Lewisburg chronicle. [volume] (Lewisburg, Pa.) 1850-1859, 1854-10-20
IEWISBURG, UNION COUNTY, PENN, FRIDAY, OCT 90 1854

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third mate, who aided US with his assistance.
Many Of the passengers, who deserve great
praise for their coolness and energy, done
all in their power up to the latest moment
before the ship sunk. The chief engineer,
with part Of hi. assistants, had taken one
of the small deck boats ,and before the ship
went down, pulled away with IS persons.
We had succeeded in getting our fore
and main yards and two topgallant yards
overheard, and such other spars and mate
rails that we could collect, when I was
convinced that the ship must 60 down in
short time, and not moment was to be
lost in getting spars lashed together to
form raft, to do which it became neccs-
sary to get the life boat, the only remain
ing boat, into the water.
This being accomplished, saw Mr.. Do
rian, the chief officer of the boat, taking
care to keep the oars on board, to prevent
those in the boat from leaving the ship,
hoping still to get the women and child
sen in the boat at last. They had made
considerable progress in collecting spars,
when an alarm was given that the ship was
sinking, and the boat was showed off with
out oars or anything to hold themselves
with, and when the ship sank, the boat
got clear, probably an eighth Of a mile, to
the leeward. In an instant, about quarter
to 5 p. NJ, the ship went down, carrying
every soul on board with her. l soon found
myself on the surface after a brief struggle,
with my own helpless child in my arms,
when l again found myself impelled down
ward TO great depth, and before l reach
ed the surface the second time, had
nearly perished, aud lost the hold of my
child as l struggled upwards. When l
got upon the surface Of the water the most
awful and heart rending scene presented
itself to my view. Over two hundred men,
women, and children struggling together
amid pieces of the wreck, calling to each
for help, and imploring God to assist them.
Such an appalling scene may God preserve
me from witnessing again. l was in the
act of trying to save my child, when
portion of the paddle box came washing
up edgcways, just grazing my head, and
falling with its weight upon the head of
my darling child. In another moment 1
beheld him lifeless in the water.
l succeeded in getting upon the top
of the paddle box, in company with
eleven others. One, however, soon
after LEFT for another piece, finding it could
not support so many. The others remain
ed until they were. .onc by ione, relieved by
death. We stood in water, at tcmpera-
ture of As degrees, up to our knees, and
frequently the sea broke directly over us.
We soon separated from our friends on
other parts of the wreck, and passed the
night, each one of US expecting every hour
to be our last The wished for morning
came, surrounded with dense fog, and
not living soul could be seen but our
own party. seven men being left.
In the course of the morning We saw
some water-easks and other things belong
ing to our ship, but nothing that We could
gcs to afford us any relief. Our raft was
rapidly settling, as it absorbed water.
About noon S. NJ. Woodruff, of New York,
was relieved by death, and all the others
now began to suffer severely from the want
of water except Geo. L. Allen and myself;
in that respect We were very much favored
although We had not drop while on the
raft. The day continued fcggy, except
just at noon, as far as we could judge.
We had then clear view on about one
half the horizon, and nothing could be
seen but the water and sky. Night came
on thick and dreary, with our minds made
up, that neither of US would again see the
light of another day. Very soon three
more of our suffering party were relieved
by death. Mr. Allen: young man and
myself, were all that we're now left, and
we we're much exhausted. l now sat down
for the first time, at 8 o'clock in the even
ing on a trunk, which providentially had !
been found on the wreck In this way l
slept for awhile during the night, and be-
came somewhat refreshed.
About an hour before daylight, on Fri |
day the Goth, We saw a vessels light near
Us. We all exerted ourselves to the ut
most of our ability in hailing, until We be-
came quite exhausted. IL about quar-
ter of an hour the light disappeared to the
eastward Of US. Soon after daylight a
barque hove in sight to the northwest. As
the fog having lightened little, she was
steering apparently for US, but in short
time she seemed to have changed her
course, and again were doomed to disap-
pointment. Yet feel hopes that some of
our fellow sufferers may have been seen
and rescued by them. t
Shortly after we had given up all hopes
of being rescued by the barque, ship
ma d;ecovered In the eastward. steering