Eastern times. [volume] (Bath, Me.) 1846-1857, 1856-01-24
Awful Disaster Vessel Foundered and
Thirty Lives Lost.

The ship St. Dennis, from New York for
Havre, foundered on the 9th inst. The cap
tain, second mate, three cabin passengers and
portion of the crew, in all about thirty souls,
went down in her, The first mate, Mr.. Tuft,
third mate, Mr.. Gardiner, and nine seameh
took to The long boat, and were picked up af-
ter being twenty-nine hours in it, and brought
to New York by the ship Naples, of this port,
Capt. Lowell, from Leghorn. The ST. Den
mis- was commanded by Capt. Folansbee, and
was SO badly damaged in the gale of the 9Th
that the above disaster ensued. The following
are the names of the passengers lost in the St.
Dennis Cabin-Frederick P. Weiss and
wife; George Bratenahe. Steerage-George
Baker Fish, Jake Heinholdt, Paule Luding,
wife, mother and child, John Gray, Gustave
Schelenbacker, Philip Luding. There were
also lost Capt. Alonzo Follansbee, third mate,
Henry Gardiner, carpenter, F. Smith, stew
ard, F. Davies, LIST cook, G. S. Potter, End
cook Richard Henry, and sixteen seamen.-
Andrew Racklif, seaman, of Bristol, Me-,
furnishes the most straightforward and con-
nected story we have seen, in the following =
| Saturday afternoon, when well off from
the land, and running about eight knots.
gale sprung up and we close-reefed topsails
and reefed the courses ard furled them. ]
turned in at IL clock, and before daylight
we were called up TO furl the mizzentopsail.
At this time the wind was blowing very heavy.
| We went down below, and soon after the main
topsail sheet was parted and we were called
on deck to take it in. While on deck the
foretopsal sheet parted and we were unable to
take it in. Previous to this we were called
out to lash the water casks that had broken
loose from the lee side of the deck and were
being dashed about the deck. The sea was
breaking over the main deck, and we were
unable to secure them. Myself and my watch
were called on deck again about A o'clock on
Sunday morning, and the mzzenmast had been
cut away, and they engaged cutting away the
mainmast.
When the manmast fell she carried away
the foretopsail yard and foretopping lift, and
stove the life boat and jolly boat, and damaged
the long boat slightly the mizzenmast stove
the stern boat, and the long boat was the only
one left. The mate was injured about the
head by the rigging when the mainmast was
cut away. AT daylight the gale and storm
/
twelve years; and every sea was breaking
over us and sweeping everything before us.
About o'clock on Sunday morning the three
cabin passengers were called up from the cab
in and placed in the wheel-house. The
mate called all hands and ordered the long
boat to be launched, which we did myself,
Petty, and James Mulligan went down and
bailed her out; while we were at work sea
broke over the ship and filletethe boat, and
another man was sent over to assist US; Petty
was called on TO the ship by the captain 10 get
something, and did not return again shortly
after Petty left we were hauling her along TO
the quarter TO take on board provisions, when
another sea broke over the ship and filled the
long boat the second time Joseph Levers,
who was on deck, then cried out to the captain
that the boat was swamped. The captain
wrung his hands and said, as if speaking to
himself, Our time is short Joseph Levers
then asked us if we would take him in if he
would Jump overheard. We told him to come
on He jumped over and swan about ten
fa,homs 10 US, and pulled him in.
The captain and first and third mates came
TO the side of the ship, and the mates tried to
persuade him to gel into the small boat, but he
refused and said it was foolishness to
get into the small boat, she could not
! live. Inc last nearU lile captain say was L
have wife and seven children in New York,
and then / saw tears in his eyes, and this was
all the excitement saw. All the men ap-
peared very calm, and tried their best TO save
the ship from the first of it, The first mate
then Jumped overheard and swan to the boat,
and we took him in. They then threw over
a barrel of hard bread and keg of water, but
they drifted out of our reach. The third
mate then Jumped overheard and was followed
by five seaanen, all of whom we took into our
boat The other seamen stood on deck, and
we tried to persuade more OF them TO come,
: but they would not had not seen the steer
age p: sengers since the storm commenced. and
heard the mate say he supposed they were
drowned in their rooms before we left the
!, ship. did not see the cabin passengers come
out of the wheel-house.
At this time it was about 10 o'clock, ant
we padded the boat off little distance
so as not to be drawn into the whirlpool wher
the ship went down, winch we were looking
for every, minute, the whole bow of the
ship was under water We hove the boa
head to, and got dredge out TO keep her SO
, and then lay still, aud three men were con
stantly balling TO keep our boat from sinking
We had not been in this position more thar
ten minutes wheuthe ship went down head
| first, and the last we saw was the whole Ceptt
of the rudder We were then between two
, hundred and three hundred yards from her
but could not hear any scream or noise, prob
ably in consequence of the gale, which wa:
very violent, but moi so severe as il had been.
: The N. Y Commercial has the following
paragraph 3
One of our oldest shipmasters, and who hat
previously sailed in the ST. Dennis informs us
: this morning that he is firm in his opinion tina
G the vessel did not founder, although from the
statements made by those who were rescued
in the boat, it seems almost impossible to
doubt but what the ship went down.
r His opinion is, that the vessel between
: decks was completely filled with barrels o
, flour, (near 40OO) and the greater portion o
the cargo was Of light nature, the ship wa:
strong and staunch, and would float on the
surface of the water for some time. We sin
S cerely hope his opinion may prove true, anC
that the unfortunate people may still be res
cued and restored TO their friends.
He also says that the ship was not over
: loaded. drawing nineteen feet of water wher
r she sailed, and was in as good condition as any
8 vessel that ever left the port.
: MAcAuLEY's History OF ENGLAND.-Wt
: are indebted to Messrs. Phillips, Sampson &