Lynchburg daily Virginian. [volume] (Lynchburg [Va.]) 1852-1861, 1854-01-18

no sign of the kilby, aud supposed she hiahe i"i
the nearest port, she could not safely have re-
manned looking for Us in the heavy weather when
prevailed.
About two days after This time, the Three Bells
Capt Creighton, came in sight. VIZ first saw hIs
lights during the night, and fired signal guns Tor
assistance. lie bore up for US IN The morning
but the sen ran so high that could only COM
Inunioate by means Of writing questions aud an-
swers with chalk in large letters upon bolrd'
In reply io our request 20 lay by Us he SAID he
wns short of provisions aud leaking badly. lie
wore ship and passed u.s. as he did ~, himsf and
crew gave rs three hearty cheers NJ an assurance
that le would not desert us; be assured we re-
plied To these demonstrations no less literally.
lie drew ahead and laid his vessel to and remaln-
ed by US during the night. On the next day the
sea still running very high, and we having no
boats and he only two, we made two RATS Tor
conveying the passengers on board his SNIP but
found that they could not live IN the sea that was
then running On the third night came near To-
sing him On the fourth day another sail appear
ed 10 wndward of u.s. close by the Three Bells,
and the latter sgnaled her. Both bore down
for Us. The second ship proved 10 be the Ant
arctic bound for Liverpool. Both laid by us
that night as il was too rough To do any thing
more than getting off few of the men. On the
9Th day. being fine we transported all OF the oili-
GERS, passengers and crew, with the exception OF
the ships officers, engineers and firemen, mum
bcrng some % or 30 men. We also succeeded
in getting some provisions and water conveyed
on board the Three Bells. We kept the men at
The pumps during the day and night and discov-
cred and stopped her leak. The next morning
we got off all the remainder of those who were ON
the san Francisco, and made sail for New York,
and the Antarctic sailed for Liverpool.
! cannot accord too much praise to Capt.
Creighton, and his officers for their bravery and
uniform kindness to unfortunatcs. They are
indeed our sayiors, and nothing can possibly re-
pay them for their self sacrificing humanity, save
the warm glow of satisfaction that necessarily
accompanies conduct SO emlnenty humane ana
When we arrived in port we had just halt
days allowance of water and the continuance OF
yesterdays fog would have placed us IN despa-
rate situation. For several days previous we
were put upon short allowance of water, so that
you see we escaped one peril, but came near suf-
ferng another not much less appalling.
DISSIPATION ON BoARp--oUTBREAK or CHOLERA.
One Of the most terrible features of this shock
ing disaster, was the outbreak of cholera, oeca-
stoned by the dissipation of portion of the
troops, and of the white aud colored walters
While the ship was at the mercy of the waves,
many of these individuals, is too often the
case at such seasons. determined since they had
given up the idea of escaping, TO enjoy themselves
before the ship went down. In the confusion that
the store. room was left unfastened,
and the contents were too tempting to be with
stood. They accordingly INDUCED their appe-
ites without restraint, They partook OF preserves,
cakes, swcetmeats, dainties of all kinds al Hbi-
tum and then repaired to the spirit room, where
they washed down their repasts with copions and
undiluted druughts. The effects of this conduct
Unexpectedly manifested themselves IN violent
attacks of cramp diarhoa.
Some of the debauchees died in less than ten
hours from the time of seizure; others laid day
or two, while some recovered altogether. We
are informed 10y AN officer that nearly sixty lndi-
viduals persisted in this manner, some dying on
board the Three Bells, while on her way to this
port others were put on board the Antarctic, so
much reduced by diarrhua rs to give but little
prospect of recovery.
EXTRACT FROM AN ACCOUNT ny ONE OF THE
PASSENGERS.
Lieutenats Windcr and Chandler, with about
10 soldiers, embarked ON the Antarctic for Llv-
crpoo Captain Watkins also determined to ae-
company that portion of our number. Thursday
morning, the 9th, rose upon us bright and beau
tiful. The sea was calm, the wind gentle. BY
noon the work of dis-embarking and re-embark
ing was complete. Every man, woman and child
had left the ship. Our captain was the last on
board. lie saw every officer, every sailor every
fireman, and every negro waiter, of whom there
forty or fifty, safely in the boats-then low
cred himself down. and the boat pulled away
He was rowed alongside the Three Bells, where
he was greeted with nine hearty cheers, and then
pulled away for the Antartic. The san Francis
co had, by his orders, been scuttled and we
could see her setting gradually deeper into the
water.
About p. NJ. the Three Bells hauled sail, and
moved slowly away from the wreck | stood on
the deck and gazed at the i'll fated vessel with
mingled emotions. She had been our prison
house for fourteen anxious, agonizing days and
nights. She was near being our grave. Yet
she was n gallant ship, aud stauncher huh was
never launched, else she would have been our
grave. She has ridden out in safety twelve or
fourteen days of almost incessant storm Now
she lay stretched in all her vast length upon the
deep, one hundred tathoms long, battered and
mutilated, like some huge onster of the deep,
which, in contest with the deadly foe, had been
conquered and slain. We found the Three Bells
II snug, staunch vessel.
Friday dawned bright and fair. We signalled
for pilot and then steamtug, and at Z. NJ.
we were at ancho off the Battery.
grant emotion of gratitude filled every
heart when we thought of the terrible danger
through which we had,by Gods mercy, safely
passed.
To Capt. Robert Creighton, of the good ship
Three Bells, feel that every one of us who were
rescued by his fundamentally owe IA debt of
gratitude which can never be repaid, For my
part shall ever love and honor him as n noble
specimen of a generous and true hearted British
sailor. He merits, and trust he will receive, II
rich reward.
Two remarks to the causes of the awful dis
aster,and have done. In the first plnce, the
ship was sent to sea without having tried her en-
gincs. SIZE had, indeed tried them in the smooth
waters of the bay, but her first encounter with the
stormy pillows of the Atlantic proved them no
more to be depended on than a broken reed.
In the second place, she too far deeply
lnlen. Her nn1lln mhenls had a mnch din rs