Washington telegraph., 1854-08-09
Collision at Sc a.
,oss of the ships Trade Wind and olymI

:
The ships Trade Wind and Olympus came in
..,I;sion at ii O'Clock on the night OF June 26,
rbich resulted in the loss OF both ships and twen-
ty-iour lives. al er
.,1I on 23d of Nav, for Boston with forty pas
gSengers and crew numbering thirteen.
Tb. Trade Wind, Capt. Smith, cleared at Mo-
,ga on the Sd ut.. for Liverpool. with seventeen
nsssengers and a crew OF thirty-iour.
On the night above mentioned, 1t being very
,..,, tbe weather thick and the wind blowing
s,sb tbe two ships came in collision, when the
boys of the Trade Wind and Olympus were stove
!" and both vessels filled and went down within
ta,y bours. The captain, thirty-seven of the
nossangers and ten of the crew of the Olympus.
aII the passengers and ten of the crew of the
Tn.5o Wind were saved This shows the .oss of
!Lo olympus TO be three passengers and three of
Io I crew. Eighteen of the Trade Winds crew
''Ttb Tba cargo of the Trade Wind was composed of
,c5- bales cotton. The sea was running very
t;ooyv though the wind moderated FAST The
III, gradually settled as the cotton become soak
ed. -.... .
lows:
load union down. to attract attention. In the
mean TINE INC WIZ N VI ucetiuSIiou "ehl idPiuiy
nr in the ships hull.
The upper deck burst and commenced break
mo M. permitting the cotton TO float; the spare
sn9rs. skylights. matches, companion ways. etc,
rare carried off, whrling and turning over while
within the vortex surrounding the ship. to the dis
.,nce Of some so yards. but making fine RATS af-
tar retting beyond the circle
The ship settled with every sea that swept her,
i;I about G30 A. NJ, she made her final plunge.
sinking very fast carrying all down with her to
some depth, when we Immediately rose again to
4be surface. surrounded by the planklng of the
Jack and few bales of cotton.
The expert swimmers Immediately united and
collected all the floating planks and spars at hand
and formed RATS on which we divided ourselves
4, the number of sixteen men, while others took
n the foremast. which had remained by the ship
mtiI she sank. and was still atioat.
The rest sank to rise no more the foremast
uust have proved but temporary refuge. as the
descending ship must have drawn it down as she
settled as some Of the rigging was attached to it.
After recovering our strength. much exhaust
ed BY our almost superhuman efforts in forming
our raft in the very heavy sea running at the
+imel we took occasion 20 improve and add to
them from time to time, ont ofthe mass of wreck
ed stuff around us, until about AZ P NJ. or after
fen hours exposure to our perilous and exposed
situafion we were mercifully rescued by the boats
of the Belgian barque Stadt Antwerpen.
The Trade Wind was of the finest clippers
huilt in New York She was 5.O1S tons burden
about three years old, valued at 100000, and is
largely insured in Wall street Her freight is
valued at $4,000, and the cargo at about $780,
OOO the latter being principally insured in Eng
lard. She was owned by w. Platt & Son. of
Philadelphia, and Booth & Edgar and others of
New York.
The Olympus was built in Kennebunk, in 1880
and was 744 tons register worth about $780,
900. the cargo 100000, and the freight Si5,OOO
The Olympus was insured at the eastward. where
it is presumed the cargo portion OF it is also
insured.