The Yazoo City Whig and political register. (Yazoo City, Miss.) 1842-1844, 1844-03-15
N1ost appalling Disaster.

Below will be found the particulars of a
most distressing calamity, which we copy
from the New Orleans Crescent City, Extra,
of the 9TH inst.
From the Nat. IntelligencSr, Feb. 90.
Most AW ful and most lamen-
table catastrophe !!
instantaneous death, By the bursting of 0ne
ofthe large gun on boOrd the u. States
Ship Princeton, of Secretary Upshur,
Secretary Gilmer, Commodore KennOn
and Virgil Macy, Esq.
In the whole course Of our lives it has
never fallen to orr lot to announce 10 our
readers more shocking calamity-schock-
ing in all its circumstances and concomit-
ants-than that which occurred on board the
United States Ship PRINCETON, yesterday
afternoon, whilst under way, in the Potomac
fourteen or fifteen miles below the city.
Yesterday was day appointed, by the
courtesy and hospitality of Capt. Stockton
Commander of the Princeton, for receiving
as visitors to his fine ship dying Of Alexan-
dria) great number Of guests, with their
families literally and numeTously invited to
spend the day on board. The day was most
favorable and the company was large and
brilliant, Of both sexes; not less probably in
number than four hundred, among whom
we're the President Of the United States, the
Heads Of the several Departments, and their
families.
At proper hour, after the arrival pf The
expected guests, the vessel got under way
and proceeded down the river, TO some dis
lance below Fort Washington. During the
passage down, one of the large guns on
board carrying ball Of 225 pounds) was
fred more than once, exhibiting the great
power and capacity Of that formidable yeas
pom of war. The ladies had partakenof a
sumptuous repast; the gentlemen had sue
coeded them at the table, and some Of them
had left il; the vessel was on her return up
the river, opposite the fort, where Captain
STOCKTON consented to fire another shot
| from the same gun, around and near which
10 observe its effects, many persons had ga
/ thered, though by no means so many as on
similar discharges in the morning, the ladies'
whs then thTonged the deck, being on this
fatal occasion almost all between 5ecksand
out Of reach Of harm.
The gun was fred. The explosion was
fallowed, before the smoke cleared away so
as to observe its effect, by shrieks of woe
which was pronounced a direful calamity.
The gun had burst, at point three or four
feet from the breech, and scattered and de-
ISOLATION around. Mr.. UPsHUR, Secretary Of
State, Mr.. GILMER, so recently placed al
the. head of the Navy. Commodore KENNoN,
one Of its gallant officers, VIRGIL MAxCY,
lately returned from diplomatic residence
of the Hague, (formerly a member of the
Senate Of that State, were among the slain.
Besides these, seventeen seamen we're
wounded, several Of them badly and proba
bly, moTlally. Among those stunned BIZ the
conclusion, We learn not all seriously in
iuTed, we're Captain STOCKTON himself; Col.
BENTON, Of the Senate; Lisut. HUM, ofthe
Princeton; w. D. RoBNsoN, of Georgetown.
Other persons were perhaps more or less
injured, Of whom, in the horror of confusion
of the moment, no certain account couid be
obtuisledl. The above aTb believed, however,
70 comprise tho whole Of the persons known
to the public who were killed or dangerous
y or seriously hurt
The scene upon the deck may more east
y be imagined than described. Nor can
the Imagination picture 10 itself the half Of
its horror. Wives, widowed in an instant
BY the murderous blast! Daughters smitten
with The heart ronding sight Of their fathers
lifeless corpse! The Wailings Of the agon.
lied femalesl The piteous grief Of the IN
hurt bat heaft5stFicken spectators! The