The Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1837-1867, 1851-04-05
DEsTRuoTuos or rIutEE COAL
LADEN NIsssEI.A.
woznt.HFtt 4 EaeApr.ot 4lrl p1..,seTa.


We have been furnished by friend will |
the following highly Interesting leiler,pying
che particulars Of lia destruction lY lru Rt
sea of three rOal-ladeu vessels, u brief hi-
cOnnt 0f whirh We published some days anee'
The writer h hrs ilalss Biiaoi The Capitol the /
Nonqniun, the hnt vessel mentioned iu tho \
luiter. Il u seldom tho lot Of woman 10 /
piss through such u continued serlet Of dan
gers Of character hnitrylng o. those recorded |
in Mrs Baies's letter. The letter IL dated
iiay uf keehura, coast Of Peru, Jan. q, Ih5l,
aud hner few lines of private nature,
kaysi
4 Flll aoss commence ms narrative. Amer
we leil baltimore, We proceeded on our wy
ago pleasantly, and assure you | never en-
ioyed myself more, Nothing occurred %
mar our enjoyment until We we're about "
the latitude of the River PlHttc, when VIII
lam found Hmok q issuing from the aiter hAich
and then the startling truth flashed upon my
R,iRd that she was on fire, She was loadrd
very deep with coil which was taken out or
the miucs, brought diroctly down "a the ship
in the ears, turned (s0metimca soaking wet,
from the rain that iull an the way,) directly
into the ships hold aud there it had nsmain-
IN ruatiu-- tirrr,f--t M tu tI6r weather, until
the gas that originated from Il had grncratcd
fire. This result was feared by some before
We niled,
Imagine our rsi,uation--cght hundred miles
from land, on board a burning ship, with very
inclumont weather ~ rough that boats Ike
ours could not possibly live for any length Of
time, There was no other way but 10 anotli-
or the iirc ~ much ~ possible. aud bear M
for the nearest land--thc Falkland Islands
The crew Immediately commepocd getting
mp provisions aud water sllliciont 10 last un-
I'll We could arrive at the Islands, and daring
Al. Al
decks, W powerful WV tfir gny tiint EUHr OF
the men toll down consoles from ia effects
Ihoy then chalkcd every scam aud the hatch
ca ~ tight as possible, and yet gas and smoke
would escape through seams which were app
parcntly water tight The ems finally filled
the cabin 30 that they we're Obliged 90 yacaic
IL. Wo wero in momoutary expectation of
au explosion, ~ such things had been known
10 occur in similar situations We hail our
boats rcady 90 launch in case the fire broke
out, although wo did not suppose for a mo-
mont they cOuid live. IL was extremely cold
weather, aud | was wrapped up In all the
warm clothes | could get on, aud was Obliged
10 stay on deck for fear of the effect OF the gas.
Before left the cabin il nearly sullocaicd
me. / was 80 ia6gucd for want Of sleep that
| lRy down on the floor aud fell asleep, and
when | awokc could not stand, aud 1ould
scarcely brcathoiuntil Attor | had TT OF ton,-
ting, which relieved ms.
! We were eight days ia this situation before
we discovered land. There Waro two mon
stationed aloit 20 keep look out and Will
lam WAS on tho housO. II &as vory thick,
aud soon William sung out sIand hoP shall
mover forget that iQyfuf sound. Presently
! the high rocks callNi the Volunteer Rocks
which make oil two nplcs began 10 heave in
sight, and can ASSURE you those barren rocks
presented 10 us most welcome appearance.
! We ran into a little cove, undcr the lee OF the
| land, aud anchored that night, for il was
blowing n close rcolud topsni hrcczc, right
down the harbor. The next day We beat np
Ia tho -snitlemcnt. called Iort Stanley. al
! English colony, consisting oi 400 people
] We had n survey upon The shlp==apcnnl tho
I h5tciiHs dHd f6uhd bci5 al on tiro.. We COM
! lgcnccd throwing water into the hold with
/ III engine but the FIRE still increasing there
was no alternative len but TO nun the ship on
shore aud scuttlo her This was done, and
after the fire was oNtinguShed we went 10
work md stripped tie wreck, Everything
between decks was saved IN damagcd stale
aud sold the next day at auction. She was
ldrcadiully burnt inside. Her beams and
staicheons were burnt Oh, and her lower
deck had fallen in. She was 30 burnt at the
bottom that she blgcd Immediately although
she was run on shore whore 1t was very soll
bottom.
Alter the business was all settled we should
have como directly home, but the island being
very little frcqucntcd by vessels, We might
have remained there year perhaps before
an opportunity would have enabled us 70 ~
turn. There was in port q Scotch ship from
Dundee, bound for Valparaiso, called the
Ilamayoon, Captain Alcllenry, master, and
he said he would take as to Valparaiso, from
whence we should be more likely 20 have an
opportunitysoi returning home We left tho
k+lkI.4els about t4a 2Gtl, oil -Aoyomber,iu in hi'
j ship, which was loaded with coal, but whct
had been in long that we thought there
was no danger from it. We had been at sc;
IL days, and was lust round Cape Horn, ,wher
wn discovercd the ship 10 bo ON ttl and h
increased so rapidly that in three or ioui
hours she was ia ilamcs.
y HNVo were NJ this thr,V no~~nty uutcs ftoss
land, and Immediately made preparations u
take "a our boats, preiorriug to take our
chance of gaining tho land, although IL WA
2Ia9Sss t,JiGE,'At fhSS -npfnesrt n 4sAil ho{u IN
sight We hoisttd signal OF distress, and
lshe bore down for us. She proved to bo an
English ship called the symmetry, loaded with
coal, bound 10 Acapclco. Capt Thompson
her commander, took us all oh board, aud IN
n short time We saw the fine ship llumayoon
'kurnt to tho waters edge.
We remained on board the Symmetry 4.
days when n large ship hove in sight and in
answer TO our signal hove to. She proved tc
be the American ship FanNhon, of Ncwbury-
port, Capt Iuut, bonncf to San Francisco
She loaded at Baltimore with coai nc The same
time We did, aud was we'll acquainted with
Williams, Judge of his nstonishmcnt 10 learn
that we were on board the Symetry. lie im-
4mcdiatcly invited us - come on board his
fneshiP, and we at once accepted the inw-
! tation, Tic sliip was 1000 tons burtfcn, and
had in 1900 tons of coal. Op the 25th of
December, when VIC wore in the faOihc, ! 200
miles from land, w2discnvcTed The fanchon
to bo on fire Efforts were immediately made
I to make her a. tight "a possible, and Capt
Lunt shaped his course for the main land.-
We were on this burning ship three weeks
and imagination cRnnet conceive the anxiety
of our minds during this time. We never
saw n sail Of any kind from the time the fire
was lirsthiscovorcd until we saw thc land, and
then. nothing but thosc little "Carimarans."
Captain bunt ran the slip into n small Iay
called the ,Bayof SuchurH, aud anchored n
l..nt t,,n t,,;lra from, th,, shore M 4 e,fiopk r.