Burlington free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1827-1865, 1844-03-08
VUl,,R lPsI.!R.hSS

EXPLOSION or ONE OF THE LARGE CAN
NON ON BOARD THE L. 5. STEAMER
PRINCETON.


C0mmJicre hctgGH he Hjn. IcrrH NLr7y C0l
Griiaer, qf bong isiiad and rerai oatsr per-.
sans,
seldom indeed have we been called to record more
awful caitniy than that which we are about to de- |
s'rlhr. Ga We inesdav 1t T., the L. S. steamer |
Prnrc,,n, cpmminlel BY Capt. Robert f. Stnckion
mad. Al excursipn from Washington city down the
Fotou ,c hagn. on board great number of Pc, sous
among whom were the PrcsuIcn, of the United Sta,cs
the Secretaries Of State, War, anl Marine Commo- !
dore u verify kcnnun, Chief of the Bureau Of Naval /
Construction, Eqiinmrnt and Rcpnirs; the Hon. |
Virgil dax,y, lac Minister to Belgium; Col Gird |
ner of : mih maton H. l., who has been accustomed |
IL spend his win III this city at Washington ;
several mcunh rs Of Congress, an many ladies'.
Tin Princeton, AS most of oar renders know, car
rci two ennrm'nsly heavy guns (hcsjcs several
sn,ljcr oncs) throwing balls of than 200 lbs !
wight, AMI requiring between 10 aud 50 lbs. Of pow
d r for chaigr. Tnc more formidable of the Two
has been pIaytully called "thc Peace Maker" Blu, |
the event has boved that she might have been more |
itlv ter ned Destruction to her Friends"
TIC steamer made pleasant run rs far down as
MoHnt Vernon aud was on her r"nrn and within
tire, four miles of Alex ,udria, Ct lin, about
so waen the disaster occurred. The big gun la a
rcly been dlschlrgel tw ce during the Trip, and be-
in, again lolle but not with ball A. before $50 says
orr correspondcn',) the match was applied, when aw
fhl t, ,,a,e the gun burst the brecrh, and in
slant the deck strewcl " III dr1h and dcs,rnr-
,rucri,n Amla. the persons killed. are panied
ID siv, were tn
IIor. Abel r. ras'nr, Secrct7rv Of State.
Hon. Thonls W. q liner, Secretary of the Navy.
ll,n. B"vhflv x nnin ih'f Of "a Il lrrl of Con
S'rictl,n. u i1n iTnt ANA kplrS. Navy - nirtH"ni.
Il,n. VIRGIL Mlxiy, lac Minister to Belgian; AMI
Col. q lr.lilrr. of southampton, l.. |.
4 ,,rrl servant VI t.r President, namc1 ARMS
tc,d, ais, killed. an iye men N charge Of the
cann,n; rlihl ro' Il ofr-vcr kill ! o it-riGht cx
cept that the Presidents servant lived about ten nm
u,-s. Most of the bo.cs were shockingly mingled.
lui g Upslur WAS nearly cut IN two. Capt Stock
ton it ia believe not dangerously, and Senator Ben
tsl Slightly Further particulars Of this melancholy
catnstraihn will be found in the annexed extracts
from the Washington papers.
From the National Intellgcnccr.
In the whole c)nrsc ofour lives It his never allen
to our lot To announce 70 readers shocking
Gala shocking in all is Circumstances and con-
c"intan's-than TINT which occurred On bnard the
United States ship Princeton, Yesterday afternoon,
whilst nier way, in the river Potomac, fourteen or
fifteen miles Glow this city.
Yesterday was day app Jncd hv the courtesy and
hospitality Of Capt. Storrton commander of the
Princeton. for receiving rs visitors to his fine ship Oy.
ing oil Aex1nirln) 9rea' NUN er of quests 10 spen
the d,v on board The day was most favorable AMI
the company was large and brilliant, of both sexes;
MT less prob1ble in number than four hundred, among
whom III" President of the L. States, the Heads
oitir several Departments and their IA niles. At
proper hnnr, after the arrival of the expected guest :
the vessel got uIlrr and procee led down The
river, some distance below Fort Washington. Du
rln- the passage dnwi one othe large guns on t1rd
carrying ball of 22j polnds) was fired more thar
olrc exhibiting the nre'l power and capacity Of thu
formidable weapon Of war. The ladies' had pnrtllci
of n slnplunus repast the gentlemen had sncccedpt
them by the table, and some of them had left II; III
vessel was on her returnh,n the river, opposite IN
f'rt, where Catt. Stockton consented 10 fire nnohe
slot from Tho same gun, around and near which, t.
observe It's cit cts, many persons Ia gathered thoug
nv no means many similar discharges IN tn
morning the ladies' who then thron.ei the deck be
ing on this fatal occasion almost all between decks
md ont of reach Of harm.
The fired. The explosion was followed
before the smoke cleared away 50 as 10 observe it
effect by sh,leks of wo which announced dire ca
lnmity. The gun had burst, at point three or fo
feet from the breech and scattered death and desoln
ri,n around. Mr.. lpslnr. Secretary of Saic, VI
'ilner, $, recently placed at the heal of the Navy
Commodore Kcupon one Of its gallant officers, VII
gil Maxny, lately returned from diplomatic res
dcnce at the II,gue Mr.. Gardner, of New York, Qo
mnrly member of the Senate of that Siate) wei
among the Jam. Besides these, seventeen seame
were wounded several Of them badly and prohabi
MORALLY. Among hose stunned by the conclusion
W. learn not all seriously injured, were Capt Stool
ii mt, Of the Princeton; w D. Robinson, of Gcnrg
town. Other persons also were more or less lniure
of WHOM, in the horror and confusion OF the momer
M certain account conl be Obtained The above a
believed, however 10 comprise the whole of the pc
sons known To the Public Sho We're Killed or dang
70 isly or seriously hurt.
The scene upon the deck may more easily be ir
aIncd than described. Nor can the imagination pl
ture 10 itself the half Of its horrors. Wives. widow
in an instant by the mnrderous blast! DanThte
smten with heart rending sight of their father h
less corpse! The waings of agonzed females
The pcous grief of the unhurt but heart stricken spt
taiors The wounded seamen borne down below!
The silent tears and qnverng lips of their brave a
conceal their feelings! What words can adequate
dupct a scene like this
The bodies of he killed remained on boarl the s.
last right They will be brought TO the city Il
morning.
From TIE Globe
Gil Benton and Captain Stockton were Sigh
inlu ed The accident happened about "a oclo
some Two or three miles below Alexandria G 10
Bentons injury arose not from any fragment OF
gun but merely from the cIncussion. lie was
the but of the gun, taking its range when it fire !
lie ms lp Ill Is T.
called for aid 10 the bleeding sailors lie was sti
ned for time, but was enabled to walk after rea
ing the shore, and has given distinct account Of
dread u Captain Stockton was burnt by
pow Ter, bat not seriously injured.
Captain Stockton having, on successive days,
tended invitations visit hs ship the executives
nmets of Congress-, and then TO both llonse
mvl'ed the ladies at the city to m entertainment
this, which was meant rs the 90 a-dny of his beau
snip. Il opened brightly, but has closed in the m
dreadful gloom over community. The only clrct
stance calculated to relieve the all pcfva1lng dlstr
is that of the multitude OF ladies' who on no
the ship, not one was Injured The happy exempt
OF such n multitude of the tender sex, who wines
the havoc made in the midst of then Of the most
tn!nshcd and beloved Of their countrymen, viii
hrnas solace To the circle of their mmed
friends, cannot but deepen the sym1aihIes which II
aui the whole community feel for the berelved IN
lies Of those who have fallen. Mr.. Upshur and
Glmer were IDOLS 10 the hAppylamiiy by whlch e
are st grown; the younger still IN the nurses az
Commodore Kennon, Mr.. Maxay, and Mr.. Gard
are all torn from family endearmen's from W
and children.
We understand that Mrs. GiImer was upon the
when her hushand fell 1t the third dischar
the gun (and fred at the request of Mr.. GllmrD
burst it, 7 he daughter ~ Mr.. Up -hnr several o
family of Commodore kcnn0n and the daughe
Mr.. Gardner were on hard the steamer but
of them. except Mrs. Glmer, were anprized o
death of those most dear to them until after ihc
turn TO the city, Amos, all the ladies' were be'G
diuner, when the catastrophe occurred Mrs
nier was brought to the city almost in a state OF
traction.
There were two hundred ladies' on board an
ring the two discharges of the gun, on deck
,.any of them approached verv near 10 observ
Gourse of the ball after il struck the water.
From the NJ diso i'm.
The same number Of our paper which contain
unfortunate Gmers address 10 his consiltu
bears them also the account of his death,
The last paragraph in the official notice respe
the Canadian prisoners, in the Inst number Of OF
per. was Written BY the lamenied Upshnr, Just
Ing on the excursion, and are the last words h