The southern press. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1850-1852, 1851-01-01
The Late Passage Of the u. s. Mail Steam
ship Ohio.

This vessel commenced running under the
mail contract in September, l84S. She has per-
formed her trips with undertaking regularity,
and without an accident, during the whole Pc
Rod, up 10 this last voyage-an amount and
regularity of service never before equalled in
the annals of ocean navigation.
On her last trip, one of her cylinder heads was
broken, on leaving Havana for New York, a cir
cumstance that could scarcely have happened
without gross negligence of the engineer, or by
the design of some malicious person.
This deprived the boat of the use of one en-.
CINE; and she had to proceed with the other
The same thing was done about a year ago, by
the Niagara, one of the Cunard steamers which
broke one Of her side levers, in storm, in com
ing over to this country; and as she had no du-
plicate on board, went back with one engine.
But the Ohio encountered the severest storm
which has ragged on the stormy coast of Cape
llatteras, according to the testimony of mari
ners, for eighteen years This storm, however,
she weathered in safety, until her one engine
stopped on its centre-a circumstance very apt
to happen with single engine in storm, when
the wheels strike a high wave at the moment
when the engine is passing its centre The
same thing occurred to the Cherokee, a single
engine boat, once, and threw her on her beam
ends from which she was righted only by cut
ting away her masts.
When the engine Of an ocean steamer stops
on IFS centre her Roadway ceases, and the con-
troll of the helm is lost Hence, she is liable to
breach to-" that is, to be thrown round by the
first wave that strikes her into the trough of the
sea- For in storm, the engine is worked
slowly, and the vessel is held by the hemsman
at right angles with the waves against the wind.
The Ohio however, did not go over on her
beam ends, that is on her side, but she was
tossed in every direction by the waves. When
we consider that she had in her centre, engines
and boilers weighing eight hundred tons, and
several hundred tons of coal, the strength Of
the vessel was put to the severest test ever APP
piled to ship.
The timbers of the Ohio wthstood this test
completely and so did her fastenings. The
engines kept their place; her planks and ribs
were innexibe But the strain on the supply
pipe broke the fanges at the bottom of the YES
sci, ard let the water in.
II appears that this water in the hold was not
observed, or reported by the hands below, until
it rose to the furnaces--and that measures could
not be taken to remove it, until it had extin-
guished the fires, and this stopped the engines.
The vessel was thus compelled to endure, for
some hours, the unremiting fury of the storm
upon the hull and timbers. None gave way.
When the water was reduced by the energy
Of the passengers and crew, the engine was
started again, and its mere working showed that
the vessel was not even warped, although III
hog or brace chains had been broken
The vessel has thus exhibited strength Of
hull, that gives an absolute assurance of safety
TO passengers in any contngency-whilst as she
has two engines which have never been de-
ranged before, she gives an assurance of general
comfort aud safety never surpassed yet.