Lynchburg daily Virginian. [volume] (Lynchburg [Va.]) 1852-1861, 1857-02-04

| 81 for Boston ~ saturday week, and reached
Liverpool again on tn" following Thursday morn
ing in i i-ahled slate. after eneountering storm
Of most peroos violence. Mr.. Bennett. who
has since reached Birmingham, has favored
with the following particulars regarding the oe-
eufrence:-
We sailed from Liverpool. he says, between
twz aud three O'Clock on Saturday. There was
"A strong gale from the :. W. at the time, which
continued increasing in violence every hour. On
Mandny it became terrible. A tremendous sea
wns running. and the wind literally blew great
| gins. On that afternoon we saw IL speck upon
the horizon, which, approached, we could
make out to be fine three masted vessel, with
signal. of distress flying. Captain Lang altered
! the course OF the America. with the humane in
tention Of rendering assistance. although it was
/ in vain. We sailed round the ship All her
ulasts were gone. aud her decks were strewed
with wreck. A jury mast had been erected up
! on which sigma of distress flying. She
was hailed repeatedly, but no voice replied nor
! could any living thing he seen about her. Not
"A soul had been left on board; they had either
been washed overheard, or had taken to the boats
and abandoned the ship. After keeping near
the wreck, which, from the oolors she displayed,
wis supposed 10 be Danish vessel, for about
half an hour, the America proceeded on her voy-
age. All that II ght the storm continued, in
! ereasng, If possible, in violence the morning
OF Tuesday broke Wa then about 3i5
miles out aud about fifty miles off Cape Clear
II was then blowing perfect hurricane. Be-
| tween eight aud nine O'Clock tremendous sea,
which is represented coming onward with IN
credible speed and like wnll of granite, struck
the bow OF the ship, sweeping everything before
| it in its terrible course. The buiwarks were
gone, the closets had disappeared, of the
shrouds were wreck, the paddle box swept
away, two of the boats were lost, and parts of the
foo saloon and deck pounded into chips by the
ponderpus force Il the gigantic wave. For n
moment the vessel staggered aud rcclcd like Il
living creature painting for breath. The engines
even stopped for moment as II paraly zcd by the
shock. was then in the top BERTH Mrs Bennett
being in the one below. At The moment the crash
came which seemed 10 shatter the whole ship.
was thrown violently out against the cabin door,
and in an instant otter pitched violently bnek
again upon the opposite side. My prues -ional
experience in falling easily bayo no doubt saved
| mo from having my skull fractured rgninst the
tmhcrs, "a IN being thrown back was enabled
to turn, to grasp tho lower berth, and there IL
hold on. The crash, and roar, and waling over
bend, and the ruth and dash of the as it
plunged into the saloon and borths floating eve.
ryihing movable, were terrible. | gave myself
up for lost it seemed # the ship was settling
down; and SO, taking hold of Mrs Bennett, we
uttered brief prayer and breahlessy awaited
the result. At length us if recovering from the
awful bIow-it WIS but II very few moments, al
though it seemed almost an agn-the paddles
! swung round once more, aud the vessel plunged
onward III her course.
The peril, however was not passed. Tho emp
tam who had been on deck for three successive
nights, doing his daty with unring zeal, had
gone into his cabin to change his wet cl pthes,
when the immense plate glass window was torn
out of the solid wood, frame and all, and dashed
Own ut his feet. With the speed Of thought
Capt. Lang leaped through this aperture and
rushed upon deck. The immense sea which
Ill tln n, lint f e., bcI,
/ he snw coming onward to the vessel in awful
grandeur. Another shattering blow such as that
/ winch struck the America would have been des.
tfueton. With the cool intrepidity, prompts
tads aud skill OF "A true sailor. Capt Lang exoeu-
/ tod II bold nanuuyre, TO which under Propi-
/ deuce u due the preservation of the ship aud ev-
e, soul board. Tho full pressure of the
/ steam was put ON, four men dashed to the
/ "hee aud the hend of the ship turned back to-
! wnfls port The danger, however, was even
/ tbsn not over The foremost was held by one
/ sios le brace all the shrouds being carried away
! 10y The sea, which wrenched out bolts and broke
! thick iron stanchons as If they had been reeds
/ II that spar had given why the consequence
would have been fatal bat II did its duty nobly.
aad the gallant ship by this manunyre missed the
/ danger of another shock which would have sent
| her Ia the bottom.
Meanwhile the lore cabin passenger, some If
whom had been playing cards nj the moment
VIM tile d' cks veto shivored into chips, were be
/ IN dragged oat llom amongst the wrt ok Of shal-
! #iafsd umhrrs. some were uninjurrd; some were
iasHsng wildly nbout the deck shrieking aud wall
is. 9th ~ fe upon their knees. fraut call yseall
/ IHa a?on Heaven 10 save them, The Captain OF
derea tt,m below, To the chief saloon, whore ey-
eS attention was paid to the wounded. The
/ breach in the deck was covered with canvas aud
/ IN tai- condition, and with still heavy and dan
/ gtlau~ ia running, We went back to Liverpool
I haNiHg passed the Baltic which sailed there three