Daily national era. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1854, 1854-01-16

OF 1000 ton ship. About O'Clock the fore
mast came down, crushing in the hurricane
deck Saturday morning, the gath, had at
last dawned upon IN, and this awful night had
| AN end.
While passing between the second and after
cabin, felt q tremendous sea strike the ship,
but had no idea Of the awful consequences.
1t was the denouement--the finale Of the aw-
full tragedy which had been going on through
the night An overwhelming sea had struck
the ship on her starboard quarter, carried
away tho s.arboard paddlebox, both emoke
stacks, the whole promenade deck abaft the
paddle boxes two rows OF stale rooms, OF twelve
each on the main deck, and stove In the main
deck hatch This was the smallest part Of the
havoc. AT one fell swoop nearly one hundred
and fifty human beings We're swept into eter-
nifty Two Of all the crowd succeeded in re-
gaining the ship---Mr Rankin, IN army snt-
tier, and Mr.. -- merchant Of RIO Janeiro.
The saloon was filed with water to the depth
ef nearly two feet. The females and children,
in their night clothes and wet to the skin, /.
we're scattered on planks; some wailing and
sobbng; some apparently stupcicd; and some
calmly awaiting what seemed their inevitable
fate. All supposed the last hour had arrived,
Maker face to face
Another sea like that which struck us, and
our fate had been that Of the President--not
soul would have survived to tell the tale. We
were in imminent danger of laundering; bnt
our gallant and nndanntcd commander Cap
tain Watkins, directed all his energies to save
lis. To tighten the ship and stop the leaks
we're the first objects. To break np the hatch
es and commence discharging cargo, was the
work OF Il moment Soldiers and sailors All
lent q helping hand, and as each man knew
he worked for his life, all worked with will
Stanchons were placed under the broken
deck, and it was partially forced back to its
place The water gained upon ms rapidly.
The steam pump had become Distracted Fifty
soldiers were detailed to commence bailiBg.
All day and all night the work went ON with
out intermission. Sunday morning, the 25th,
at last dawned uTon us. The sky lighted up
little there was short CLEAN OF sunshine,
and the sea Gained little. sail or two
were seen in the distance, but none approach
ed lis. The work of bailing and pumping went
on, and we had gained ON the leak, Monday,
the 26th, the gale continued with little abnte-
ment. All night Sunday the tempest roared
round our devoted ship. The waves Numbered
against our sides and stern like cannon ut the
gates Of q beleaguered city. Sleep was out Of
the question For three nights we had had
none. We discovered sail not far off, On
approaching us, she proved to be brig we
spoke her. She reported herself short Of pro-
visions, and after supplying herself with bar
rels of beef and pork we had thrown overheard,
she went on her way,# On Sunday, the 27th,
discovered another sail bearing down upon us.
She proved to be the bark Kilby, Of and for
Boston, from New Orleans loaded with cotton,
thirty.iye days out. By authority of Colonel
Gates, commanding the detachment she was
49, e. n... -.
to the nearest accessible post. Tuesday was
too rough to disenbark any part Of the com.
mand, but on Wednesday, the 2Sth, Col Gates
and family, Major Merchant and family Col
Burke, Captains Fremont and Judd, with their
families, Drs. Satterlcc and Wirts, with some
others whose names are not recoflected were
safely embarked on board the Kilby Some
forty or fifty soldiers, and some soldiers wives,
also embarked-in all nearly one hundred per-
SONS Night came on, and put q stop to any
further operations. 1t had been agreed that
the barque should lie by ns till all on board the
steamer wero disembarked, hut it came on to
blow heavily in the night and in the morning
she had disappeared, and we saw her no more.
When in the morning, we could trace no YES
tige Of her on the remotest verge Of the hori-
zon, we experienced the sickness of heart from
hope deferred.
We had now Thursday, the 29th) reached
the sixth day since the storm commenced A
very large portion of the ships stcerage had
been filed with cargo, provisions, military
stores, NC. The consequence was, that the por-
ton left for the soldiers was much crowded 1t
had been expected We should soon be- in 6ne
weather, and that they could sloep comfortably
in standee bertl,s on deck When the storm
came that was impossible, and they were con-
sequcntly driven below. Crowded in narrow
quarters, exposed to cold and wet obliged to
be fed on an insufficient diet in consequence OF
the loss OF the galleys and the impossibilty Of
cooking for such numbers, it is no matter of
surprise that disease soon made lis appearance.
Add to this the influence Of depressing passions,
anxiety Of mind, fright and dependency, aud
it is no wonder they sickcnei and died The
disease more nearly than anything assumed
the form OF Asiatic cllolera--eommencing with
diarrhGa and terminating in few hours. The
charge OF the sick fell upon the surgeon Of the
ship Nearly all the medicine in the ship had
been either washed overheard or destroyed.
The mortality was necessarily great For sew
eral daysit averaged ten deaths day.
During Thursday and Friday our eyes were
not gladdened by single sail. During the
night Of Friday or the morning Of Saturday
the 3lst, the cheering eound rang through the
vesset that y snip was ~ hand. when the
morning dawned, We discovered vessel with
English coors She came near enough to speak
us but the wind was so light as to render it
quite impossible. We succeeded in making her
understand our situation, which, indeed was
sufficiently obvious She promised to lie by us
The weather during Saturday aud Sunday was
too rough to attempt to lower boat There
was, too, another dilemma. The English ship
had bat one reliable boat the longboat. We
had none at ALL On Monday, the I'd Of Jann-
ary the sea Gained so much that towards
evening the English ship lowered her yawl
boat, and our second mato, Mr. Grattan, went
ON board OF her
On Tuesday the Sd January, our hearts were
gladdcned by another sail, under American
colors, the Antarctic three days out from New
York, bound for Liverpool. She had five good
boats The English ship was now ascertained