Weekly national intelligencer., 1851-01-11
VOYAGE OF THE STEAMER OHIO.

DISASTROUS VOYAGE OF THE STEAMER OHIO
BAIrIxoHr, SATURDAY, DrcrsHrR 2s, 1850.
| 10 the Editors Of the Baltimore Sun.
| GESTLEMEs promised at the moment Of nv arivs
yesterday give fuller as Of our recent disastrous voyag
than could then offer you, and proceed now to fulfil
pledge, with deep gratitude for dsverance from peril
sincere hope that the recital will awaken the attention of
concerned in steam navigation to the necessity of guardn
more carefully the lives and properly of those who enus
themselves to the elements in such vessels on the ocean,
Our voyage from New Orleans Havana was deliciou
pleasure trip The sea smooth. the breeze fresb an
the engines worked admirably. On Monday evening" tn
10th Of December, we made the light on the Moro Castle
just after sunset but the rigid rules of the port deny en-
trance to vessels after that hour, obliged 10 rema
outside the hsrbor until the morning At daybreak III
engines put in notion and the sun rose we entere
the magnificent port Of this beautiful island, between ,h
oWnng batteries which protect both sides of the sait
and from every emnence commanding the roadstead Abou
ii O'Clock all the official visits Of the and polio.
had been paid to the Ohio, and allowed to land f
the day without passports personal inspection As soor
as we reached Shore the passengers distributed themselves
parties, to improve their short time
in seeing possible Of the city and its enyirous
Some themselves to the purchase Of cigars and
meas for friends al hoe others presented to the new
captain general and Gour Concha whom they found
be pleasant young and intelligent gentleman while many
stroed through the stree and did not fail pay visit o
the tablet in the Cathedral behind which the bones Coum-
bus said to pose After dinner, nearly all the passen-
gers and many Caornans who had meanwhile arrived in
another steamer from Chages mounted poLates and drove
out the beautiful dSeos the Cero, aud the castles en-
counerg in the Of their drive hundreds of lair Hava
whose gay costumes and sparkling eyes accorded well
with the splendid tropical scenery Of palms, plantans and
gorgeous flowers and foliage which spread every side
The delightful evening, the balmy air and the splendid moon
light induced almost all to proong their ride until dark
and il was not until mdoght that board the
Ohio again. afer enjoying couple Of hours the opera
the Tacon theatre, where crowded assembIage of
the beauty and fashion Of Havana
Wednesday, the lsth pleasant, sunny day, and
nine O'Clock we got up our anchors, and proceeded
voyage New York. Scarcely, however, had we gone half
the length of the harbor towards the Moro Castle when
sudden experienced throughout the She
stopped once and the anchor again thrown For
more than hour among the passengers could dis
what the matter but length learned that an
accident had happened Of the engines which being
repaired Those who in authority appeared to
speak the subject and returned short when ad
dressed about it. The impression left my mnd however,
from all could leaTn that the mshap quite trivial
and that oil would be well again. did not however,
go ashore till after dinner and it not until then that
became Of the fact that Of the steamers engines
was entirely disabled but that the only effect would be to
make voyage longer for which we would be supplied
more amply with water, fuel and food Eight o'clock of
the next day was fixed for departure.
We passed another afternoon and evening Havana very
pleasantly listening to the charming music Of the military
bands playing before the Governors palace while the fashion
abes Of the city drove out in their Uodnes, by moonlight and
formed listening circle around the plaza rolled in gay
crowds beneath the stately palm trees with which it is
planted. ,..- z".
At midnight again on board and, on the morning
Of Thursday the 18th, went about eleven O'clock
our single engine moving easily in the smooth water, but
dragging US very slowly from the land.
The remainder Of the 18th, the Goth, and the 2ls of De-
cembe delightful days, and sped onward fairly and
knJl q
panons from New Orleans yet numbers had been greatly
increased by crowd Of Caonians, recently arrived in the
Chagres steamer But few of them were returning with
fortunes many utterly destitute broken in health
and almost ALL with their peaked hat long beards and
weather beaten garments had the appearance Of many
Robinson Crusoes returning from their desoate abode the
Pacific. We numbered, in all, about four hundred.
Sunday, the 22d, fairly, with smooth and fair
wind from the southwest AT II o'clock townsman, Mr.
John GbsoD read the service of the Protestant Episcopal
Church, and nearly all the passengers, uniting worship
closed it with psalm In the afternoon the breeze eshen
ed and observation showed that werp off
At sunset the wind still continued fair and reshenng but
with every hour II Increased, until ten O'Clock, when
forced TO scud before the gale hoping get round the Cape
whilst the ship steaded by the action of the engine alone
Thus we drove before the sorm until two o'clock BY
his time the tempest had raised the and the swept
like a hills before The steamer, stripped Of every
ag OF canvass climbed them gaan,y, while every one who
witnessed the hoped believed that before morning
gusts would abae, and that the reduced wind, ung into
resh but favorable breeze would watt safely around the
ormy cape into smoother water. Suddenly, however, the
engine stopped on its centre. In moment immense
'esse broached to- with tremendous shock Every thing
hat loose in her cabins, sate-room and saloons
lashed pieces and The broken fragments Of furniture and
ockery surgng from side side with every urch added
he fghfuness of such at midnight the stormy
ea, amid Clouds and rain, and darkness But
captain and his officers alert the power of the
engineers was no longer available. Straning every effort
hey got whatever fore and aft sail they could the ship,
md hove her TO-" whilst the single engine again for
unately notion But e battle between the and
luman energy ended. Scarcely had the canvass
stretched when the after SAIL which most important
steadying large ship at such moment, shvered
and blown in rbands fom the bolt ropes, like
much cambc The beating of the loosened tackle the roll
ng the unmansseabe ship the crashing Of the waves
he bowling of the increasing wind and ran continued thus
until towards daylight, when the alarmed and
,ewdered passengers cp from their berhs and
hat the barometer rising moe and that the squalls
violent Meanwhile the engine continued act
surged the hull forward sufficiently preserve steerage
and to keep the ship out Of the trough of the
The morning of the 23d was dreary enough, even with
he hopes that had been renewed by the lu No breakas,
served and scarcely steward Of all the large
number board appeared in the cabins to offer reeshmen
those who needed after their painful vigil The ull Of
the wind from the southwest Proved however, be only
prelude to another storm of equal violence from the nothw
the day advanced the wind again, and creating
rendered the ship uneaser and unmaDageabe At
nightfa hearts sick with anxiety for now
of the fact that such sails could do moth
ing for huge vessel the Ohio and that sole reliance
the perfect uninterrupted action of crippled ma
chney No cooking had been done, and slight ration Of
crackers and tongue all the reeshment obtained during
the day. The mpuden cowadly of the ship
skulked and it difficult TO obtain glass Of water
llofu in tn kepn