Virginia free press. (Charlestown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1832-1916, 1854-04-27
TERRIRIr sHIpWRECK.


E1u Particulars % the Loss % tnt Sr1R
fouhatan--Aosf Terrible
We oorg DE foo~ ing account q tlis terrible as
nstsr from lie New York Herald Of Friday morning,
Which Paper was furnished full particulars ny sRes
rePoriers.
Two htn1Eed and fly human heinss have 1esa
swept together into eternity Nenen anu en-
o1en-there Is not one Ieft TO tel ne tale =.
On Monday erening last, hearing that snip WIN
= large nan,Eer q ,asseneers on hoard was ashore
on Long Beach, NJ J. we despatched one OF %. y
portrs % The Of the disaster WHO arrisea tnste
On Tuesday morning. and sound ihAi ,ns snlP roN-
hAtan, Captain Meyers with Two hundred PASSENGERS
on board. Of BALTIMORE, bound from harre 70 New
York had been cast ashore on Saturday night on me
outside bar, about midway between Barnega, ana
Egg Harbor lnlets
When FIRST discovered by Capt Jennings OF Long
Beach, which was on sunday morning she lay with
her head 10 the south the decks were crowded With
passengers and the sea was making 3 clean breach
over her. The wind blowing perfect gale rom ne
snott h-northeAst the waves ran mountains mgh,
twisting the ship ahcIt in the sand as II she were
merely cork boat Seeing the condition Of the YES
sell Capt Jennings. Who IS Stationed as wreck-rs-
yer on ne beach sent all the men that were a. ms
command, thp-agh the snow storm was raging sio-
iently 70 thss Government House IN order 70 pring
down the life and Other wreeking apparatus ana
sooa "A Shore himself watching the eee's Of 'ne pa
low upon the ill-afed vessel.
Hour aftef hour slipped by, but the men did not
return with the lie car The vessel became uneasl-
err and many unfortunate people were swept on ~
the heavy surf About o'clock n NJ one immense
wave washed fully one hundred persons overheard,
who were carried away down the beach by the NJ
deftow Some Of them came ashore and were ftcS-
cd up lifeless by Mf. Jennings who searched N vain
amongst the number f0r survivor but all had
breathed their last before tAey reached the beaeh,
being aNfGlIy mineAd hy the force Of me waves
pushing theta against The huh Of the vessel and
throwing them With violent force upon the beach.
AT this time, Capt Meyers, who was On the deck
of the Powhatan all this while, called out in loud
voice to Mr. Jennings, entreating him to try and
saTe some II those who might be washed ashore
Capt Jennings, replied that all those who came
ashore were dead, and that it was use looking
for them as they were all killed before they got OUT
Of the water
About seven O'Clock, the ships uiasts went by the
board, and alEnost Immediately afterwards the hull
bursted III two and every soul board was lannch-
ca into eternity. The presented black mass Of
human heads and floating pieces Of the wreck, bat
in few moments all had sunk to rise alive
The beach was strewn with the dead bodies Of
women and Fhildren, pieces Of the wreck the bag
gage Of the passengers, and empty casks. Nothing
remained to mark the spot where the Inflated ship
had went ashore, except surging waves beating
upon FRAGMENT Of a hulk which lay upon the
beach ,
The crying q the drowning men and the shriekinng
Of the Momsn and children was hpshed-ail lay IN
the deep. numbered with the dead, while the wind
walled loEd and monrniully adding still more horror
10 the awful catastrophe. All had sunk-caFtaln,
officers, crew and passengers oftwo hundred persons
moi sou itras lcff 10 tell The tale No aid came
from the government house that night and Capt
Jennings was compelled TO remain there by himself,
q lonely Watcher of. the dead
On Monday morning four men arrived from the
station house, but their help came TOO late. The
storm it seems, was so severe that while on their
way back 10 the wreck on Sunday, with the Life car
and mortar two Of them fell down EXHAUSTED and
the whole party were obliged TO return nearly frozen
to death. This party OF men, under command of
Capt. Jennings set Immediately about finding and
gathering together those bodies that had been wash
cd ashore In the short space Of an hour nearly
twenty women and children were found, almost
naked, scattered sloug the beach, some Of them
dreadfuly bruised and cut.
One man was found about ffty yards from the
beach upon the sand Hills, with child in bis arms
and from his condition ii is supposed that he, alone
Of all On board reached the shore alive crawling out
Of reach 81 the waves, in order to save his own life
and that Of tile infant in his arms fell down exhans
ted on thesand and was frozen TO death during the
the night The child was firmly locked in his arms,
quite dead, appeared as lift had also died ashore
from exposure.
The whole of this day was spent ia searching for
the bodies of THE unfortunate people, But one man.
was found among the number all the rest being wo-
men and children They appeared to have been in
excellent health With rosy cheeks and smiling faces,
looking as III they were asleep rather than dead
They were all laid side by side, until boat could
be got TO carry them 10 the shore.
On Thursday twttty-two bodies were removed
from the beach TO the village Of Manahawkin. These
consisted Of one man and twenty-one children, all
apparently, Ny their features, appearing to be Ger
mans, the women who had any clothes on being
dressed in course materials with heavy shoes, SONG
ofthem wooden ones. All the dead were conveyed
to an clubhouse Of Squire Feckworths where they re-
manned until collins could be made for them
This melancholy task Of making rcceptaeles for
the dead occupied the attention Of the men residing
in the village, while the woman were busily employ
ed in washing the bodies and laying them out, pre-
paratory To their being placed in the collins. Too
much praise cannot be awarded to the inhabtans Of
Manahawkin for their zeal aud industry in given
decent burial 10 the dead.
Our reporter visited the dead house, where lay in
tiers one above the other. women and children, pre-
senting shocking and painful spectacle. The whole
evening was fspent in making collins and shroud;
and was until midnight that these kind hearted
people dessted in their abors which were trying in
the extreme