, 1853-07-16
Loss Of an American Ship and nearIy Tv,
Hundred Lives.

The Nc,c York Herald has the followiD,
particulars Of this disaster:
"The barque William & Mary, command.
ed by Captain Stinson, left Liverpool aboS,
two months ago, with two hundred and nv
passengers, principally emigrants, and a cs,
60 Of railroad iron, for New Orleans. n,
the Sd of May, they entered the danperos
channels of the Bahamas, with the mos, un-
favorable weather; the sky was clouded, M
wind blowing strong from the soulh-e,Si
with heavy sea. About seven O'Clock !,
the morning, the barque passed the Holeiu
the Wall,' the most southern point Of n,
Island of Abaco, so called from one Of d,
most prominent rocks on the coast BEN,
perforated with large hole, which is visi5ss
a considerable distance at sea. Passing IN
in safety, Captain Stnson steered for Stimn
Key, which at 10 M. was ten miles dislant
the weather becoming more clouded and IL.
wind increasing.
Till the afternoon, the vessel kept on b,,
course without accident Of any kind, buta
half-past eight o'clock she struck on sunI,
en- rock, on which she remained for aboul
fifteen minutes, during which time she 4.
ceived extensive damage The captain. 1
appears, bad at sunset lost sight Of The ke1
and supposed that it lay to the south, as X
had steered northwest from IL O'Clock.
few minutes before the accident, however
he changed his course, steering west 5,
south, and did not discover. his mistake untl
the moment the barque struck. The Seen,
presented on board the doomed vessel at Ai,
moment was terrible in the extreme. Abou
fifteen minutes elapsed before she wore Of;
but she had scarcely got clear of this nst
when she struck on another, and began b
fill with water so rapidly as 10 render al h
Dor at the pumps utterly useless. Atmd.
night the wafer had gained so rapidly on he
sinking vessel that it was four fleet in De
hold, and at four A. M. eight feet. Scarce.
ly had the day dawned when it was anuoun,
ced that there were ten feet of water in lie
hold, and the pumps were abandoned in d,s
pair.
The boats, the last resort Of the terror
stricken passengers, were unshipped lion
the davits but of four or FIVE all excepttus
were swamped. The Captain and his crew,
and about thirty passengers got into then.
the remainder, numbering little less thaniup
hundred souls, being left, from terrible be-
cessity, 10 their fate. There they stood On
the deck, vaihly calling for that assistance
which il.was impossible to render without
risking the lives Of the few who had gosin-
to the boats. In few minutes after ihey
left the vessel went down, and all on boald,
numbering about one hundred and seventy
human beings, persisted. Finding it impo.
sible to keep the boats together, they SeEe
10 separate, and after tossing
about some hours the crew and passengen
in them were picked up. II would appeH
that one of the boats was manned entirely
by the crew-all the passengers being
crowded into the other. Oftbis, however
we are not certain, but supposed that ihes
were three dt four of the crew in the boll
the passengers.
After beating about for several hours, q
we have said, the captain, first and second
mates, and crew were taken up BY CAPT
Edward Cobb, Of the brig Reuben CarysE
bound from Sagua La Grande 10 this pot,
The haste with which they were compelled
to leave the vessel rendered it impossible
for them to save any property, and some
were glad to escape only half dressed. CAPT
Cobb informed US that he saw the passengsn
aken up by vessel which he supposed y
be English, so that no apprehension ned
be entertained Of the passengers who made
heir escape in the boat"