen-
gers, two thirds were women and chill
dren.
1t is but justice to the people on
shore, to say that every thing which
human beings could accomplish to save
the ~unfortunates, was done that their
mean permitted. The only boat which
boarded the vessel was hauled a dis
lance Of ten miles and was manned by
an old man and six others, four or five
of whom were the old mans sons and
grandsons. For thirty-five years has
he been living on the sea-shore, during
which he has rendered assistance to
numerous wrecks, and never before,
has he or his comrades, shrunK from
the surf; but in addition to violence
on the present occasion, such was the
extreme cold, that a second attempt to
rescue was more than they dared ven-
turs it would have inevitably proved
fatal to them.
The following are the names of the
persons saved Capt. Winslow, VIM.
Brown, a lad, brother of the owner,
two seamen, and the cook Richard
Haynes, Thomas Mullohan, and John
Wood, passengers.