The daily Minnesota pioneer. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1854-1855, 1855-01-10
The Gale I'm the Black Sea.


Of the many and great losses suffered
by the Anglo French Expedition from one
cause or another, the storm on the 18th of
November, of which we have at length the
melancholy details, may almost be regarded
as the worst. 1t is true that the immedi-
ate loss of men is not to be compared with
the number placed hors de combat at the bat
ties of Alma and Inkerman, still less with
the victims Of cholera 1t may also be adj
mitted that for country SO rich as ours,
and with such a power Of rapid production,
the loss of material is usually little more
than temporary inconvenience In this
instance, however, the losses come in form,
and in time, most unfortunate that could
be desired by the worst enemy of the expo
ditiOn. The total loss of men at the various
stations on the coast of the Crimea on the
disastrous l4th, cannot be less than thou
sand, besides those that have fallen into the
hands of the Cossacks. The loss of YES
sells was thirty British and French wrecked
and half as many dismasted at Balaklava,
and eighteen wrecked or dismasted at the
mouth of the Katcha Our men of war,
thanks to the precaution Of frequently try
ing their cables, have come off with no fur
ther damage than the loss of guns, Or of
masts, or of rigging, the twisting of their
rudders, or the springing some leaks.
The French have lost the Henry w."
noble three decker, and a favorite
war steamer. Thus far we have sustained
no loss beyond the ordinary drain of war;
but the greatest calamity is that of which
we scarcely now know the full. The
Prince" magnificent new screw steamer
of $500 tons carried on the other day to Ba-
laklava the 46th Regiment, all the winter
clothing for the troops engaged in the seige,
including 10000 great coats, flannel suits,
under clothing, socks and gloves, beef, pork
and other provisions; hospital stores for
Scutari; and vast quantity of shot and
shell to carry ON the siege. These arc
wholly lost and nothing remains of the
Prince but half a dozen of her numerous
crew, who managed to get on the cliffs when
she was "broken to powder" against them.
The Resolute," with 900 tons of gun pow
der also went to the bottom. Thus, it
seems, all the materials for carrying on the
siege and providing against the severity of
the winter have been carried off at one fell
swoop; and even if we think to content our
selves with merely maintaining our position
on the heights before Sebastopol, it is evil
dent that we are not in q condition to stand
onr worst foe, the coming winter.
Everything seems to have conspred, I'M
der mysterious dspensation of Heaven, to
make the loss of the "Prince" the greatest
possible disaster She could not stop at
Scutari to land the hospital storcsso greatly
wanted there When she arrived at Balak
lava it was blowing fresh, and she did not
venture within the narrow tortuOus channel
of the harbor. All she did was to land
the 46th, though it is said that besides a
very large crew, some Sappers and some
medical and other officers were still on board
On attempting to anchor, the whole of the
cable ran out, not being properly clinchcd.
A second cable shared the same fate. The
prince" then steamed out, while third
cable was got up from the hold, and with
this she was brought to, though with a
smaller anchor than those she had Ost-
This answered for while. On the dread
full morning of the 18th, however, it proved
utterly Inadequate The "Princc" cut away
her mastS, and put on her steam; but the
wreck of the mizenmast fOuled the screw,
and the noble vessel becoming helpless, i'm
mediately drifted against the rocks.
). Figures are but feeble language for the
description of such catastrophe, but the
value of the "Prince," as she floated, is put
at gl5OOOO and her cargo at half a mil
lion. There must have been. nearly 200
souls on board. The thirty transports ut
terly lost, with most of their crews, at Ba-
laklava, are put down at $4,000 each
So here at once million of money went to
the bottom in form of which money con-
veys but faint idea. The other losses
enumerated above, the French ship of the
line and war steamer, the transports lost on
the western coast, the many vessels of all
kinds disabled, make up another million to
be added to the pecuniary estimate of the
losses. But the true way of stating it is,
that the army is utterly disabled for the
present, and left to no other protection than
Heaven, and that valOr which the British
soldier is ever sure to display in the face of
the greatest difficulties, the direct privations,
and the most overwhelming numbers. Yet
never was the ancient valOr of our race put
to so tremendous trial
The tempest, which is said to have been
the most terrible ever known in that part of
the world, and which overthrow three of
the minarets of Sultan Achmet's Mosque at
Constantinople, besides driving large vessels
from their moorings before that city, did
not spare the Allies even on land. 1t blew
o1,l fl,, ;,a;.,rol tl4;n Eoollo