The daily crescent. [volume] ([New Orleans, La.]) 1848-1851, 1851-01-06
Periious Voyage of the Steamship Ohio.

We copy the following interesting account Of the
recent perilods voyage of the New York and New
Orleans packet steamship Ohio from the Baltimore
Sun of the 2Sh:
We announced, yesterday morning, the fact that
the steamer Ohio had put in at Norfolk in distress
on her passage from Havana TO New York, which
caused the arrival Of the Norfolk boat to be looked
for yesterday morning with much anxiety. She ar
rived at an early hour bringing about $50 of the 400
passengers arrived on board the Ohio
We were favored by passenger OF the Ohio, who
arrived in the Norfolk boat with a verbal account
of the disaster and narrow escape, which is en-
! bodied in the following narrative
The Ohio prepared to start from Havana on the
18Th with 400 passengers, $50 Of whom were from
California, but the first evolution of her engines
she b'ew out the head OF one of her cylinders Her
departure was then deferred to the 18th, when she
got under weigh, with one engine, and made good
lime till Sunday evening, the ped, when she was
struck BY 8 severe gale. She, however, continued
under steam until IL O'Clock that night, when she
laid to, mud remained until Monday evening, having
been greatly racked by the storm.
On Monday evening she again got under weigh ,
and continued to breast the storm until O'Clock on
! Tuesday morning, when she sprung leak. The
crew went to work al the pumps, but soon found
the water gaining them, it having risen to such
guisi,ed. 0A'''''
The passengers were then aroused and called on
to assist in freeing the vessel from water and they
turned out manfully to the work. There was found
to be ten feet of water in the hold and all the
pumps were Immediately put into operation, and
batng resorted TO from every point that access
could be obtained to the water.
The passengers thus worked, from Tuesday morn
I ing until Wednesday at noon, before they had
lowered the water sufficiently to enable the crew
+ to rekindle the fire.
/ About one o'clock on Wednesday afternoon steam
was again got up, but it required the constant as
sistance of the passengers, from that time until she
got TO Norfolk, to keep the wafer from gaining ,o
| such an exten; as TO extingush the fires.
She reached Norfolk at Two o'clock on Thurs.
day afternoon, and is considerably damaged in her
hulthree Of the iron hogs or braces that support
| her frame, having been snapped asunder. Hei
furniture was also broken, with everything that was
! breakable on board.
| The damage to the vessel is supposed 10 be moi
less than 30000 and will probably have to go in,e
the drydock be repaired, before she can proceed
/ TO NewYork.
| Among the passengers who reached here yester
I day in the Norfolk boat, was number of returned
! California miners, and we are sure the sight o
! some of them would ef1ecually cure the most VIC
lent attack of California fever. Their clothing wa
not only lattered and torn, but their constitution
seemed to have Jared still wogse-the former the,
soon renovated with the aid of their bags of gol,
dust, but the latter seemed beyond repair.
They all appeared 10 have sufficient gold dus
for present wants, but none were overstocked an,
| all could probably have accumulated much more il
the same length of time in the pursuits of ever
day life at home. Most of them were norher,
men, and took their departure in the cars for Phil
adelpha at eleven o'clock yesterday morning, MI
Crawford having to use pair of scales in computin
the value of the gold dust rendered and received fo
passage money.
| FURTHER PARTICULARS.
We are indebted to Brantz Mayer, ESQ.,, of thi
city, who came passenger in the Ohio, for the fol
lowing account of the perilous passage of the Ohio
and her arrival at Norfolk:
i The u S. mail steamer Ohio arrived at Norfol
yerterday, after most perilous voyage from Fla
vana. On leaving that port last Wednesday weel
an accident happened to her machinery which dc
tanned her day in the harbor, whence she depar
ed on Thursday, with the perfect use of but one {
her engines. She was full of passengers an
among them was the Hon. Reverdy Johnson, an
number OF other gentlemen well known in tn
country.
On quitting the port of Havana it was soon nc
ticed by those skilled in marine life, that the Obi
: was but badly prepared to encounter the risks of
winter approach to our Northern shores. Her sir
gle operative eng inc was, in all likelihood, unequ
to the task OF encountering the violent storms aon
those coasts, and her fra masts and light sal
e could afford but slender protection if she wei
L
a lee.shore or in the open
:, However, all went fairly and prosperously uni
asst Sunday night when the breeze, which had a
day been ireshening, rose to violent gale in tt
midst OF which the engine stopped on its centr
t and the ship broached to in the midst of the tr
d mendous sea that had been already raised by Il
d violent wind. Skilful seamanship immediate
o rescued her for the moment, but from that hour
'r til the morning Of the 25th December, the Oh
= was forced to lay to under the scantest sail and
y bear the brunt of the hurricane.
y Her immense size made her unmanapeable
canvas. She lay like log in the trough of Il
It sea, rolling between the walls of waves that to-
ID cred on either side Of her. and threatened her i,
ir mediate destruction.
id Sad as was the plight Of the gallant ship fro
Dr. these events she was destined to encounter anotf
rs danger. On Tuesday morning it was announc
er that she had sprung leak, and that the risi
I'd water had extinguished the fires beneath the be
at ers This dreadful announcement at once arous
Mt the energies OF the passengers, who manfully