Southport telegraph. [volume] (Southport, W.T. [i.e. Kenosha, Wis.]) 1840-1850, 1844-03-19
From tie Ohio Statesman.
TERRIBLE CALAMITYl
WASHINGTON, WEDNESDAY Eve,
asL February %, ls44.


vicinity, so dreadful CALAMITY MS has &C.
Cured in the waters Of the Potomac this
day.
One Of the great guns on Loard the
Princeton Steamship, OF this her third ex-
perlmental excursionsin our river, explo-
ded, killing simultaneously five persons,
and MORALLY wounding five others. Among
the killed, are Hon. A. P. Upsher, Secre-
tary Of Sta:e, Hon. Thos. W. Gilmer,
Secretary of War, Commodore Kennon. of
the Navy Yard, Hon. Virgil Maxcv of
Maryland, late Charge d'Affairs to Belgium,
Mr.. David Gardner Of New York, and
five sailors. Dreadful as is the report, it
is true!
1t is supposed that not less than 500 per-
sons were on board one-thrd Of whom
were ladies'. The company were at din
ner-a most bounliful repast. Toasts
were passing around, and the most ccstatIc
feelings of pleasure, patriotism, and So
cal cheer reigned among the collected
company in the cabin. At this time, (lhe
ship being in the neighborhood Of Mount
Vernon number Of the gentlemen. in
addition TO the few who continued on deck,
were invited 10 witness the discharge ofthe
"Peacc-mdker," the name Of the great
wrought-ron gun at the bow of the shin
From our letter describing the congressron-
al excursion OF the Princeton, of Tuesday
week, 1t will be remembered In the
''Peace-maker' weighs ten tons, requires
twenty-five pounds of powder for an ord.
nary charge, and ball Of 225 pounds
weIght-that in addition 10 this the shin is
armed with IL forty-two Founders, six to
each side, and another great wrought iron
gun al the stern, fellow to the peace
maker" called the 40 RECON, and that all
this armament is on the upper deck.-Near-
the entire company were at dinner, when
the experimental discharge was made, land
ii Is reported that it was n VERY heavy
charge, as if 10 test the strength and pro-
dg;ous powers of The gum
Mr. Waller, son-n-law of the PreSi-
dent, was singing n patriotic song at the
festive board, when the gun was fired on
the deck above. There was a sudden still
ness on the upper deck among the spared
deep gro1nng among the wounded and
dying, and then succeeded a scene of tu-
null, hJrror, alarm, and despair-a scene
Of tears of blood, Of mangled men. dead
and dying, and of shrieking women, calling
upon the dead, and searching the living for
them.
Strewed in their bIoed around the gun,
among tho ponderous fragmdnts lay the
mang led corpses-Mr. Gardner cut in two
at the thighs, Mr.. Upshur with the shout
ders and abdomen shattered into mass,
Mr.. Gllmcr with his skull and shoulders
torn to pieces-the flying metal from the
heighlh Of the gun striking nearly all the
dead most fatally.
Col, Benton Of the Senate, was Temporal
rily paralyzed by the tremendous concus-
sion. Captain Stockton was slightly iniu-
red, but from his position standing ii the
rear Of the gun, he escaped. One Sailor
was carried by the explosion, q shapeless
body, far off into the river.
Mrs. GIlmer was on boa I'd, as also a
number of the female friends and relations
of the deceased. The deep and fearful
agony Of one of the ladies', affected all the
living present, as deeply as the fearful
spectacle. Scarcely weeping herself, from
the excess Of her despair, she looked upon
the dead, and exclaimed: "Is ii SOILS it
so2-Do see1-DoI Iiveq-Do dre,mq
Nv nohln bnsdond-o ~ dow and IN ar
,,hon on, ,,, ,loro :, ,ho ,rorIa1 ON
Cod bove mercy and t,ko ,b;s f., fri
dream From, ,nel II is mott c,rmnt w.
yes il is-it ;s!!!
We give Won these hurri, 4 norticnI,rs
os We nave received tbcn from gontIo.
man IN hoard Who Loscr;b,s tLo $500 -
,o,r;h,, ho,onJ co,co,,;on ~ sno,
more oro ,rho, ~, .,,,.n,'l lis A.; .e'1,,,;
,,,,05,,',,. ,ho ,;..,.
,ha a"I,,;,, r,o ,oy 49, ,'os''
I"s, Ev ,ho .r;n,,'nn - I''u, 49,
Which drcy ,hn hooTi ,nJ cro,, haar;oo. 49,,
or,bnr - ,ho bo,,,,, III,
ano,La. aoo;s,ot ,,,h:,h ,h.o",. wy, "" 'I'
the country INTO mourning, tut the govern
"ci'' s'', mo '.'s"'"e'' anu al inc eN-
d>rcu,,n
On tho ovcrrs;or or,,,n p.;r.o,on ,.;,,
,ho ~ ,,,, rI -"
,"oo,. 49, s,,,I -, ,h,'.;I " a.. D..
"oIN So ~ ~. I''o ~ ''',S e'oe
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