New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1850-12-31

certainly buried in the trough of the sea, wallow
ine without the control Or power OF control by the
hemsmen. Wearied as had been by watching
all the god, | went to my room aoou. clock,
and, bracipg myself on my trunk, against the side
of the berths, slept Until daylight When re
turIfed TO the upper saloon ! found it crowded
with anxious faces, and WHEN spoke, az usual,
in cheering terms TO the ladies', telling them that
all would be well, aud that the increased rolling
Of the ship was doubtless caused OILY by the
abated wind vas taken aside aud informed IN
a whisper that the crew had been freeing the ship
from water all night, and that the rising Hood
within her timbers had extirgQished the tires IN
the furnaces beneath the boilers. | confess that
/ was, for an instant, appalledl but 1t was only
for an instant. | fel. that such ship was
well provided, and that, with crew SO numerous,
strong and energetic, .he could not De left to sink
beneath the waves.
In al hour the news came that the water still
gained, and in a few minutes the gallant Schenck
appeared in the cabin, and, with firm bat serious
face, announced that he could not get sufficient
men to work, notwithstanding the awful peril OF
our condition. There was moment Of silence
and broke it by claiming that, if he had not
men in his service to free his ship, he had pas
sengers in his cabin who were ready to save her.
Sir, said he promptly, your service and eZ-
ample will have the best elect and immediate
ly band or 10 or 90 rushed up the companion
way, and, scrambling along the rocking deck as
well as we could, advanced toward the places
where We expected to find the pumps in action
Yet what was our surprise when we learned
that there Were at least four feet water in the
hold; that there was not pump in the ship tit for
service at that moment, and that the only mode
Of rescue was by drawing up the water, by crank
Wheels in four copper buckets, designed, in ordi'
nary times to convey the cinders and rubbish
from the furnace-roorn beneath The engine
pumps could not work because the fires were
tinguished; the hand pumps were out Of order,
and the forward pump was repairing as rapidly
as POSSIBLE.
l wrought at the crank OF one Of the cinder
buckets for about half an hour, drawing up buck
et-full of shout % gallons, on an average every
four or five minutes. remained on deck long
as could hold on and work. The pitching aud
rolling of the ahip from side to side, the dashng
OF the spray, and occasional gusts OF rain poured
into our faces and over our persons by the fierce
winds, weared and benumbed us. We were
soon drenched with water and oodless, as we
had been for two days, were not equal 70 SO great
a task Yet none of us thought of death or danger.
| Our only idea was Of work, and our only prayer
! for the continued capacity to work. AS clam
! bered along the deck, back to the cabin, holding
on by every bolt and bar could clutch, to prevent
being pitched overheard by the rolling ship,
stopped awhile to look at the sea There was
! something ferociously grand in its aspect Above
was the cold, gray sky, like the lid OF leaden
coffin. AS we lay In the trough or hollow, between
the waves, two majestic mountains OF dark blue
| either side For moment our huge huilreposed
| in the valley between them, and as the snowy
| crest of the windward wave combined over, like
cataract, threatening to enguf US, the gallant
| craft slowly raised her tall side and allowed the
I surge 10 pass beneath her feet But the wave
had it's revenge for the ships contempt for as 1t
rose to leeward, it sent the vessel tumbling aud
groanlng down It's other slope, until she sank once
more to the momentary quiet OF the watery val
ley. With each Of these surges, while on deck,
| trembed for the ships safety, when saw her 80
completely at the seas mercy, and thought OF
! the sunderng strain that must necessarily be
| produced by the tall iron chimneys in her center,
each one of which as it swung from right to leit,
seemed to act like gigantic lever, thrust INTO
the vessels midst, striving to wrench her 10
twain.
When ! got back to our cabin, found that the
experience and admirable judgment OF orr brave
toWnsman, General Benjamin c. Howard, had
suggested and accomplished the perfect organza-
ton Of working parties. The General went to
work promptly with paper and pencll-pledged
every sgner to work unfitchingly; divided the
men into sections of twenty, five OF which went
to work at each crank in bailing out the water,
and regulated the hours of each division, so as to
afford suflicentrepose and comfort to all Schenck
rallied the spirits Of all BY pronounclnG tue plan
one of confident success The first division ina.
mediatey relieved the watch on deck, and thus,
! throughout the whole day, we wound up the wa
ter from depth Of about fifty feet in the hold, by
the four ash buckets. which were replenshed con-
! tinually by man below, who filled them as they
/ descended. In little while il was discovered
that the organized labor Of the fresh, responsible
passengers told upon the water 1t evidently de-
creased, and after due search the leak was de-
tected and found to have occurred fro N the break
ing of the ilange from the supply pipe which fed
the boilers fCom the sea- The aperture was
reached with some difficulty by crawling in among
the machinery, and was closed by packing and
mailing tarred canvass acros the rent.
Meanwhile the divisions wrought Snceasingly
and cheerfully, especially when they heard that
the depth Of water in the hold decreased, and
! that the engineer reported his probable ability to
rekindle the fires, if we only continued to work
steadily. By this time, too, the fore pump had
been cot into service, and for awhile, small
apper steam engine called "the doctor, mad been
set in motion to aid in freeing the ship The
| doctor" however, was soon choaked or rendered
useless by the coal and cinderg that were ahoat
in the hold, so that we were again reduced to the
main reliance on the ash buckets In the course
of the day sail had been deserted and our flag
hoisted with the Union down, bat the stranger
either did 1t as 1t drltted Hat to leeward'
or thought it useless to approach us IN 50 fremen
dous sea
Az dark. on the 9th, the water had been great
" diminished and the Engineer was reported TO
i be in good spirits Our gallant Captain snatcned
moment now and then from the deck to vislt
the cabin with q cheering word or smile, and
/ Howard circulated among his divisions encour-
aging them as nobly as did his brave ancestor on
the battle fields Of the Revolution Yet when
! night closed in and the cabin lamps We're lighted,
there was scarcely Il being IN the saloons Who'
/ for awhile was not made very silent by the ne,
! mory Of the day and hour. 1t was Christmas Eve
Vet Vet What contrast with the wonted scenes OF
home! Wives, parents friends, warm tiresides,
peace rose before u.s. Merry r5aS S
| the lighted branches of the Christmas tree! We
tboue6s of the thousand of hearts that were beat
Inc with hope to be reunited on the morrow with
the the sinking jewellers in that ship We felt that
those many eyes might behold us no more for
- an6 that q yiolent q dreadful death would