The republic., 1851-01-01

about eleven O'Clock, our single engine moving
easily in the smooth water, but dragging US yer,
: slowly from the land.
The remainder of the 18th, the Goth, and 2lst O
December were delightful days, and we sped on
ward fairly and pro5perously We had left at Ha
vana many of our companions from New Orleans
yet our numbers had been greatly increased by
crowd of Californians, recently arrived in thu
Chagres steamer. But few Of them were returning
with fortunes; many were utterly destitute eso o.
broken in health and almost all, with theiI
peaked hats long boards, and torn or weather
beaten garments, had the appearance OF 30 many
Robinson Crosoes returning from their desolate
abode in the Pacific. We numbered, in all, about
four hundred. sf
Sunday. the 22d, rose fairly, with smooth sea
and fair wind from the southwest. At IL O'Clock
our townsman, Mr.. John Gibson, read the service
of the Protestant Episcopal Church, and nearly all
the passengers uniting in worship closed it with a
psalm. la the afternoon the breeze freshened, and
our observation at noon showed that we were of
Cape Hattcras, whose dreary winter storms are
proverbial. At sunset, the wind still continued
fair and reshening bat with every hour tincreased,
until ten O'Clock, when we were forced TO scud be-
fore the gale hoping to get round the Cape, whilst
the ship was steadied by the action Of the engine
alone. Thus we drove on before the storm until
/ two O'Clock. BY this time the tempest had raised
the sea, and the waves swept I'D like tall hills be
fore us The steamer, stripped Of every rag of
canvass, climbed them gallantly, while every
one.who witnessed the scene hoped or believed
that before morning the gusts would abate, and
that the reduced wind, lullIng into fresh but
favorable bseeze. would watt safely around
the stormy Cape into smoother water. Sud
denly, however, the engine stopped on its cen
\ tre! In a moment our immense weasel t'broached
to- with tremendous shock. Every thing that
| was loose in her cabins, state rooms and saloons
| was dashed TO pieces; and the broken fragments of
furniture aud crockery, surging from side TO side
with every urch, added to the frightfilness of
scene al midnight on the stormy sea- amid clouds
and rain and darkness! But our brave captain and
his officers alert the power of the
engineers was no longer available. Straining every
effort they got whatever fore and aft sail they could
| on he ship, and shove her to-" whilst the single
| engine again fortunately set in motion. But
the. battle between the storm and human energy
| was ended. Scarcely had the be,
| stretched when the after sail, which most i'm
pprtant in steadying so large ship at such a mo-
neni was shivered 10 atoms and blown into ribbons
from the bolt ropes, like much cambric! The
beating of the oosened tackle the rolling OF the
manageable ship, the crashing of the waves, the
bowling Of the increasing wind and rain continued
thus uninterruptedly until towards daylight, when
the alarmed and bewldered passengers crept from
their berths and rooms to learn that the barometer
was rising once more, and that the squalls were not
so violent. Meanwhile the engine continued to act,
and surged the hull forward sufficiently to keep the
ship of the trough of the
The morning of the 23d dreary enough
even with the hopes that had been renewed by the
lull No breakfast was served, and scarcely SER
! want steward, of all the larg number on board
appeared in the cabins offer refreshment to those
who needed il after the painful vigil The lull OF
the wind from the southwest proved, however, to
be only prelude to another storm of equal violence
from the northwest. As the day advanced the
wind rose again, and, creating cross-sea, rem
dered the ship uneasier and unmanageabe. At
nghtiall hearts were sick with anxiety, for we
of the fact that such sails as we
possessed could do nothing for 50 huge vessel as
the Ohio, and that sole reliance was on the per-
feet uninterrupted action of our crippled ma
chinery. No cooking had been done, and slight
ration of crackers and tongue was all the refresh
ment obtained during the day. The mpudent or
cowuruly servants OF the ship skulked and it was
difficult to obtain even glass of water. All of us
tie cabin, however strove to keep up the spirits
our various parties, and the ladies manifested as
much fortitude in resisting the idea of ultimate
III danger The prominent feeling in the breast of all
was that OF anxious suspense and not OF dread
! So passed the tempestuous night of the 23d dur
ing which noticed that the Ohio had evidently he
come more unsteady, and that she was certainly
buried in the trough of the sea, walowng without
the control, or power of control, by the helsnan.
Wearied as had been by watching ali the 22d, |
went my room about O'Clock, and, bracing
myself on my trunk, against the side OF the berths,
| slept until day ght. When returned to the up
per saloon found it crowded with anxious faces,
and when spoke, usual, in cheering terms to
the ladies, telling them that all would be well and
that the increased rolling of the ship was doubtless
caused only by the abated wind, Il taken aside
and informed in whisper that the crew had been
freeing the ship from water all night, and that the
rising flood within her tmbers had extnguishd the
fires in the furnaces beneath the boilers! confess
that was for instant, appalled,; but it was
only for instant. thank God for the hope.
ful temper which made my soul rebouud from
| a Il.
felt sure that such ship well provided; and
that with crew so numerous strong. and en-
ergetc, she could not be left sink Beneath the
waves. In hour the news came that the wa
water still gained, and, in few minutes, the
gallant Schenck appeared in the cabin, and, with
| a firm but serious face, announced that he could
not get sufficient men to work, notwithstanding
the awful peril OF our condition. There
ment of sence and broke it by cxclaiming that,
il he had not in his service TO free his ship he
had passengers in his cabin who were ready to save
ample will have the best effect" and Immediately
band of fifteen or twenty rushed up the compan-
ion way. anG, sorambling along the rocking deck
! as w,l as could, advanced towards the places
where we expected TO find the pumps in action.
YET, what was our surprise when We learned that
there least four feet water in the hold, that
there not pump in The ship fit for service at
that moment, and that the only mode Of rescue
by drawing up the water by crank wheels, in
four copper buckets, designed, III ordinary times,
to convey the cinders and rubbish from the furnace
room beneath. The engine pumps could not work
because the fires were extinguished; the hand
pumps were out of order, and the forward pump
was repairing as rapidly as possible.
| wrought at the crank OF one of the cinder
buckets for about half an hour, drawing up a
bucketful of about twenty five gallons,
rage, every four or five minutes. ! remained on
deck long aa could hold on and work. The
pitching and rolling of the ship 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 winda, Gearied and benumbed We
were soon drenched with water; and, foodless as
we had been for two days, were not equal 30
great task Yet none of US thought of death
or danger. Our only idea was oil work, and
our only prayer for the continued capacity to
work As cambered along the deck, back to the
! cabin, holding by every bolt and bar could
clutch, to prevent being pitched overheard by the
rolling ship, stopped awhile to look at the
There assomething ierocously grand in it's aspect.
Above was the cod gray sky, like the lid of a
leaden coffin. AS we lay in the trough or hollow,
between the waves, two majestic mountains of
dark blue marble, streaked with lrothy veins. tow
cred either size. For moment our huge hull
reposed in the valley between them, and the
snowy crest OF the wind wave coinbed over,
like cataract, threatening to enguf us, the gal
liant craft. slowly raised her tall side and allowed
the surge to pass beneath her feet But the wave
had its revenge for The ships contempt, for, it
to the leeward, II sent the vessel tumbng add
groaning down its other slope, until she sank once
more 10 the monentary quiet of the watery valley.
With each of these Surges, while on deck, treml-
bed for the ships safety, when ! her com
petely at the seas mercy, and thought of the
sunderng strain that must necessarily be produced
by the tall iron chmneys III her centre, each one