The daily Madisonian. [volume] (Washington City [i.e. Washington, D.C.]) 1841-1845, 1844-12-18
From the N Y. Epening Post.
LOSS OF THE Al.AB AMIAN.

| csp, Rny..a.a of the ~ p A..i-.... from New
orhaos, reports that on the 18th December, lat 80
49, Ion "a w. picked up the captain and crew and
Passengers of the ship Alabamian from Leghorn for
New York. Capt II. Hitchcock, of the Alabamian,
informs that she sprung leak. When he left her ~
the bots, the morning Of the 18th, the water was up
| to the over deck The following account Of the
perlls If the voyage, and the final abandonment Of the
ship, aid rescue Of the and passengers has been
furnished US for publication. Mr.. Cooper who signs
this paper is the son, believe, of our excellent
| citizen Alderman Cooper.
The Alobamlan sailed from Leghorn on the 10Th Of
October, With valuable cargo consisting oil marble,
straw, silks maccaroDi, rags, &c. On the 18th inst.
before passing the Straits, she encountered severe
gale of WIND which did no material damage. On
the 29th she passed the Straits, and on the l4th If
Nov in lat 80 o. lon. 80 3D. of the Western Islands,
she met with one of the most terrific gales of wind
that had ever been Witnessed byany person on board
TIE ship seemed 10 be on the point Of meeting two
tremendous gales, one from the n N E., the other
from The N. w. She could carry no sail save the
mizen staysaIl, covering perhaps SO square feet,
while the broke on eyery side with the most
awful fury. Being most excellent sea-boai, she
rode out the gale admirably and suffered very little
damage until the wind died away, when We had two
fearful seas from the n. N +. and n w we head
ed to the N. W., aud thu, one sea was striking on
her bows while the other came like the blows of a
huge trlp-hammer upon her counter-added TO ihis
the marble in her lower hold caused her 10 roll
both sides almost TO the waters edge The contin-
ued effect of all these causes to rack the ship
almost to pieces. The whole of the stern IN a
state of continual moou while all its ornaments, and
the bulwsrks Of the poop deck knocked off by
the fearful blows whnh descended upon her. The
pumps were kept gong about one third OF the time
Ii IS little singular that, on the day before, the mate
bad succeeded in stepping a steady leak which she
bad from the time left port else the labor of
the pumps would have been doubled.
Is n al q
desolalion which reigned on every side and had we
not been extremely fortunate in obtaining fair wind
before which we could run, the ship must then have
gone down From this time until we came within
about 100 miles from New York, we had most de-
ghtful weather. and although the ship was very
weak, and the pumps were nearly half the time IN
motion, we were looking joyfuy forward TO a re-
union with friends IN Is or Is hours, when the
wind out ~ 4, contrary TO all the appearances
Of the skies and the opinion OF Delaware Pilot
who had boarded US within 20 miles OF Cape May.
Captain Hitchcock, however, was anxious to get
within the Delaware breakwater, bot as the wind
was blowing from the n. w, it was Impossible
The wind went round TO the North and N. + Du-
ring the whole Of the night Of the 10Th and all the
lIth Of Dee, the wind blew with tremendous yio-
lenoe. The ocean seemed vast succession of
water volcanoes, spouting forth volumes Of foam.
The pumps were worked every ten minutes. The
mapiopsall split the morning Of the llth, aud
at O'Clock next went the mIzen stsyssll and moth
ing was heard amid the fearful bowling of the wind
and noise Of the labors Of the the ship but
the blinking of the pumps, at which all hands were
now employed.
Nature seemed laundering forth doeful requiem,
and we soon lost all hopes OF keeping her long shoat
So mighty was the power of the sea, that one blow
in the Icons, threw the men from the pumps, and
caused the ship 10 culver ike leaf IN the wind The
whole stern OF the rhp and the cabin working as
if they would 60 TO pieces, while the dead lights
were ground about as in mil. At O'Clock the
double pumpbreak rugged and passengers and all
betook themselves TO pumping but still the water
gained fearfully-at this time the water was above
the keelson-at ~ O'Clock our only hope to keep
her shoat TIL morning Would that we could do jus.
tice to the noble efforts OF the to the sup
and the perfect chcerfulness which re,gned among
them. Long and slowly passed the hours till day
light dawned. Our existence seemed TO be contained
in minute. Part Of the crew got the boat.
ready the one surf boat, which would live IN al
most any sea- the other the launch, which had been
used for pig pen for ten years, was full Of hole, in
the bottom, and was in such state OF decay that no
person vi" allowed to tread upon tho planks lest the