The Rhode-Island Republican. [volume] (Newport, R.I.) 1809-1841, 1840-06-03

boat they might be saved, bu, if lhsy were ia.
ken ou board the ship. and the ii.e should
break out. it would he then impossible 10 put
the people into the boats again. and launch
them over the side and daa,h by fire OF drown I
ing would he The certain fate Of all. The case
was too strong, and the horrid conviction was
TOO apparent 10 be disputed, and. was his
duty, he prepared TO return 10 his family and
meet his fate. IL is not for me 10 say what
were then our feelings. Three OF US, ~ the
fulness of our strength and the npeness OF
years, were then partlog, as we all supposed
forever; and nearly every one else asleep.
Words were useless and We could not utter
what we wanted to express. We commended
our families to each other, in case either should
be saved and with a silent shake oi the hand
he returned 10 the boat, 10 make sucl prepara-
iions as prudence suggested, TO protect his al
most helpless companions IN case W shonid
find it necessary TO cut his boat adiih
From this time the sea became mtre bois
ferrous, and. a; last. after some hours oianxious
watching. we sent for Mr. Wainwriehtto come
on board again, and he was told that there were
fears thai this boat would swamp. Capt
Anthony afraid 10 make sail on The ship,
as the working Of tho masts might cre9to a cur
rent Of air below, which would either increase
the fire, or, operating upon the gas IL the hold,
once Aner some consideration, it was con
cluded TO run the risk md take in the boats,
and put the ship before the wind, 10 tho hope
Of falling in with some other vessel. before We
were entirely consumed, and no Time was lost
IN putting the plan into execution.
! When the poor sufferers, IN the boat, came
on board their situation was found to be niue h
worse than ours had been. We had at least
had the power Of locomolon, aud could shift
our position at will; hut they. particularly the
females, had suffered for two long nights and =
day, the torures of cramped. up situation, un-
able to sit, except in n certain position, with
! their feet continually in the water. and their
bodies every few minutes covered with the
dashug spray of the sea. Mrs. Wainwright
/ had held Que Of her children in her arms the
whole time and not being by any means ro-
bust woman, it is astonishing that she held out
so long. Nothing but mother. love, md a
| firm trust in an ruling Providence preserv-
ed her in those hours Of trial. Mrs. Arlwrdson
was almost exhausted, and her infant having
suffered for want OF the natural nourshment It's
mother could not afford seemed almost ready
( to die. Some OF the passengers IN the boat
were sea-sick the whole time, and, taken alto
"ether, their situation had been moro try ing
than ours.
Once more together, and slowed in the most
comfortable way possible on the quarter deck.
some little checrtulness was shown, although
all felt that our situation was not in the least
aleviated, and many feared that we had but
Joined together to struggle and 10 die. Sail
was made on the ship, and we stood off to the
northeast. and at noCa we found by observation
that we were in latitude 40 0S, and longitude
So. having drifted to the south east with the
sea We we're now in the track Of vessels
bound to and from Europe and the United
States, and the hope that we might yet be saw
ed, inspired some confidence. The men were
now put 10 work at the pumps, and the ship
was found TO have leaked great deal, part OF
which was undoubtedly owing 10 the pitch,
where she was caulked. bsyinG- b9jlsa pea' uT
was quite hot at first. and as long as tho mcr
pumped. it continued to be warmer than the
temperature ofthe sea, or Of fcommon bilge " ter
About 2, L. NJ. this day, tMonday) a sal
was discovered from the mast head. and soon
after it seen from the deck The Joy
= which this discovery gave can be imagined but
cannot be described it seemed if some
weuld almost, if not quite, 90 crazy. The
= stranger saw our signals Of distress, and being
to the leeward, hove 10 for us to come up. 1t
proved 10 be a Boston built ship. called the
Clifton, Captain J. b. Ingersol, bound from
Liverpool to New York. with two hundred and
Captain Anthony's statement that his ship was
on fire. in the hold, and that we wanted to be ia
ken off. the prompt answer was, Come all on
board Of me, and bring all the provisions you
can"
Before our own boat could be cot out and
manned the boat of the Clifton, with the chief
mate and four oarsmen was alongside of us, and
the process of transferring all hands from ship
to ship commenced. The sea was very high.
and the gale was Increasing. which made our
task long and dangerous one from three un-
iii nine O'Clock the two boats were passing and
repassiug, with people and such articles as
could be saved irom the deck.
The gale was now blowing from the north
west, and both captains remarked that they did
not recollect ever to have seen a worse sea for
many years. We were all safely on board by
nine o'clock and Capt. IngSrsoll. not thinking
il safe TO risk his own ship any longer by lavins
TO, in tho vain hope of saving property, made
sail on his ship, and We left the unfortunate Po-
land to burn up aud sink, fate which she un-
doubtcdly met within two or three heuls
At the time the last boats load left the Po-
land, the decks had become too hot to stand
upon, and her sides were so warm. that as she
rolled in the sea, the water would run off as
from hot iron, and she would instantly become
dry. and too hot to bear the hand upon. An
effort was made TO get out some articles from
the house over the cabin stains. but on Opening
the doors, the smoke. heat and deleterous gas
drove the people away instantly. and a second
attempt prove alike fruitesS. A Ike attempt
near the main hatch met with the like success,
and the ship WAS abandoned with tears and re-.
sret, for sailors imbbe an affection for the craft
in which they have sailed, and they feel the
loss more keenly than many people feel the
Z I,es ,,Tt tbrt, a.. ,n|
On board the Clifton we met with most cor.
dial reception from Captain lngcrsoll and his
whole crew. We had been saved in HE. but
we had all lost our clothing. and the chests Of
the sailors and tho trunks Of their commander
were freely opened, and their contents were as
/ freely offered for our use. What inconycnien-
! ccs wore smlleted from the cInmdrn slntn nf tha