Port Tobacco times, and Charles County advertiser. (Port Tobacco, Md.) 1845-1898, 1854-01-19
MOST APPALLING CATASTROPHE!

The sad fate Of the steamer San Francisco
has been ascertained, and, although it appears
that all the souls on board Of her have not
gone down with that Inflated vessel, the
fac, that she has foundered, and that t,oo hun
dred and forty seven human beings haze
persisted in the sea, is enough to "harrow up
the soul" Of every one, who he's the COM
mon feelings of humanity. We confess,
says an exchange, that we never considered
it probable, since the first intelligence reach
ed us, of the condition of the San Francisco,
when seen with her signals of distress, tina.
she would weather the dreadful storm and
continuous bad weather. The shipwreck
and catastrophe, however, appalling as i. is,
is less so then we expected. Thanks to
kind Providence, and the humanity Of Eng
llsh and American seamen, who went to the
rescue of the surviving sufferers, nearly five
hundred persons have been saved from an
impending end awful calamity 1t appears
that it was on Christmas day, Che 25Ih ul-
tlmo,) and at nine o'clock, thai heavy sea
sruck the steamer amidships, carrying away
both smoke stacks, ell the upper saloon,
staving the quarter deck, and washing over
board large number Of persons, besides
killing three Of the ships crew. What .
melancholy and appalling contrast does this
catastrophe present, to the condition and en-
|joyments of the people on shore and espe-
cially of that great city, which the poor VIC
had off fop ho
usual festivities Of "merry Christmas"
We subjoin, for the information of our
readers, the following particulars Of this
"awful catastrophe" as we find them con-
densed in the National IntelHgencer, of
Saturday morning:
New York, January 18th.
The Ship Three Bells has arrived with one
hundred and sixty persons saved from the steam
er San Francisco, which foundered at sea on the
| 5th of January.
| Those who have arrived include about one hun
dred officers and soldiers and most of the crew OF
gers were taken off the sinking ship by the barque
Kilby, bound for Boston, and many by the ship
Antarctic, bound for Liverpool.
| Most OF the cabin passengers, together with as
many soldiers as it was deemed prudent for her tc
take, numbering in all about one hundred persons
are on board the barque kilby.. The ship Antarc.
tic has on board the residue of the troops, and
Capt Watkins, of the steamer San Francisco, who
has proceeded to Liverpool with them to see that
they are properly cared for.
| In the gale of the Odd December the San Fran.
cisco preached to twice, and was much disabled
On the Oath all her spars and sails were blown a.
way. At one O'Clock in the morning of the 25tt
the engine stopped in consequence of the breaking
| of the piston rod, and left the vessel totally un
manageable, the sea at the same time striking heI
tremendous blows under the guards, tearing up
the planking fore and aft on both sides, and caus
ing the ship to leak badly. In the evening of the
1st of January the British ship Three Bells was
spoken, and laid by the steamer till the Sd, wher
her boat was got alongside. On the same day the
ship Antarctic discovered and bore down for the
steamer, and on the 4th both ships commenced
taking off the passengers, together with the neces
| sary provisions and water, which was accomplish
ed by six O'Clock in the evening. The next morn.
ing they took off the officers and crew, Capt. Wat
kins having been the last man to leave the ship
which had been with difficulty kept afoat for ten
or twelve days.
Those lost overheard are Col. John M. Wash
ington, Major Geo. Taylor and his wife, Capt
| H. B. Field, Lieut.. r. H. Smith, three civilians
and two ladies whose names are not reported, and
some two hundred and thirty of the troops. o.
the crew of the ship there were eleven deaths
from the time she was disabled till the 9th INST.
The large daily papers are crowded with
most thrilling narratives, related BY differ
en-, individuals whose experience on board
the Inflated steamer was of the most terri.
BILE character. We have not room for NOR
than few brief statements. The follow
ing are from the american Of Tuesday:
| The San Francisco, during the fourteen
days preceding her deser,ion. drifted four
hundred and eighty miles in an east half
north direction, magnetic; being equal to
one and fve-sixlh knots per hour, during
ten days and twenty-five and half hours
Most Of this time the wind blew strong from
the westward.
| The number Of lives lost cannot be clear
ly sscer,sined, bu, it is stated by some Of
the officers that much larger number oil
men were swept away by the first sea
which broke over the San Francisco than
was q, first supposed. According to their
statement, certainly two hundred and per.
haps two hundred and fifty, were hurried
into eternity by that single wave.
Dr.. WeriZ states that the mortality BY
disease is not so great as was al hrs. report
ed When the cargo was being thrown o
yer board, a number of barrels containin!
picked cabbage and preserved meats wer
broken open, and eaten in large quan,iie
by the troops. The disease resulting from
this diet could no. be distinguish from chol
era. Dr.. Wer,z supposes tina, not more thai
twenty or thirty persons died from this cause
The conduct Of the soldiers on board tn
steamer has been generally represented se
have been good, but we observe that tn
N. Y. Tribune states on the authority Of ont
of the officers of the San Francisco, tina
robbery was the order Of the day, du'in!