Weekly national intelligencer., 1854-01-21
WRECK OF THE SAN FRANCISCO.

II WhECh OF THE SAN FRANCISCO
The New York papers Of Saturday are occupied
with extensive accounts of the terrible series of
disasters which lately befel the steamer San Frau
eisco ending in the wreck and total loss of that ship,
the leading particulars of which were published in
our paper on Saturday.
The tale of this disaster the New York Courier re-
mark might have been tragica could hardly
have been more sorrowful From the oath of December
to the ID of January she was the prey of the winds and
the waves each struggling with the other for entire DOS
session of her Such hoyday week as that which pass-
ed on board that wretched vessel has, thank Heaven
rarely been recorded What irony must have seemed 10
lurk in the wishes for merry Christmas if any were
uttered there and week after what mockery in those
for happy New Year. The fatal day was the former
Christmas day saw one hundred and fifty and more
hurried into eternity at fell woop before the eyes of
four hundred others who did not know which Of them
would the next moment share the fate of their compan
IONS The memory of this dreadful sight must have add
ed tend horrors the proracted miseres Of the sue
ceedng week That shock added to the wofu conscious
Of utter hepessness which have peryaded the
still thronged vessel enough to unnerye the stouest
heart and amid pity for the human souls who were
so sorely tried, feel admiration which almost ap-
proaches envy for the quiet enduring hopeful forttude
! their fate
Two of the saddest features of the story are the con-
tinua nroads which death making upon their
bcrs and the hopes which raised again and again
BY the appearance Of vessels promising aid only to be
destroyed again by their disappearance in the night
Those hapless fighting the watersnch by nch
which, IN spite OF their struggles gained inch after ch
upon them (; women and children covering under
wet blankets in dismantled cabin famshed Wi munger
AM Wit
daily dying by the score; and in the midst Of all this
misery, vessel after vessel hove in sight spoke few en-
couraging words and borne away on the relentless
wings OF very blast which hurryng the fated yes
sci to its doom. One ship herself short of provisions
found time and opportunity to pick up Of those
which the San Francisco cast away and proted by
the calamity which she could do nothing to alleviate one
promised help which her officers found it impossi-
BILE to give consistently with their owp safety one rem
dered partial assistance, for which her commander de-
serves the hearty thanks which viii be offered him by hum
dreds and fends bat two one ofthem
herself in Distress stood by the sinking steamer nobly to
the last and by their daring and constaacy have
made the nation their debtor
Captain Watkins appears the greatest advantage in
all accounts of the sorey trying circumstances in which
he was placed The heavy responsibility under which he
labored, instead Of overwhelming over-excitng him.
seems to have stimulated his exerons, kept his udg
ment clear, and his will nfexibe All possible Of
relief and precauon seem to have been adopted, and
with much could be hoped for under the
circumstances; but we must not forget to award due
honor to the forude and subordination which were ex
hibied by all board the vessel and which have
done much tighten the heavy task of her unfortunate
but brave and clear headed commander.
The loss of the San Francisco teaches by bitter
useful lesson and that is that with guards
ou1d Iowa rooi1u tho tIonfr fofo ~
three steamboats, of lighter build has foreshadowed this
great calamity and is but too plain that the very ad
dtonal strength of the guards Of the San Francisco
which her builders supposed would ensure her safety
the direct of the sad catastrophe which
cord this morning Indeed it is plain that just in pro-
portion to the strength with which the guards steamer
fastened into her hull is their power rend her to
pieces In storm. They become huge levers for the
waves whose heave racks the vessel her centre
If this lesson be not thrown away upon ship owners
and constructors the loss of the San Francisco sad as it
is, will not be all in vain ~.....
LOG OF THE SAN FRANCISCO.
At A. M. Thursday morning, December o. ship left
anchorage off Quarantine with light breeze from south
west and clear weather. and discharged plot hove log
ship making "a knots per hour. During the night wind
and weather much the same.
Dec a. (sea time Moderate breezes from the west
and cloudy weather. employed in bending studding sails
for making all SAIL At about P. M. wind died away
10 Hgnt paDg aTs The weather looking threaten
ing, furled all sail ship going 81 knots At P. NJ.
wind came out suddenly and with tremendous force from
the northwest, causing heavy sea. At 10 P. NJ ship
broached to set fore spencer and fore staysa when she
again fell off before it, set foresa and gave the engineer
orders to give her all the steam he thought prudent shin
went along 10 knots until IL P. NJ when she again
broached to in tremendous sea oil endeayors to get
her off were unavailing blew sway forestaysa hauled
up the foresail
At about IL NJ. blew away forespencer and fore
sail from the lee yardarm; put lashing the head
Of the panker to haul out the clew sp abored heavily
ordered the excepting hose who could Law
about the floor of the upper saloon. All this time the
ship abored very heavily, laying in tho trough Of the
sea- every striking her tremendous blows The engine
stopped the end of the airpump pstonod breaking off
and the air pump buckets consequently adrf AT this
time the spanker blew away leaving the ship ntrely at
the mercy Of the wind and waves She was making con-
siderable water. Steam pumps were kept running and
hand pumps manned but the water gaining the troops
organized in bailing gangs pass up Though
the engine Att A. NJ the foremost went over the
side with all attached breaking about six feet above up
per deck.
At 8 A. M. shipped heavy amid-ships, which
stripped starboard paddlebox, carried away sarboard
after king post both all the upper saloon
stavng half the quarter deck through and washing over
board large number Of soldiers, Col Washington Major
Taylor and wife, Capt Field and two ladies' (names un-
KNOWN three civilians (unknown,) al Of whom in
the saloon, the soldiers having been admitted to the
loon, owing to the severity of the weather waiter
Ducke the carpenters brother killed by the crash
Up to this time the had been kept under but this
raised the water in the ship much that the soldiers
almost gave up in despair and only by the great
exerons the ship kept afoat gang of soldiers
set apart to hold blankets round the shaft prevent