Delaware weekly Republican. [volume] (Wilmington, Del.) 1841-188?, 1857-09-24

About dark, vessel, believed to be. tho
Schooner Sovereign, of New York, ran down
under our lee. We hailed and told him that
wo were in a sinking condition, asking Dim TO
lay by us all night, which he promised 70 40
The bailing, in the meantime, continued TO
progress, but the water had by this time raised
half way up he lower cabin, and was rapidly
gaining on us. There was, however, no cessa-
tion of the bailing until one hour before the
ship sunk, when all hope of keeping her aiioat
until daylight was, reliquished. This was
aboutT O'Clock on Saturday evening.
should, however, mention that two hours
previous had conversation with Captain
Herndon, who, after consultation, agreed with
me that the ship must go down, but 1t was still
advisable TO keep il up as along as possible,
and we did not make known the result OF our
conversation, but urged all hands 10 renewed
effort Capt.. Herudon requested that the I'd
officer, Mr.. Frazier, and myself, should remain
with him, and expressed his determination not
to leave the ship while there was Il soul on
board, but would remain until she sunk from
under him. His only regret was his family
and he died like brave man.
AT Z O'Clock on Saturday night the water
was up to the floor of the dining saloon, and
all then went to work calmly to devise means,
each for their own safety. A half hour pre-
vious to tho slip sinking there were two lights
seen some distance TO the leeeward, supposed
to be the brig Marine, and the schooner that
spoke us an hour or two previous, but having
"a fresh breeze and high sea they We're unable
to work up to the windward.
/ A quarter Of an hour before the steamer
sank, one of our boats hailed us, and voice
cried that his boat was stove, ana he could not
/ take any one on board. This boat was en-
deaYoring to return from the Marine, but was
disabled. II was doubtless the impression on
board both the brig and the schooner that the
steamer would be able to keep mp until morn
ing, hence they probably did not keep as near
us during the night an they might have done.
Indeed, il was the opinion Of many on board
that we would hold up all night aud did
! not think that she would not go down before
midnight.
At ten minutes Of eight O'Clock, Captaii
i Herndon took position on the wheel-house
with his second officer, and fred rockets dolen
n tcard, the usual signal, to the brig and schoon
r, or that we were sinking rapidly. This was
l. fearful moment, and must have been also t.
the ladies' on board the Marine, who under
/. stood the signal, all Of whom had husbands o
9 friends on board.
: 1 now procured board six feet long am
:. six inches wide, tearing it off the front of
h berth, and took my position on the tahrali
ard held on the after stauncheon. At tina
:. time there were two or three hundred on TIT
# quarter deck, breathlessly waiting the tina
: sinking. There was two seas swept over thu
h deck abont this time, the last one sweeping
. all the passengers on the main deck into the
Q sea. The ship Immediately after, at O'Clock
g on Saturday evening, sank, going down
e an angle Of As degrees, stern foremost. Th
suction of the ship drew the passengers undo
water for some distance, and threw them in
mass together. When they reached the sur
face the struggle for life was Intense, wit
cries and shrieks for help, especially iroI
those unable TO swim. Many unable to swil
"a chung to those who could, or laid hold OF til
larger pieces of the wreck, which We're SOC
swamped. In ten minutes not less prohab
than three hundred had sunk to rise no mor
whilst myself and others who had succeedt
in holding on to some means of support we
scattered over the dark and dreary ocea
number of the passengers who had bags
gold dust and some doubtless persisted in tht
Ter efforts to save ii. / may here add that frC
nth hity to sixty Of the passengers shut thet
selves up in their state rooma in despair al
sank with the ship.
Those who had succeeded in keeping thel
selves alloat, soon scattered over the suria
of the ocean for distance of about mile.
One hour after the ship sunk saw light
M the leeward, which was seen by most of tho
rescued, supposed to be that of the Soycrei
but il soon disappeared. We knew that I
ships to the leeward could not get in reach
he us and turned cur gaze In the opposite dire
Ia, ton.
aS AT O'Clock on Sunday morning we saw al
lis preaching us, under full sail, with stroT
ith breeze, they Norwegian barque Ellen; 81
re ran in our midst, and those on watch were a
ter oaished with the cry Of human beings. Cap
We johnson, the commander, Immediately ho'
nil his vessel TO, under short sail, and commence
10 rescue us. The steamer at this time ha
M. been down over five hours. He launched h
ty. boat, and threw out ropes and buoys, al
e. done everything that good seaInanship and
On p0ssf6Ie." r wasthe fourth one rescued, and "
he messed the noble e2ertons Of himself and err
MI throughout the night. He continued to scar
m among the drift wood, lacking backward a
So. forward, up TO II O'Clock on Sunday, but {
Inc not find any one after . O'Clock in the mo
he ing, and consequently relinquishod the scat
SIS at noon,
cpt On the morning of Sunday the brig Mar
ers was out of sight, and the schooner was so
ent six miles to leeward, and appeared to be L
en- ing to, hut soon bore away on her cour
Ugh doubtless being satisfied that it was imrossi
the to reach us, also seeing the harque back
,ine and filling to windward.
en- The same day, at 2 O'Clock we spoke
Ter. barque Saxony, bound to Savannah, she
ported seeing brig with number Of lad
rev. on board Supposed to be the Marine) unt
a OF fall sail steering North.
was We bore away with fair wind tor n orr
in as the nearest port, and arrived off Cape Il,
did ry on Thursday evening, five of us reach
mps Norfolk in pilot boat, at daylight on Eric
was morning, which We had chartered for that p
pose.
ugh From he Baltimore San.
en-. STATEMENT OF a. Z. AsHBY, CHIEF RSGINBE
~. Among the passengers, officers and crew II
IL cued by The brig Marine was the chief enl
al, III ncer who, on Sunday morning arrived in Bal
: t more, and soon afterwards called at the 81
III Office. In our interview with him he spoil
~" with much feeling Of the precipitate judgme
80 -, which had been uttered against him, chief
-, Us he said, because of its untoward effect upt
W" public opinion where he is not known. Il
expresses the utmost confidence that with tho
81 ~ who know him such imputations as have BET
a.: a., made against him. as he concludes, by persol
aJ who knew nothing Of the facts in the case, W
"v' have no weight whatever. He has been fc
~. ~" six years chief engineer Of the ship, and Ill
~ was the 45th trip he had made in her, and h
~, yet TO hear the first word OF complaint fro
'nts, her owner or her respective commanders t
~ any omission or negligence of duty. He is
liz. line stawart man of about thirty, wife fran
T., seamanlike face and beaiing, and certain
a - with nothing about him from which to surmi
80 the gracelcSs defect Of character alleged agaiI
him. His statement of tho progress OF atfli
'bi during the loss of the ship we give as follow
n4 The account of the trip until the @. A. {
M countered the gale in which she was lost is
mn ready familiar to the reader. On Friday mo
" ing, in the height of the blow, the engin'
o discovered that the ship, rolling heavily in
r trough of the sea, had sprung Leak report
~. it Immediately to Capt. Herndon. Althou
" II las been said that the sole cause of this
~ tastropbe was attributable to the chief engine
~ under such a terrible imputation. he looks
~ q simple statement Of facts for an ample ju
ny acntion. His first duty was in the engineered
pbn us,ol ,nde of suDplying tho cOal-bunk