Burlington free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1827-1865, 1854-01-20

great fears were entertained that the vessel would
be unable to hold together much longer At obou,
O'Clock in the morning. she waa struck a,nidshins
bya violent sea carrying the entire nnin saloon the
{. pnddlc-boxcs and sinokc-stacks overheard which
caused the hurricane deck to break in half and fin
upon the cabin floor. When the sea struck the YES
sci, it prccpacd itself into the lower cabin where
the passengers were still engaged in PRAYER and in
santly there were three feet of water in That mart Of
the vessel. The horror Of that moment cannot be
described. Families had been gathered torcther.
cl'nGlnS 10 each other Fathers. mothers, brothers
ana sstcis-irom the gray-haircd veterans of the
! Army, to the child which nestled at the mothcr,s
brca't-ali were seen CROPPING their way through the
water to the upper deck Several, in the excitement
OF the moment sprang overheard, and many of the
nrSt VINO reached the deck under tic imnrcs
that the steamer laundering. and that il Womb
he useless to go below again. | was of the number
who entertained this opinion. We remained many
hours upon the deck, the washing over Us at every
lurci of the vessel, and the cold northwest wind
chilling us to the heart. | never experienced such
intense cold 1t had been truly said hv one of the
oldest sailors on board, who lad brnvcd many a
storm, and had saved many life under pcrous cir
cunstances, that persons had never met SO untn,elv
Il grave III such glorious conflict of the elements
Tor while the sea was running-to use II cant phrase
phrase, nut true one" mountains high" the sl,y
was clear as on summers day, and the sun was
shining as brightly ever remember to have seen
IT, Ohc OF the most hcart.ronding sights that ever
witnessed occurred upon the deck 1t was that of
Or. Hatterlcc, veteran surgeon Of the Army whose
hair had grown white in the service lie was lvin,
on the deck with but his night garment upon him.
md perfectly drcnchcd with water His limbs had
been severely bruised in the general crash He was
however, carried below, and. am glad to say Is
among the number who were rescued in the Kilbv
1t was fearful sight t. look upon the water n,mc-
nlat'Iy after the accident saw not less than 100
human beings clinging to sparS, doors and such
other fragments as they could obtain for the prcscr
walton of their ivcs, but the next wave sealed their
fate and they were hurried without II moments mo-
ticc into eternity.
Two of the passengers remained upon dcq, for five
hours after the accident under the supposiion that
nothing but the deck itself was left and that il was
i'ontlng at tho mercy of the waves. One of these
persons was brought down stairs with his hands and
feet frozen.
, In the lower cabin, meanwhile. the CONSERVATION
=, cannot be depicted. 1t battles descriptions | no.
reed one family particularly when went bclow.-
Inc affection which seemed to exist among its mem
bcfS, even i'll that hour of peril was truly brau;i-
luI light The mother. the father, the daughter. and
4 the grandchildren were all clingng together and
seemed each one more interested in the fate of the
other, than in their individual safety. alluIc to
Major Merchant and his family They are all saved
--t'nd be thanked
On Sunday, December 2j. service was read to the
passengers by Rev. Mr.. Cooper. and PRAYERS for
speedy dclivcmnoc were offered up by Mr. AspinwalI
ana others The storm continued to rage upon that
day, and towards evening Lieutenant Murray who
had been the life and support as it were of others
whose spirits had given way, reported a sail il,
sight. Soon after found, a> she auproarbcd that
1t was the brig Napoleon, of Portland and, in rculy
TO hall from Captain Watkins, her Captain promis-
/ cd t. lay alongside until the passengers cnuId Ia,
| taken on board but unfortunately that night n Sc
we're gale Sprane up, and in the morning the Ma
poIcan was invisible. Lieutenant Murray sill en-
c"nragrd US with the fond hope that we were in the
track of vessels, and we need not despair Towards
evening the welcome words :" 4 sail in sight -, were
again passed from mouth to mouth On her nnprooch.
ing us we found her to be the Maria Freeman,
(b"und to Liverpool. Nova Stotia.) When She came
wnhn mailing distance We spoke her, and she prom
iScd to remain near Us.
That night the gale continued still from the north
west and the next morning the Maria Freeman had
also disappeared. A strange fate seemed TO be
hanging over us, and despair was more clearly de-
pctcd upon every countcnancc. All hopes seemed
now to have vanished, and had it not been for
Lieutenant Murray-thc Good samaritan of our l tie
n"ck-nany. fear, would have lost their rca SON
me SulcfInGS and prrntions Of the ladies oan ONLY
be imagined. Most of them lost all their barrnrr
en-" 'HGIE article of raimcnt excepting few which
On December Is, owing to the imprudcncc of the
waters in eating some picked cabbage and such ar
'clcS rs they could procure, the darrhma broke
OUT IN the ture-Glbin of the vessel Johnson the
head waiter was the first victim and the corpsrs of
several others, dying from the same cause, were
committed to the deep. This melancholy circum-
stance was only known To few on board. During
the morning the bark k,ibv from New Orleans and
Sc" snort OF provisions and WATER and promised to
remain at"hGSric OF u. The n'n morning, c"Tatn
~ H"'nT 6'dT"'" IN" A'"y "tF an Mh1H 81 Wc tHtcd
nnn .'''""'"' 'p"I"''c" 'P'y ne o"HFS Hl',-
~ "' 80 ""y y W' @'?"!- ~ ~ mr. Hc'"lr on ,
';"n ms ''SS' as iraS P3>$"' III" t"r'h'r agreed to
~ tn' captain 200 day, on behalf of the Pacific
t;l"it Ht3"m'hip oomiany,to lay alongside in case
ne :"'ulP oe "DIiScd to ito so for any treat length
W 'sr'i 4"G captain was also to receive > 900 for
'S''"".c c"hd'ct ~ 1"HrhhE ms b1dts wtcH has crtr
a." 'G"''' me d"V. AT ) o'cloGk, =, NJ, the
ha"s'r was run to the bow of the hWy, and soon
"'Icr inc Ilacnharkation of the passengers COM
"cnven' Inc bQatS continued plying to and fro
uh'h a'k' al "Il'h time about one hundred passcn-
gers Had hecN Transferred to the kiDy. The las.
boat winch crossed was Swampcd alongside of her
At about 10 o'clock that night the hawscr which
had been RIM from tho ston,,e. ,, .i " ny
following morning finding ourselves ONT Of si,,bt nf
the steamer aud exceedingly short of provi.inr
council was held in the cabin rs to the most iudci
which should be pursued Several of thr
superior officers suggested the proprl,tv or orr
giving up all hopes of the steamer and Steering far
the nearest land. Lieutenant Murray howGvrr
and of the junior officers appealcd To the svu
pithies ofthose on board calling npon them IN stamd
her cnurSc towards tb, l,t;,rdo ,,.l,.., IL,