The Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1837-1867, 1846-12-05
TERRIBLE CALAMITY!
w r e c X of the ste a m b a
ATL MTG.


gather the following particulars from our ex-
change papers.
The complete wreck of this noble Steamer,
and the loss of so many valuable lives, is
the most awful and heart-rending calamity
that has occurred in our Eastern waters since
the burning of the Inflated Lexington, in the
same vicinity, in which the Atlantic has just
been wrecked,
The passengers for the Atlantic left Boston
Wedne sday afternoon, at 5 O'clock, and pro-
ceeded over the Boston and Worcester and
the Norwich and Worcester Railroads, and
reached Allyn's Point about halfpast III o.
clock that evening There they embarked
on board the Atlantic, and she shortly after
left for New York. On her way down the
Thames river she stopped at New London,
and left that port at between IL and o'clock
on Thursday morning. When about nine
miles outside the lighthouse, the steampipe,
running into the steam chimney, burst, rend-
ering the engine useless entirely. The an
chors were Immediately hove over, at which
the steamer rode through that night, which
was very dark and stormy. At daylight she
was abreast ofthe New London light, drifting
all the while toward the shore. The smoke
chiInneys were first cut away, next the pilot
hoase, and then the bulk heads, so as to give
the wind clear sweep through the vessel,
and expose less surface to its attack
Thus the steamer remained all day. till
towards five in the afternoon of Thursday,
when the wind lulIed, and hopes were raised
that all danger was over; but not long alter,
the wind shifted two points and blew with
more violence than before. The Atlantic
gradually drfted nearer and nearer the shore
all Thursday night, and for two hours, from
81 A ~ EriI IoV
cables length ofthe breakers, held by her
two anchors aud kedge About half past
the stern touched, aud the cables instantane-
ousy parted and she preached to, lying
broad side 10 the shore in heavy surf The
coast was bold and rocky, inside ola shelving
reef Had she preached to the other way, so
that her bow would have touched the break
ers. perhaps not life would have been saw
ed The vessel went to pieces Immediately.
Within five minutes of her striking nothing
was left OF her entire but her engines. The
freight had mostly been thrown over board
Some time previous.
No steamer could go to her assistance or
to aid the passengers, whose only means OF
getting ashore was by swimming, as no boa:
could live. The weather was most piercing
ly cold, and all the passengers who saved
their lives were much bruised among the
rocks, and severely chilled. The weather
was so cold that large number who attempt
ed to swim to shore became chilled and were
drowned. A more complete wreck could
not have been made. The machinery and
boilers are in one mass, and the wooden frag-
ments scattered along the shore ofthe sound.
All the females on board, eight in number,
persisted, and at the last accounts from the
wreck 30 bodies had been recovered. All
who were saved were seriously Wounded
The ice formed rapidly, and was two inches
thick on the shore when the landing was
made Mr. Bole, the Clerk of the Atlantic,
says during Thursday ''the passengers were
greatly alarmed, and repeated prayer meet
ings were held in the cabin, where all resort
ed except the officers and crew.
We find in the New York Herald extra,the
particulars, derived from Mr. Var
mum Marsh, of Haverhill, Mass, who was one
ofthe passengers saved from the wrock. At
ter the explosion of the steam-plpe, at which
time, with the darkness, the increasing
force of the wind, and the screams of the
scalded, the scene was terrible one, Capt.
Dustan caused the anchors to be hove over
the fore deck, which was done as promptly
as possible.
The Atlantic was driven still nearer the
shore, but passed point that all expected she
would strike upon. She then drifted about
eleven miles more, making iB all twenty-five
miles, which occupied about forty-eight hours
of terrible uncertainty and suffering. She
then struck, stern first, ON ledge of rocks in
Fishers Island. A tremendous sea threw her
up on to the very top of the ledge; so far up,
indeed, as almost to throw her over on TO the
other side. In ve minutes after she struck, she ,oas
iae pieces. There were six females, four chill
dren, and two infants among the passengers.
All the females were drowned or crushed to
DEATH Only one of the children was saved,
and he was the only one of the family of
which he was a member His father, moth
er, married sister, and younger sister, and
two young brothers, were on board. The
poor little orphan thus saved,and thus thrown
alone on the world, is only twelve years of
age. The two infants were drowned, frozen
or crushed to death. All this occurred at half
past four O'Clock on Friday morning. ~,
The particulars given by our informant,
Mr. Varnum Marsh, Of Haverhill, Mass, are
painfully thrilling. When the Atlantic struck
he was sitting in the gang-way; his first inn
was that heavy sen had struck the
steamer. In a moment after, however, al
though every moment was an age to those on
board, the sea stove in the side OF the vessel
at his back, and swept him along. and dashed
him against the sound side of the steamer
Before he could recover himself another ire
mendous sea came and threw him against the
upper side oft the vessel. Thence he was
thrown in among every thing movable ON
deck, and considerably bruised, as we have
seen. After he was thrown up the thlrd
lime. he succeeded in catching hold of the
sky hght-fram and there remained tor a few
moments, and the only person near hi'l TO be
ell hnU w N