The southern press. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1850-1852, 1850-12-07
From the W Y. Herald.
Wreck Of the Steamer Helena Sloman.
Nine Lives Lost-One Hundred and Seventy
fue Passengers Rescued

The packet ship Devonshire, Capt. Berry,
which arrived this morning, brings Us the intel
ligence OF the total wreck of the steamship
Helena Sloman, which ran between this mort and
Hamburg.
The following are the particulars, which we
gather from the log of the Devonshire
"On the 9th Of November, off the Start, the
Devonshire was in company with Havre packet,
bound west (U) signal, supposed to be the
Splendid. Thursday, November 20, lat. AZ. l3,
lon. 81. 80, at 80 A. M, she fell in with the
propeller, Helen SlOmal, Paulson, from Ham,
burg TO New York, having signals of distress
flying. The Devonshire ran down to her, and
hove under her lee, il blowing hard at the time
from N. W., when boat with a mate and two
passengers came alongside, and informed us
that she had lost her rudder and sternpost, and
wanted immediate assistance, as she was leaking
badly, and all wished to abandon her, and that
she had been in that condition for eight days,
and could not get assistance. We Immediately
manned two boats in charge of first and third
mates, and they, with three boats belonging to
the steamer, commenced transporting passengers
on board the Devonshirc.
The third mates boat had made two trips and
had on board seven passengers on her third,
when she got stove alongside the steamer, and
the third mate, three seamen and five p Issengers
were drowned; only one seaman and two pas
sengers were saved. No other accident oc-
Cured, and by p. m. fifty three cabin and
elghty-six steerage passengers, with the crew of
forty men, were safe on board the Devonshire,
when we made sail and stood to the westward
The steamer, when the captain left at 20 p
NJ, had about six feet of water in her. The
passengers only saved what they had on them.
The following are the names of the crew
drowned:
John Johnson, Sd mate New York.
GEORGE Riley, seaman London.
John IiassOn, seaman, Londonderry.
Daniel Macarthur, seaman, Montreal
Also, hive steerage passengers of Germany.
The following are the particulars of the
disaster.
From the time of the steamers departure from
Southampton till the 10Th Nov, the weather
was rather more bOisterous and variable than
usual, even for the time Of year. On the even
ing of the 10th when in the latitude 43 10 N.
longitude 10y chronometer) SO 80 w., the wind
which during the morning had been blowing
fresh from the N N w, increased till at 7, P NJ.
it became most fearful gale About IL, p. NJ
heavy cross sea, struck her on the stern and
larboard quarters, sweeping the poop, flooding
the cabins, and causing her to culver soule mo-
ments, through her whole length.
me next morning, (lhursday,) as soon as II
was daylight, a boat was lowered, and thorough
examination made of the stern, inside and outside,
when it was found that not only was the rudder
gone, but that it had carried with it about twelve
feet of the stem of the outer or false stern post,
the lower part of which being attached to the
keel, had, in breaking away, damaged that also,
causing a considerable leak
Beside this, the end of the shaft, by means of
which the propeller was worked, being made to
rest on the stern post, was, by its giving way
deprived of its support, and was considerably
bent in an oblique direction, causing the fans of
the propeller to incline inward towards the stern,
thus charging the stuhing box in the inner
stern post, Cor that built in the ship causing n
second leak.
Thursday, the 2sth, at aylight, vessel was
discerned from the masthead, distant about ten
miles, under n cloud of sail, and steering N. N.
E., the steamer at the time heading w. s. w.
At 8 A. NJ, the wind coming from the N. w.,
the sail tackled and stood for us.
AS soon us within easy distance, n boat was
lowered with second mate and four men, and
despatched with two of the English cabin pas
sengers (Messrs. James F. Geary and J. de Nor
mannD to 60 on board report the steamers con-
dition and ask assistance.