Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1844-03-13
From The Baltimore american.
THE CATASTROPHE AT WASH
- UNCONSTITUTIONAL PAR

-. UNCONSTITUTIONAL PAR
fTICULARS. zts5.
"A correspondent of The Philadelphia
5Ledger, who was one of the guests OF
! board the Princeton, gives the following
Z particulars of this dreadful scene: -. :i
! To observe the effect Of the shot,I hac
. posted myself on the nearest larboard can
uonade gun, and the sailors had erected
kind of scafolling fol, the ladies TO stand
4 on by the side ofme. One or Two had 10.
|kenstheir position there, and beside me
stood Mr.. Secretary Upshur, intent upon
Witnessing the whole Maueyre. | Offered
him my place, but he declined, saying he
preferred 10 stand where5he was-lhe pre-
else spot where an hour afterwards he was
torn 10 pieces.
Captain S,ockton's great gun was again
lloaded with shot, and another trial made
1 Of its strength and efficiency. The gun
was pointed 10 leeward, and behind itstood
Captain Stockton, little 10 The left OF
him MIR. J. Washington Tyson. Assistant
Post Master General Of your city.
By The side of the latter, little beyond
him, stood MIR. Strickland, also Of your
city, aud a li,tle to theright Of hut behind
him Col, Benton of Missouri, who had a
lady with him, and Judge Phelps, Senator
from Vermont.
At the leeward Of the gun stood Judge
Upshur, Gov. Gilmer, and a little behind
them Mr.. r.Maxcy of Nd. By the side Of
him stood Mr.. Gardner ofNew York, and
Com. Kennon of the Navy.
When the gun was fred the whole ship
shook, dense cloud of smoke euyeloped
The whole group on the forecastle; but
lwhen This blew away, an awful scene pre-
sented itself to the view Of The spectator.
The lower part of tho gun from the
trunnops to. tho breach, was blown of.
and one half.section ofitlayins on Mr. Up
shur's breast. Ii took two sailors to remove
4 il. MIR. U. was badly. cut over the eye
and his legs-his clothes were literally torn
from his body-he expired in about thee
minutes. Gov. GiImer of Virginia was
found equally bodily injured. He had ey-
identity been struck by The section OF The
gun before it reached Mr.. Upshur.
Mr.. Sykes The member from. J. en-
deayored to raise him from the ground
but was unable. A matrass was procured
aud be was placed on it; before any med,
ical assistance could be procured he was
no longer among the living. .l. 4;,,g
MIR. Maxcy had his arms and one Of bis
legs cut of, the pieces Of flesh hanging TO
tho mutilalcd limbs: cold and bloodless,
! ina manner, truly frightful. He-died IN
slantiy. u
Mr.. Gardner, of New York.. and Com
modore Kenuon, fingered about half an
hour; but they did not seem for single
moment 10 be conscious Of their fate, and
expired almost without; a groan. The
flags ofthe Union were, placed over lhe
dead bodies as their winding sheets.
| Behind the scene, though al first equally
Distressing, was less alarming. Captain
Slockton, who was knocked down, almost
Instantly rose 10 his feet. and jumped on
the wooden carriage 10 survey the whole
effect of The calamity. All The hairof his
head aud face was burnt off; and he slood
calm and undismayed, but silent over the
wreck. In addition 10 the deaths already
mentioned, about dozen sailors were
badly wounded one was dead, and behind
him Col. Benton, Judge Phelps, and Mr..
Strickland. as if dead extended on The
deck. On that side by singular concat-
inalion Of circumstances, Mr.. Tyson, ol
Philadelphia, was tho only person who
stood his ground, though piece off.he
gun, weighing about .two pounds, had
passed through his hat about Two inches
from his skull, and fallen down by tbe side
of him. il.asE
The lady who had Col. Benion's arm was
actually blown into the rigging, but moi
hurt. Col. Benion's exclaimed immedi-
a,ely after he fell, Lord. am hurt "
bu; he was only stunned. He was carried
af, aud placed on mattress. where Mrs.
Benton and his friends administered 10
him what aid they could, which, however,
he repeatedly declined, saying there wa.
nothing the matter with him.. He lasted
a lille brandy, and was soon after able tc
walk, with some slight assistance, over the
railing Of the ship on board the steamboat
that took The company off to Washington
| Judge Phelps of Vermont, had his hal
blown or knocked off, and the buttons o
his coal torn, but he was not otherwise in.
liured.. Mr.. Strickland, of Philadelphia
was no, at all injured, and instantly re-
covered his position. - -.
| Miss Woodbury. and Miss Cooper, who
in company Of Captain Reed Of the Ar
my, and Mr.. Welles, Of Philadelphia, had
been standing on Ieeward gun were no
hurt but Miss Woodbury., Che beautifu
and accomplished daughter Of the Senator
from New Hampshire had ber whole face
sprinkled with blood. &C.
Such was the force Of The explosion
that the starboard and larboard bulwark'
were literally shattered, and that part o
the gun described ino twenty or thirty
pieces besides the two principal sections
Judge Wilkins was only sa.ed by
witticism of his. ,He had taken his stant
I bv The side of GOV, Gilmer. but some re