Weekly national intelligencer. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1841-1869, 1851-01-04
THE STEAMSHIP OHIO AND THE STORM.

The oIEAMChIf O1lO AND QUINN.
s WAmrssros, DEcEnBER %, 1885,
Messs GALEs & SEAToN The great anxiety manifested
learn the details Of the escape the steamship Ohio from the
late has induced to send the enclosed account in
tended originally only private letter to relative you
think ct to publish it is your service if not be pleased
to mail it to address and obiee yours, respectfully, &C.
THE name of the writer Of the above and the
following is with the Editors.
WAsHrNsroS, DECEMBER %, 1850.
Mr. DEAN FATHER have to narate Of the most re-
maabe escapes from utter destruction record in the his
tory Of maritime perils.
The steamship OHIo, which came passenger, was in
the act Of leaving Der anchorage at Havana the 18th De-
cembe and her wheels had just commenced revolving, when
shock felt if she had struck log aground,
and the engines stopped On examination it was dis
covered that the valve through which the condensed steam Of
of the cylinders is elected had become much rued
that either broke refused to act that the piston in de-
scendng full down upon solid column Of water in
stead Of meeting with vacuum, and occasoned the jar which
had made the huge strong vessel shake from stem to stern
Our sarboard engine completely disabled the cylinder
head being cracked by the blow The anchor of
dropped.
Next morning, the 10TH captain, after taking in full
supply of coal and water, and submitting the machinery to
the inspection Of the engineers Of the Georgia and Pacific,
both then lying in port determined to prosecute voyage
to New York with single engine. We got under weigh
about A. M, and proceeded for many hours very slowly
and cautiously, until finding that all worked well, speed
increased and with fair sky and smooth until
the evening of the 22d December when found ourselves
about twenty miles south of Cape Haeas. The wind, which
during that day had been in favor eshened rapidly
about 10 O'Clock night scuddng steam up,
under bare poles, before strong southeasery gale with
heavy rising Next morning, the 23d December found
lying to, the engine working slowly About noon the
wind shifted towards the northwest which broke awhile the
roughness Of the but during the afternoon the gale in
creased, the ship lying under mzen-sheet and
joresaik
Night closed in very wild and stormy. Between twelve
and wo owing the aborng Of the vessel Of the star
board feedppes from five inches in diameter, which,
entering the vessels side little below the water line, sup
piled of the engines became wrenched from her plank
ing just the point where secured to by fange leaving
an aperture Of inches through which the rushed
in About the time the blgepumps became unservice
able the hand pumps also out Of ORDER and
remained Of draining the hold except by hosting up water in
the four large copper buckets holding about twenty gallons
EACH which draw up ashes from the furnaces The
fires had been washed out the ship with her sails partly rip
ped from the bolt-ropes had fallen off into the trough Of the
sea- and lay rolling hepessly and heavily log. Part of
the crew, WATERS and passengers working the cranks
of the ash buckets; but when the morning of the Oath
dawned goomy and Wild there four feet water in the
engine-room, and still in the hold, which lay rather
lower and our situation almost desperate said that
the had obtained liquor and lay drunk
but cannot say that such was the fact
About A. M, the suggestion Of Gen. Howard, the
passengers organized themselves into gangs sections Of
twenty men, five to the crank of each ash bucket who
who relieved every half hour The toll excessive,
up The leak, which perfectly accessible had
been partially stopped but could not be entirely and there
be little doubt that the strained and abong ship must
received from Others undiscovered probably her
seams just above the line She shipped seas
ccpt occasionally the foecase being high and buoy
ant The rush and surge from side side Of the hold
terrific This continued all day. but the perseverance Of Those
who oed gradually and steadily reduced the rushing waters
and relieved the ship in proportion At night the be-
came fearful still. As the moon shone dimly
through rack of huyng Clouds it revealed the figures Of
the duty, cnging with hand ropes anchions,
whatever stood nearest, and with the other labong for
their lives The gale by midnight fast abating, but
violent still the steamers rolling in the trough of the
waves that minute we feared to see the tall chmneys
burst from their stays and be precpated into the seethng
The very engines in danger of oosenng, and
had they parted the huge ship have been burst asu
caps of some of the posts supporting them crushed
split The bulkheads and mbers creaked and goaned
sanly being wrenched asunder. At times every man
deck compelled to pause and hold onwh both hands,
avoid being launched overheard the vessel heeed and
lurched. Such was our Christmas eve
About A. M. of the 25th the engneroom was so far
drained admit of the fires being re-ghted which, from
the soft Psburg coal being denched with water was no
easy operation. The bang out still continued. Most Of the
passengers up by o'clock but dpted than at
any time previously for although the machinery seemed
pabe Of working the well had become choked up by the
washing in Of coal that the great cranks could descend to
their full sweep nor Of course could the wheels perform
complete revolution At the instance of passengers
signal Of distress hosed, and guns fred to call to
assistance schooner which had been lying about eight
miles to eeward but nearly becalmed the wind and
having gone down. Meantime while the vessel lay com.
paratvely STILL the remen below worked noby to clear the
well, and between and 10 A. NJ when little friend the
schooner had beat up with eshening breeze within four
miles Of they succeeded in digging out the COAL the wheels
revovcd and three hurrahs told all below that the
moved The breeze from landwad increased we man
aged to get sail again. and by three o'clock out of
blue water. 42. ""...H""
We had been driven by the Gulf Stream and the gale about
forty miles north and sixty miles east Of Cape Hateas, and
Norfolk Of the habor. For this port,
the united written request protest of the passengers, the
captain BORE the machinery working slowly and cautiously
had unshpped the canks of the ash buckets and reeved