Semi-weekly North-Carolina standard. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1852-1853, 1853-05-04
,oss OF THE INDEPENDENCE.

9, received by the steamer Star Of the West, at
Nav York, came to hand last night. w to e.t
hiod consequently, TO give below detailed
rT daadfnl catastrophe announced in ourcolumns
by telegraph heretotore-the loss o. ~" $50. H,,as
denendence with one hundred ana wv ''.0
we copy the following dea1ieo aiiu Wb;snd Ad
ing g ,hs Ist Instant the editors OF when pa
VeI''Sea - the particulars from Dr.. b. forbett
pc. of the independence. and one OF the sur
vivoTs: ,,,,,,r,vr
1,he island upon which the Inflated steamer was
,yrscked is situated ON the coast OF Lower Ca'''
MIA, 1877 miles north oil the point known % III. oI
=" Eape'' ST. Lucas. The coast in this region, oou
and rock bound is in many places lnaccessioie Lor
eeseIs or boats and presents an iron barrier " '
lnckless ship coas,ing its rocky projections.
The steamer was going undera nhe heau " ''e"
-, ,ho I6Ib of February, when at daybreak, though
Sfo-o the lobt was perfectly clear, she sHouehiy
III ~ tonned The land could be seen towards
tbs coast but very indistinc'ly Al me 'noh:"' ''
tHo ,cE an Undesirable scene of confusion &C.
sroJ IN hoard A rush was made by Inc PasSen
ro,s to the various hachways, and the upper uecA
60 soon entirely crowded WIN human beings
g., Sampson was on the wheel-house, anu al once
Iprod The engineer TO back her, which was uohe"
IT, o,eamer backing off with apparent ease
coon as the vessel was backed into deep wa'eT'
Cant Sampson gave secret olueIs '""' 'I ftf
LmId he sounded, when il was discovered that inere
-, foot of water in the hold. 1t vas of Im-
o,,.nce that this alarming fact should be KEPT lo"
The Messengers, 10 prevent confusion, WINE i'''ai
moasures were adopted TO beach the snip a' lhe n1d
est available spot. The news "o"erei' I" s,ai
e., fronD mouth TO mouth, and then ensued scene
e ,bicb TO idea can be given, save TO those VINO
have hsen similarly situated. Here was the PoPuid
60 IF small town, witt many women anu cnl!-
S,an death staring them i'll the face, with no visible
49, 49, oF enccor al hand. A rush was at once made
c. he most valuable articles OF private properly
Mapv were thus trampled and bruised But II was
ooD md that the 81 could be Kept anoat ana heI
head was ponted up the coast with Inc intention o.
SpS convenient
c;I;,o,e this an immense amount OF dry WOOD was
heaned into the furnaces, and heaVY Oeau Vi steam
Ient nm Our informant thinks that they must have
IN IN the coast nearly five miles before suitable
I.a ,y,s found During This time quiet had been
somewha, restored board, and the greatest anxiety
was manifested in the progress OF the Vessei Day
Iiuht had now dawned, and they 1onno themselves
INNING along rock bound coast, suTmoun'ea oy
Innsndons mountains entirely destitute of verdure
and apparently unInhaoiteo' ,.,
A. Teang,h a large gully or ravine was discovered,
which appeared to make OUT into sanu Oeach' ana
into this nook the bows OF the steamer We're turned.
The c1owd was now great around the stern, TO
avoid the anticipated danger of the cohcuSslon, that
,he beImsmap could with difficulty steer the ship
she was however, beached handsomely, and with
cnnsiderable force. Had this been the only DANGER
there is no doubt that every soul on board would
have been saved; tu:, In the eXeruons 20 gel up
s,ean TO hurry the vessels progress, d Tremendous
heat had been made in the furnaces the water, now
fast increasing in the vessels hold, stopped the fues
and obs,ructed the draught into the chInDeys; the
furnace doors OF course burst oFen and VIVID
roiuIne of fame twenty ieet IN length shot into the
6rcroum driving every body before II with the in
,ense heat and instantly setting The woodwork into
bl.ze All efforts 10 control the flames were utterly
inefecual ard from this moment the FIRE ran rapidly
over the vessel. But, in describing the origin of
,he ere we have gone beyond the story Of in
formanI. -,
When the steamer was beached with heI bows on,
.,d bsfore the flames had broke ont, rush made
for the bows, but the sea though smooth OH the
on he hPach- hPFa
distance of some three hundred yards between the
vessel and the land. Capt. Sampson now gave the
order to lower away boat, and the chief mate with
one other undertook to carry line 10 the shore the
-rooress of the boat was watched With eager eyes
Nv Inc assembled multitude on board the ship; but
az some of the sailors on board had predicted she
was swamped BY The sHTf, the line Was ost dnd the
venurers with their boat were thrown upon the beach,
two men barely escaping with their lives. a seconI
bo,t was now lowered and manned by volunteers from
among the fremen, who, We do not hesitate 10 say,
have shown themselves the most noble-hedrled and
heroic Of men by their tornoe and courage through
fine terrible scenes which followed. ! hese brave
fellows re, ched the shore and succeeded in making
small three inch hauling line fast to projecting
rock which was once hauled taught by those OIL
board The precise OBJECT Oh ms line we do mol
uercelye as il seems that immediate moi
made of it, and third boat was lowered by order Of
the Captain This boat vas put in charge of Capt
Steel an experienced shiPmaster, tho was passen-
ger on board.
the surf Striking her in the STERN and perhaps tend
ing 10 set her further into the sand The third boa
having been lowered, it was lound that she was hal
full OF water, and oil service unless hauled out
and DR.. CoIbett sPrang into her for that purpose
this effected six ladies were passed down thu
boat. among whom were Miss Conway, Mrs. Haley
Mrs Seymour and Mrs. Coos there were two 9th
or ladies whose names We have not learned; the boa
rode The FIST breaker, but was filled and swampeC
bv the second and those already shore rushed il
10 the rescue OF the ladies and dragged them ih
beach, DR.. Corbet was in this boat, and gaining
the Shore turned towards the ship the cries of
FOR proceeding from her and behed the quarter decl
enveioped in flames.
And now epsued one of the most narrowing scene
ever recorded in the history of shipwreck the flame
leaned rapdly across the after part of the ship, dIi
wing inc masses before it, and dozens sprang into tn
water and were struggling in the suTt. All tn
boats were gone, and 1t was impossible TO re
gain the ship from the shore or TO render any
whatever; dreadful cries and screams proceeded
from the ship, which, ming led with the roaring O
The sea- the cracking of the flames and shouting o
Il those on shore, who could only gaze helplessly o.
the sight must have been an era OF terror In the live
of those who beheld it from the beach. AS til
flames advanced forward, the unhappy victims wer
forced Into the sea, and every surf came fTeIghte
with coTpaes or exhausted halt-dTowned men, wOme
aud children. Such scene has before bee
witnessed on the Pacific coast To add to The ca
element, the fame had communicated In
pow der magazine, which exploded, tearing the ster
TO pieces and spnering all that portion of The ship
the two guns surrounded by the flames, also ser
their solemn booming over the scene.
Those who were fortunate enough to get With
reach Of their friends on shore, were dragged ha
dead of the reach of the surf, while others wei