Lynchburg daily Virginian. [volume] (Lynchburg [Va.]) 1852-1861, 1855-07-24


Correspondence Of tie \. Y. Evening Postl
Interesting News from lfinnoys Expedition
Wreck OF mis- Schooner, the Emma -Fealfl
Danger OF the PassengeIs
GRANp 'irHE, fuRSs IstASp. ". l.,
Juno q, ls5a.
II was three weeks nfa yesterday evening"
aaeu Colonel Kinney with eighteen Other pa
seneur-.set sail IN the Emun,u lust sailing scho NJ
Il of about eoe hUudred and thirty toms, under
command al Captain Is. l.. Norris, from NV
York for kiug- ton, jamaica, and for san lam
de Nicaragua
Our companions ON the voyage were mostly
vouug. unmarried mon. mechanics and merchants
with spriniliug # western lrontirr.mon. WHO
hai been morn Injured tiHn the rel t. the hHrl
ships Of oat II dool life. Altogether they vers
II very luif collection If cmigrnts, aud not nj all
likely to bring dj-crcdit upon the Colonel cutter
prisu. | presume, however, thnt Ven will b.
move a1Nauz To know the events Of ourNoynFe.
aud cau-c- oi our benas brought 10 the harbor u
Grand turk, than 10 laye n description OF our
passengers, aud therefore postpone It 10 another
time.
We lefl NV York with Southeast winl,abieh
contiLued with rather Rough wet lrr.t the It'll
inst, whom we were cf Bemudn. The wind than
j hauled lnE. ). T.. being the uude wlud- e tha
"IIor-c latitodn-.' 80 called from ;hrurces-ity
L. which .alof~ Of the isand- hrrrtbout ARE fe
qucrt> exposed, of throwing their earssocs fbor-
So oycrbaard.l blowing in TINT direction til the
18Th, whenat two O'Clock +. NJ W. Jaw lpud "A
head bearing souihwestcrly, which proved T. be
the north part ofhe Gnyeos I>laud-, group #
three forming the East sido Of farl,s island p
sage.
Through this passage, which is considered ny
navgator> II very safe one, the captuu ~a#sl
have run his vessel; hut,=-n consequence OF -
ing, he took another direction, steering westerly
before the wind down the island towards the cay.
eos Passage which Is lined for forty OF fifty miles
with dangerous reefs. extending n long distance
/ from shore. At / o'clock. L. NJ, we were ~ts..
tied by shout Of "Breahcra aheal3" and -saa
enough, GA looking over the how, we found oui-
$, Ives within half cable length oftho breakers
Of St Phillips rccf and sailing al the rate Of six
knots an hour directly uponi it, The captain was
+ in the cabin writing down the observations which
the mate WIS taking with his quadrant and there
we were, with the green shallow waters reveal ne
/ The coml rocks benealh,nud the breakers whitru.
/ ing and roaring almost undor out bows. Bat n
short distance ahead lay an nnebor, probably left
4 10y some wrecked vessel. prutrulng from the
foamiug waves upon the rect Fortunately, how
ever 10y the cNertions of the passengers under
! command of Capt. Swilt,we were saved from ran-
ming aground, bat the FssseI made a most narrow
escape.
Heartily thankful for the rcscne, we once moro
/ stored off down the coast the SKY being cl'ar.
the weather fine. and the blue hill, Of the CaNeas
in fun sight. There was, neyortheless,a gen.ial
/ feeling of uneasnoss among the passenger. until
about quarter before eleven O'Clock, when ~
were rou.ed from our births by II tremendous =,
TIM; an branching agaia,t the keel that told IT,
wholc story 1t was aomcnt Of intense rN-
/ citomcut.
We had s,rIck the same reef on. which tie
vessel had rln ia the afternoon, some forty miles
/ to the westward and with sails spread, were g.
/ ing right ahead on the crest of the reefs. IA
/ vain the captain shouted Hard up the whre#'
and gave orders to haul in the main tack 1t
was too late The crew and passengers tugged
/ aud pushed at the main boom with the emerge Il
desperation, but the schooner still went on gH#p-
ing aud humping over the hard reef in ii manner
that left us no other resource than To haul down
the rails which done almost instantly
Amidst all, the Colonel preserved his self-com.
/ posture; and proceeded at once to secure sup
! ply Of provisions for the boat. Some came 10
him with proposals to sail in the boat in search
OF land aud to return with a report of their suc.
cess. No. said the Colonel, There is not the
least danger of the ships going 10 pieces hrfer,
morning; the tide is ebbing and the land is not
far off The first man who attempts ia es apo
! by the boat shall be shot" This explicit do.
olaration put stop to any further agitation #
the project, though there was quite IA number
who still thought that their time for this world
was up. In truth, there seemed some reason to
fear as every lurch of the vessel grated along
her Keel, md shook her tlmbers from strm Ia
stern. The hold also began to bilge, and IA the
schooner careoned, her mainmast strained as fit
would 20 over.
About four o'clock faint light illumined the
horizon, and all hands gathered upon the wind
ward side 10 watch the signs OF land. The Ugly
grating and humping still continued among tho
coral rocks. which were 1 inly visible at depth
of three or four feet under the bows. The w..
sci now lay upon her side, and it was olcar that
nothing could get her off the reef until her onrtr,
should be carried ashore. The life boat was &c
cordingly lowered with view of asccrtaining The
nearest place of landing, and the mate and thr, q
sailors who were in it tugged at thu oars, using
their best efforts TO row her over the breakers
into the smooth water which lay a few rods be-
y9pd and Mt last pronounced the attempt out Of
the question.
The Colonel then stepped in and declared they
must try again; and again they were baffled But