The Winchester weekly appeal. [volume] (Winchester, Tenn.) 1856-1856, 1856-09-26
A Lcniiy Ship Settling 20 sink.


A few weeks since taking adeah-
tage of a political calm, the Democra-
cytowed out an old hulk which had
been doing dock service twenty odd
years, and made her their flag ship
She is called the James Buchanan and
was originally built Tor the Federal
trade; but was bought for a trille by
the present owners who thought that
there might be money in her. After
full trial and sufficient proofthat she
was dull sailor that steered like q
raft--besdes being accounted by all
sca-faring men an unllcky cratt-she
was employed about the harbor as a
sort of store ship, in which capacity
she attracted no particuler attention.
But as we have intimaled, being in
need of flagship, her owners, the
other day put the carpenters, painters
and Triggers to work upon her, and in a
short time, she came out as gaudy as
YOU please, with any quantity ofiresh
paint above her water line, a set OF
masts that rakcd like torc-and-att
Baltimore schconer's, and a figure
head that folks at first thought was
intended to represent a classical per-
sonage-the god Janus--but which
turned out TO be only the dual-phiz-
zed goddess, NcJruska- KansaS. In
spite of paint and new rig, however.
every dip salt recognized the we'll
known lines of the old lubber, which
had been the bye-word ola couple Of
generations of tars-and he shook his
head and declared that it was no use
to cipper-rig a Chinese junk or try to
paint out bad luck and rotten hmbers!
So they provsioned the old craft for
the cruise. and the stores were not all
on board before she commenced to
make water, a little. This, though.
was little noticed, and she stood out Of
the harbor, before a gentle breeze,
with all sails set and amid the hurras
ofthousands ofspectators. Fora very
short space the SEA was perfectly calm,
and the old ship sailed smoothly on I'M
til she came in hail OF a new, dashing;
saucy, piratical craft, called the FIRE.
mont. At this junct,re, large por-
ton Of the crew--a body Of Germans
who had been shipped for the voy-
age at high wages and with special
privileges, suddenly betook them
selves to the boats, swearing that the
Buchanan was neither sound nor lucky.
and Immediately joined the pirate.
Short handed, now, and the breeze
stillening, the sea beginning to roll
heavily, the old ship began to pitch
and roll sadly, when the officers COM
menccd talking about shifting some
of the ballast to trim her better. But
at this moment, it was discovered that
an old leok had spiung a new, Qrom a
fraud practised in the caulking by GER
tain contractors known as squatter
sovereigns.) OF course, all hands
were ordered to duty at the pumps
and when last seen, the unfortunate
vessel was supposed to have at least
six feet water in the hold, while sig
mails ofdistress were flying. She was
evidently settling to sink. Tie FIRE.
mont was standing off and on, within
short hail, but, it was supposed, only
with the intention otrescuing such of
the passengers and crew as might at
tach themselves to the spars, barrels,
etc, and attempt to make for her.
The commander of the Buchanan
wished to borrow few hands TO man
his pumps and rest his own crew, but
Capt Greedy refused the favor.
The officers landowners ofthe Buch-
anan will deserve their fate, for going
to sea themselves, and taking with
them a large number of innocent per-
sons, in an old, worm-eaten hulk CON
delnned as unseaworthy more than
twenty years ago.. Montgomery .imi.