The Bedford gazette. [volume] (Bedford, Pa.) 1805-current, 1854-11-24

| shore 10 return To the wreck Wild Tie hoa's
when they displayed every desire 70 desert him
land for sending bis son, Henry Randall, Jr.,
| tosupply his place on the wreck, N which ca
pacry he Henry acquitted himself IN man
ner lar beyond his years, inspiring all hearts
with hope, and preserving as much order as
| could be preserved under suehexclting clrcum-
stances.
| While the boats We're being lowered. the
| chief steward and storekeeper went below with
gang OF men, and broke out large quantities OF
! provisions, which were sent on the upper deck.
| The pursers prepared 10 save the ships papers
and the valuables left in his possession belong
| ing to the passengers, which have all been safe
| lY delivered 10 their owners. But, gong
below about ten mlnotes after the ship struck,
be found the specie covered with five feet water,
and so rapidly was she filling that the water
| rose in the stern at the rate of SIX inches per
minute, consequently no one dared descend 10
the vault, which he locked, and returned TO the
deck to save what he could OF the express mat
ter, etc, which he succeeded in getting forward,
and in company with some stout hearts, watch
! ed by it all night, while desperadoes were rum
maging and pHlaging the ship, and it was re-
| ported, although not supposed 10 be true, that
man had been murdered on the lower forward
| deck.
| Before dark the promenade deck and houses
aft the shaft had all washed away and others
were torn down to form RATS in readiness for
| immediate departure, in case OF sudden crash,
| for we knew not how soon a gale might strike
the ship, and scatter her tImbers piecemeal on
| the waves.
Night coming on, and the fog which for
short time disappeared, again setting in, the
boats were stopped running, not being able to
find the shore, aud the terrors of our situation
began to stare US in the face for, amid the how
| ling Of the wind, the roaring of the waves, as
they broke upon the deck, and the hoarse or
derS Of the third officer and Mr.. Randall, there
arose the loud accents Of ardent and despairing.
prayer. Confusion, in the widest sense, pre-
vailed, for there were those who had prepared
| to swim ashore, stifening with the coId-those
who had sought to drown their fear in 800 fire.
gueut libations Of the ardent-while some, with
calm resignation, had prepared themselves for
the worst, and awaited their fate in peace. Thus
we passed the dismal night away-made still
more solemn by the church-like tolling of the
bell, which seemed to beck us on 10 our funeral
The scene on shore was equally painful the
boat the first officer commanded, with twenty
one souls, mostly females, was stranded, and
all, Nth the exception of himself and three
others, who were thrown upon the beach appaf-
emily liteless, were lost; and here I would re-
cord an instance of female energy seldom equal
ed, even in the annals of the Revolution A
Mrs. Jane Elwell, who had lexerted herself by
going into the water alongside of the boats, and
carrying the ladies ashore, saw the almost life
less bodies Of two young ladies, and said
to young man, 'sYou take one, and III take
another,' and she picked up one OF The Iadles, !
and placed her her shoulder and carried her |
up an almost perpendicular bluff to a spot where
they had found camp, and built fires, and ai-
forward, together with many other ladies' strip
ped off all her under clothes and gave them to |
the exhausted men.
During the night a number of bodies washed /
ashore among others female with child clasp
ed in her arms. the wife of Mr.. Brennan, who, /
as an extraordinary instance Of devoted love, |
went on shore with spade in haud-dug up his |
wife and chiId-kiSSed them-prayed over
them, and then re-buried them
At daybreak the boats were again set in mo- I
ton, when Mr.. Hewitt came on board, and al |
though much bruised, his heart never forsaking |
him, recommended the discharge Of his du- |
ties with astonishing energy At 8 a. NJ. our
hearts were made glad by the appearance of
steamer on our larboard quarter, winch proved I
90 be the Golah, Samuel Haley, Esq, com
mander, who, as if by kind dispensation of
Providence, appeared sent 10 our relief, for had |
we depended upon our own boats large num-
Der would have been lost, as we could moi get a
shore that day, and that night the wreck went
10 pieces, so nothing in the morning was seen OF
her but she'll OF the stern, which had separa- +
ted and turned bottom up.
To Capt. Haley we feel it particular duty
10 extend our thanks for his promptness in send
ing boats TO our rescue, and receiving six hun
drrd OF our number on board the steamer, in
which we were taken 10 San Diego, whittier
she was bound, where 536 were left until
steamer could be sent to bear them on their
homeward course.
Before leaving the wreck we sent on shore
all the provisions to be found, awning and poles
for tents, bed clothing, &c. for the use of those.
that had remained, whom it was found necessa-
~ TO leave, as the Goiah was too heavily load
ed to receive them. But il is to be regretted
that the actual sufferers never received the pro-
visions sent them, for party composed of the
ships tiremen, insrnsi5le to humanity, and hol-
ding the advantage by having in their posses
sion large quantity of firearms and ammuni-
ton, took for themselves almost every thing
which went ashore, and money was seen in
their possession which they could not have OBJ
tanned honestly.
The Goliah, after making her trip to San Di-
ego, returned to cove about six miles from
the scene of the wreck, where she received the
balance Of the passengers and crew, and started
On the 7th inst. for Monterey and San Francis
co.
1t is supposed that about thirty lives are lost,
whose names with the eXception Of y Eaw |