The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1856-01-18

THE DAlLYEDl DISPATCH.
The STERN IN ~ DisaSsefs- 9hipwrecks
% sheJosseyana LsaG IslanA sasress
The papers i've terrible accouass Of the suffer
ing endured on The coast by the recent shipwrecks
BY which some thirty lives have been lost the
Arss ID the pilot beat 4. K. Collins, which wen'
ashore on the loth inst. on Firs Island shoai' IN
mist OF thick vspor which prevailed The foliow'
ing statement from the cabin boy James kusn' "
published IN the Herald:
We struck the shoal about 5 A. NJ. on Thursday
morning. II was bitterly cold, and . thick mis-,
ma cioud. rose from the water, so that we could
not see the boats length ahead On looking Out,
saw dull light ahead, that looked Ike % u u sione
from ths ib-boom Of large ship None OF Us
thought II was the lighthouse, as the lamp on that
point revolves every sixty seconds and this seemed
through the mist to be stationary. We afterwards
learned that the intense cold had covered the glass
with frost that 1t looked Ike isnglass. and the
lamp ceased revolving. ] went below . little be
fore 5 O'Clock, and kr. Murphy had charge o. the
helm, af which time the boat was lying to Win
three.reef mainsai and jib. On seeing the ignL
Mr.. Murphy put the helm about, but the vessei
would not obey IT, the ice with which u Was sur
rounded prevented its doing so. we soon aiter
struck and the boat was thrown on her beam ends,
with her deck tilted towards the shore. The sea
broke over the boat heavily and the zee yawi boat
the largest we had was sweeps away before we had
time 70 secure her and ii was with the utmost diff
Guilty we could clear the weather yawl IT was so
encrusted with ice. sksas3 81
Twas In the cabin, when / was called upon TO
euter the boat but before had time to get to the
side of the vessel the sea raised so that Mr.. Muir
ply was compelled to cut the lashings, and the
- a
board, with Mr.. r ebert B. Mitchell. the other boy
weilah Williams, and the colored cook, whose
name none Of us knew as he had been but recent
" shipped About half an hour after the boat left
(ttts was about ten O'Clock, as near as j can re-
member the cook died We were all In the COM
panion way which leads to the cabin, at this time
and the cook, when Vie died, was seated on the
lowest step and fell over on the floor Billy WI.
iams died about half an hour afterwards, and
rolled over by the dead mans side In doing So
Mr Mitchell, who was large fat man,was seated
on the same step with me, and did not die for an
hour and half after the boat left During all this
time scarcely any of US spoke indeed, we were so
numbed with cold that we lost all sensbility, and
hardly cared what happened. They all died easily,
first falling into quiet sleep before expiring. I
had three flannel shirts on and an oilskin over
coat, which kept me dry and tolerably warm.
About IL o'clock the tide had fallen SO that the
cabin was fit to enter. [ crawled in, and found
my way to bed, upon which lay down. 1t was
wet and encrusted with ice and the floor was COW
cred with frozen water, in which were swimming
the seats and cabin utensils. The next tide in the
afternoon foated the bed and during the whole OF
Thursday night and Friday morning remained in
the cabin, up to my armpits in freezing water. /
did not suffer great DEAL considering yeti seems
to me now like a fearful dream. wished for the
morning to break, and the night seemed as though
il would never end But with the morning my
position BECAME much more dangerous. The tide
rose so high In the cabin that there was not
left room enough for me to breathe in, and came
near suffocating-to prevent which broke the win
dow of the state room to get fresh air remained in
this way until the tide went down, at IL O'Clock.
forced my way on deck through the stateroom,
as the cabin door was so blocked up by timbers
and floating wood as to prevent its opening l
was much exhausted on reaching the open air. and
the cold wind had the effect of increasing my sen.
sibity looked anxiously on the land, and to-
ward the sea, but could see nothing stirring. AT
length, towards two o'clock, saw a schooner, due
east, bearing down towards me, and, eager to at
tract attention, climbed up the gaf to make sig
nails and in doing SO burst my fingers, which were
frost bitten open. On reaching the gait, waived
my hat, but no one needed it on deck then took
my coat and shook it violently but the schooner
kept on her way, and not soul on board saw OF
knew my condition. l retuEped to the deck, terri
fled at the prospect before me, as night was ap
proaching, and could not have survived the hor
rors of another night like the last. I got some
loose timbers, with the intention of making raft
which the returning tide would sweep in towards
shore. and got out on the sand to construct 1t.
BY this time the people on the shore saw me on
the wreck and they launched the hfeb boat and took
me of, after having been on board for thirty-two
hours / was taken to the lighthouse, and on Sat
urday night came up to the city In the steamtug
Tiger. 1
We have mentioned the loss of the schooner Pa
cific from Washington, n G. The following are
the names of the persons who persisted by this ca
lamity:
Capt. Timan Pharrow, of Washington, n c.,
where his wife now resides; Warren Spencer OF
Ocracoke, n. c.; Bryan Cadet. Of Newbern, n c.,
tcolored); a man named Jim, believed to belong on
Long Island a boy, brother in.law of Capt. Phar-
row.
The schr. Rio Grande, Capt Norton, from Yir.
ginia for New York, went ashore on Fire Island
Beach on the evening of the 18th. Total loss
Crew saved
THE SCHOONER MARY NILE.
This vessel, commanded by Captain Edward
Low, and belonging to York, Maine, sailed from
Norfolk, Va, the 9Th inst, bound for New York
with q cargo of corn and sweet potatoes. After
leaving Hampton Roads she encountered the first
snow Storm and was driven $50 miles out of her
course On the evening of the 10Th inst, Barnegat
lighthouse hove in sight AT sunset the wind be-
gan TO blow IN squalls, accompanied with rain, and
at nine o'clock 1t had increased to heavy gale
Captain Low, not having much experience along
this coast stook the Barnegat light for one of the
Sandy Hook Ones and at first felt himself perfectly
safe, thinking he could easily get into the Horse
shoe; but the gale began to increase in violence
and as the roar OF the breakers on shore became
more aud more audible, the danger of his position
ed him to believe that he had been sorely mistaken
At IL o'clock the mate and seamen-two in mum.
ber-assembled aft, and a consultation was had
The captain declared that they were on lee shore
of the most dangerous nature and that in less than
an hour they would be dashed among the breakers
STILL as long there life there was hope, and
it was determined to make another effort to save
tho vessel and the lives of all on board A balance
mainsail was put up, and in the twinklng of an
eye the craft buried in the sea- and in order to
avoid instantaneous laundering the sail had to be
lowered The last resort-a fearful one-beach.
ing the vessel was then decided upon. According.
ly.the helm put up, and, with s'God save
US" from the crew, the tiny craft was swept as if
by an avalanche, upon the crest of breakers, and
dashed upon the outer bar amidst the roaring and
Kissing of the mad waters around her. Fortunate.
~ for those on board the shock the vessel receiy
I'd did not part her asunder and as the masts were
left standing, they sought refuge in the rigging
Sea after sea poured in upon and drenched them
even when elevated from the deck to the height of
80 feet.
The crosstrees were sought but even here the
snow-capped breakers In awful sublinity reached
the unfortunate sufferers and was not until seye
raj hours elapsed that the tide sufficiently receded
20 admit of the seamen descending to the deck
Here, for four hours, they endured all the priya
ons and agonizing suspense that could fall 10 the
Hf man he pto