Weekly national intelligencer., 1851-01-11

wafer III nOiu tnal mere not the
service at that moment and that the only mode of
by drawing up the by in four con
buckets, designed in ordinary times to convey the Gin
ders and rubbish from the urnacsroom beneath The en-
could not work because the fires were extncush
ed the handpumPs of order, and the forwa
pump was repairing as raj idly possible.
wrought at the crank Of Of the cnder buckets 70
about half an Aour drawing buckeful Of about twenty
hve gallons on an average, every four five minutes
remained on deck long could hold on and work Tb,
pitching and rolling of the ship from side to SIDE the dashns
of the spray, and occasional gusts rain poured into ou
and over our persons BY the fierce Winds wead and
a benumbed u.s. We were drenched with water and
foodess had been for days. were not equal 10
great task Yet Of thought of death or danger
Our only idea was Of work. and only prayer the
tnued capacity work. As clsmberea alono The deck
back the csbn holding by every bolt and bar could
clutch to prevent being pitched overheard by the rolling Ship
stopped awhile TO look st the There was something
erociousy grand In Its aspect Above the cold gray
sky like the lid OF eaden coffin. As lay in the trough
hollow between the waves majestic mountains of dark
blue marble, seaked with othy veins lowered on either
de For moment our huge hull reposed in the valley
hem and as the snowy crest Of the wndward
combed over like cataract, threatening enguf us, the
gallant craft slowly raised her tall side and allowed the surge
pass beneath her feet But the had its revenge for
the ships contempt for rose to leeward
sci iumbing and groaning down its other SLOPE until she
sank to the momentay quiet of the watery valley
With each OF these surges while deck, rembed for the
ships safety when saw her so completely the seas
c and thought OF the sunderng strain that necessarily
OF which, as it swung from right to left seemed to act like
gigantic lever, thrust into the vessels midst striving to
wrench her in twain.
When got back to our cabin found that the expert
ence and admirable judgment of brave ownsman, Gen.
Benjamin G. Howard had suggested and accomplished the
perfect organization Of working parties The General
to work promptly with paper and pencil pledged every sign
or u work unfinchingly divided the men into sections of
twenty five Of whom work at each crank in baing
the wae and regulated the hours of each DIVISION SO
as % afford sufficient repose and comfort to all Schenck
rallied the spirits Of all BY proaouncns the plan Of conf
dent success The first division Immediately relieved the
watch on deck; and thus, throughout the whole day,
wound up the water from depth Of about fifty feet in the
hold by the four ash buckets which repenhed
inually BY man below who filled them they descended
In little while it discovered that the organized labor of
the fresh, responsible passengers told upon the water
IDENTIFY decreased and al due SEARCH the leak detect
ed and found to have occurred from the breaking of The
fange from the supply pipe which fed the boilers from the
sea- The aperture was reached with difficulty by
crawling in among the machinery and closed packing
and mailing tarred canvass the rent
Meanwhile the divisions wrought increasingly and cheer
fully especially when they heard that the depth of
the hold decreased and that the engineer reported his prob
able ability reknde the es il only continued to work
steadily. BY this time, too, the fore pump had been got
into service, and for while small upper steam engine
called e doctor" had been set in motion to aid in freeing
the ship "The doctor, however, choaked
dersd useless by the coal and cndes that aoa in the
hold 80 that again reduced the main reliance
ASH buckets n the course Of the day sail had been deserted
and flag hoisted with the union down hut the stranger
either did not it. it drfted flat leeward, thought it
useless to approach us in tremendous a
At dark, the 24th the water had been greatly dim in
lshed and the engineer reported bs in good spirits
Our gallant captain snatched moment now and then from
the deck to visit the cabin with cheering word sm and
Howard circulated among his divisions encouraging them
noby did his brave the baefeds of the
revolution Yet when night closed n and he cabin lamps
were lighted there scarcely being in the saloons who,
for awhile, not made very silent by the memory of the
day and hour. II was Christmas Yet what contrast
with thu
warm fresdes, peace, contentmen before us-mery
little faces, laughing, gay little figures, dancing around the
lighted branches Of the Christmas We thought of the
thousand Of hearts that beating with hope be reunited
on the morrow with the sinking dweers in that chip. We
felt that those many eyes might behold forever
and that violent, dreadful DEATH would perhaps leave
single remnant of the foundered ship tell the tale of her
destruction Fortunately however, duty gave respite
for reflection broodDg moodness Probably failed
to offer silent prayer but band of struggling
men more nobly sustained by mutual confidence, courage
endurance, and sympathy.
Scarcely had the when the gales which lasted with
hardly an nermisson, from the night Of the 22d began to
ahae their violence, and they fell the fell with them
The working parties continued their abors all night long, and
as they wrought the waters decreased in the hold About
midnight the chief engineer enabled reknde his f,es
and raise the steam but when he set the machinery
ton at day dawn on the 25th, the engine was found
to make only half revolution, and then stop! Here
seemed the failure Of last hope, notwhstandI the sub
sdence Of the sea- and the appearance of approaching
for the vessel had been long strained and acked by
the rolling that now with every motion, her tmbers goaned
and creaked another swell would sunder them completely
At o'clock went deck and found the day fair and
promising. The tempest was over The compare
lively smooth brisk breeze blew from the southwest, and
"a sail loomed up the hoizon In the momentary
doubt to whether the engine could again be made to work.
flag hosed with the union down, and signals OF
distress repeatedly fired. The schooner soon perceived
and began beat towards ship but before she got
nearer than three miles, engineer had entirely cleared
all the Goals and cnders that choked the action of the
and had produced DerfeCt the
er's wheels!
You may imagine the cheer that went up from the crowd
ed deck the Ohio shot smooth sea, and
ceased TO ceak and goan and labor in its engung
Silence succeeded that cheer for all anxious express
their gratitude God and eneat continuance of the
promised mercy.
Sad had been the the day of Christmas 1850,
perhaps the joyous that will be passed by
the voyages the Ohio. The continued calm, though
the wind fresh and fair Our crippled and strained
gine not pushed but aided by all the
could crowd the ship, which now at solci
aton well according to the judgment Of captain
directed towards Norfolk, Virginia. An observation in the
morning and at showed be about IS miles distant
from Cape Henry but by the aid of wind and steam
before nightll well in under the lee Of the land, in
smooth water After dark, the wind again reshened to
bk, ugly gale, with dirty and lowering sky and in my
first watch of two hours for bang WATER feared that we
might again be forced slay the officer of the deck
found necessary to strip the ship Of After mid
night however, drew closer land the wind essened,
and when came deck in my second watch, at m
found the sky clear silver with a brilliant moon and
multudes OF stars AT four below and to bed, for the
first time in four nights and slept delightfully."- until heard
announced that the lighthouse visible and four pilot