The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1857-04-18
THE DAILY DISPATCH
saturday Morning, April IS, 1857.
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LATER FROM NICARAGUA.
Retreat OF Col Lcckridsc from Castillo
DREADFUL STEAMBOAT EXPLOSION on
THE SAN JIrAN RIVER

Retreat OF Col LocKridsc from Castillo
DREADFUL STEAMBOAT EXPLOSION ON
THE SAN JUAN RIVER
The steamer Tennessee arrived at New York
Thursdsy morning, havipg left Aspiuwall on tbs
evening of the 4th Instant. Col. Loekridge advanc
ed on Castillo on the 2sth ult with 300 men AN
board the steamers Rescue and Scott He fopnd
the enemy had fortified Wilson's Hill $50 v..da 4,
rear of the Castillo, with strong bres stvork.
bitches, several large guns and 500 men He 70
treated without making an attack and DESTROYED mi
the Notifications below Castillo, abandon;n, I'll
hope of opening the river. He dsbauded the -,
battslions of recruits. and formed another fron
those who were willing TO go to Walker via P.n.m.
The New York Journal of Commerce. from m.
sengers by the Tennessee has an account of Loci.
ridges operations at Castillo, his retreat and tho
subss quent accident on board the stean,ef Scot,
It says:
CcL Lockrfdge advanced on the town with sora
200 men, but seeing that 1t was in possession of
far superior force prudenty retreated 10 ellsy,s
where he was ioined by Col. Titus's battalion. -
The whole force, including about so sick and
wounded numbered some 270 men; Of these l6o
newly arrived Texans. The soldiers were nearly
destitu.e of provisions, and were put an allow.
snce of one cracker q day, no meat and q cup of
slowed away in a temporary hospital made out Of
an old shed 40 feet long and 20 wide devoid of all
accommodations. They had nothing softer to lie
en- than The rough bamboo floor, peculiar to houses
In that country Medicines were scarce and the
small stock on hand was almost worthless, and
there was only one army surgeon to attend to the
wants of all the patients
In this de sperate condition of affairs Col Lock.
ridge concluded to make one more attempt TO hin
! Gen Walker now at Rivas, by the way of the
Acriau oil tpS So,,
Juan del Sur, and thence to Rivas about Is miles
| from the latter place. On the lst of April he ac
cordingIy called all Of his men together who t7eta
| able to sand in the ranks and addressed them.
He complmented the soldiers on the bravery
AMI patience which they had exhibited under the
| 5 we're tlIas to which they had been 80 long SUBJ
| jecter, He regarded the takiog of the forts up
the r,v, as prac ieay impossible and did not SAX
the men TO volunteer or any such service. He had
| been disappointed by the non arrival of bomb
! shells and mortars from New Orleans, without
which he wou be powerless before the enemy 5
| fortiica ions. Hethen proposed to lead + EN- to
| Gen. Walker by the route above specified. He
wanted only those to accompany him who were
perfac y willing TO go and cold speak good Ep z.
| lisf. be sick, wounded, and persons desiring TO
return 10 the States, he would take to Punter
Arenas where they could ait for the frs. char ce
| to 80 home. He asked those to step forward in
| front who were willing to make the effort to join
| Gen Walker About 100 men responded by ad.
vancing from the ranks and cheering Some of
the men who remained behind expressed their dis
appreciation by groaning
The whole force those who still stuck to Wal.
kers fortunes the malscontents the sick and
wounded, then went on board the steamers j
SIT and the Rescue which were lying At the
beach ready to take them down the river. A
barge, carrying q six FOUNDER, four FOUNDER,
two smaller pieces of artillery, and the small re
maining store of bread apd m a. were TAX Ken In tow
by the N Scott. The sick we're placed in the J
Scott, prl cipally the second deck. The
Rescue also carried q gun.
On the first day of their voyage down the river
when bearing Fort Slater, two of The fues Of the
S,ott exploded, but without doing any serious
carnage. The steamer put in at Fort Slater a
short time for repairs and resumed her course -
On the afternoon of the second day the Scott
opped at the b, ach, about 80 miles from Kelleys,
and o mile and half above Sers piqui for the
purp Q, Of m Nc reconnoitre of that pace,as
it was exp ected .uat the Costa Ricaps were en-
trenched there ready to give the steamers a warm
| reception as they went by The steamer Rescue
about quarter of mile behind the Scott at that
time, was to be sent on this mission.
Shortly after the Scott touched the beach, the
boiler head blew out with a terrible explosion,
killing three men outright and wounding aud
scalding about forty others in the most shocking
manner. A large number were blown into the
river which, fort luatey, was only or feet deep
at the stern of The boat
Among tn I'm were General Wheat, who, as soon
as his head appeared above the water, called out
TO Inc OOya NOT 10 Jump over Doard, (WQlcn some
of them were about to dO) but TO remain where
the Y were. The Rescue soon came up and renders
Cd essential service in picking out the sufferer
from tie river aud taking them off the boat. The
force OF the explosion proved to have been pro-
digious, tearing away the whole of one of the
wheel. houses, the second deck where the bar was
situat d, the top deck abaf. the wheethouse and
considerably damaging the hull.
Tne Rescue proceeded with the wounded t. sera
pidui where ak eight of them soon died The re'
maInder then taken to Punta Arenas, several
diving on ths way or ster their arrival there
The whole nun Der OF deaths suIing from tbs DIS
sater - believed to be about 25 and of ths wounded
alive ST last accounts l8. Among The dead are MsJ
Morry. Capt Haight of ew Orleans, and Lieut.
Conklin OF New York. On re,ching tunts Arenas,
the proposed expsd tion to join Gen walker was
abandoned as irpIacticabe. 1he men who had ex
pressed their willingness 10 accompany Col Lock
ridge, refus d to GO The sick al wounded were
placed in an old less shed. The provis ons were
nearly all consumed snd tbs st9os o! meaicines -
quite exhausted and II ia not probable that many OF
the suffering can revive unlets assistance sspeediiy
rendered by TIE Eng.h fleet in the vicinity
The following are the nanss OF the returned SOL
diers from Walkers army q; Nc IIasua; p-,
D Barten j. nj Holden J. w. Bsrten, J g. Starr,
J. Butt, r Williams, Ieseph Taylor, Frank Wilsos
Edward Duncan, G w. sites, smith, Alfred at 4,
Smith, J Mehsgow, J B: Blunt, Riley, w w,
Johnston, VIM sr dergoid, Bieeker, VIM Con
DIVER, Hamilton, A Huntman WIN. wright,
NJ Case, W. Car otte, Thos. Ferris, } ID. Fenn, N.
J. McClinton. J Eosstein J. Logan, y. shennesssn'
e. 5. Baker, J. O'Connell. c. j. Judkins, N b. Tay'
lor II. kim, +. Z. Charlton r. s. McHeely, }. A
Ward, " m. Neef. Total So
E------
A TRAGEDY.-A young officer of a regimen,
of Hussars stationed few miles from Prague,
had an intrigue with a wealthy Jewsss, named
Ka;z q widow thirty wears of age. On the eve-