The Evansville journal. (Evansville, Ind.) 1834-184?, 1846-12-10
From the New York Courier and Enquirer.
THE LOSS OF THE ATLANTIC.


The morning boat from Boston brings full
and heart-rending particulars of the loss of the
noble steamer Atlantic, with about FORTY lives
She left Allyn's Point for this city at about
half past IL O'Clock on Thursday morning, with
between 20 and so persons on board, as nea rly
can be ascertained. including passengers,
crew, servants, &C., and had Just got well un.
der way when the steam chest exploded and the
wind at the same time shifted to the northw est
and blew almost a hurricane. Many persons
were sealded and the air resounded with their
cries. Captain Dustan medlately called all
handslto the forward deck and ordered them to
heave over their anchors, but the violence OF the
gale and the sea, which broke constantly over
the bows, rendered 1t the labor OF al hour to
get all three out. The steamer worked heavy,
punging her bows under at every lurch and
dragging her anchors. Between the time of an
chorlng and daylight she had dragged her an
chors about eleven miles. The fires were put
out at daylight, the passengers and su f.
fered greatly from the intensity of the cold as
the only means Of keeping warm was by wrap
ping themselves in blankets, and walking brisk
Iy about the boat.
All began to look to their own personal safe
ty, put on thelife-preservers and prepared them
selves tol an emergency, The doors, shutters,
settees, L., &c, were detached and cut away,
for RATS to drift ashore upon. whenever she
should strike The gale increasing in violence,
Captain Dustan ordered about forty tons of coal
to be thrown overheard, in order to tighten the
vessel.
About neon on Thursday, the smoke pipes,
which were very large and heavy, were ordered
to be thrown overheard. This done, the
Captain assisting, and the steamer was eased for
| a sh ort time, as there was less surface offered
to the force of the wind. The steamer con.in-
ued to drift however, and everything locke d
hopeless. -r
| The danger increased SO rapidly, that between
. a,,l ri. ,hoI lie
! to be cleard of all merchandise-of every thing
that was in the way. Cases of boots shoes. bar
rels of flour, stoves, Sc :, including one package
said to contain $1,000 worth OF plate. were
thrown overheard. There were six or eight
| thousand dollars worth of lace on board belong
| ing 10 one OF the passengers--who had preyl-
ousy said that he would give the whole to any
one who would put him safely ashore. This
| lace was afterwards seen sirewn along the
| beach.
| About midnight she parted ne of her cables
| there being four out. one atteched to 5000 lbs,
of lurnice bars, and the others to anchors. Aftel
this the gale continued to increase and blew
perfect hurricane She was driven still nearer
the shore, cut passed point that all expected
she would strike upon. She then dritted about
IL miles further, makingin all % miles, which
occupied 40 hours, OF terrible uncertainty and
! suffering. She theu struck, stern first
| ledge of f1cks on Fishers Island. A. tremendous
sea threw her up the very top of the ledge
so far up indeed, as almost to throw her over
on to the other side. This was the crisis in the
! disaster. Ii was terrible, and heart-rending in
the extreme. In live minutes after she stru ok
she was in pieces. In these FIVE minutes a
least half of these on board the Atlantic
were takeE from time into eternity. The
screams, Il crash, the roar Of the sea was deaf
i enng. Inera females, four children
and two infants among the passengers. All the
| fem ales were drowned or crushed to death
IOnly one Of the children was saved, and he was
the only of 'he family of wh CHI he
| member. His fatler, moth er, married sister. anC
young sister. and two young brothers, were
on board. The poor little orphan, thus saved
and thus thrown alone to the world, is only
I IL years of age. The two infants were drown
Il ed, frozen crashed to deaths
Capt. Dustan among the mum Der lost
One of the survivors states that up to the time
he left Fishers Island, saturday night, 36 boz
dies were found. All the women aboard the
boat were drowned. Five of them were cabin
passengers, two deck, and the three chamber
maids, all OF whose bodies have been fonnd