Delaware weekly Republican. [volume] (Wilmington, Del.) 1841-188?, 1857-05-14


tails.
From tho Panama Herald of April 9Th.
The following interesting account of the los
of the American ship Cathedral, belonging t
Nj 'Srs. Enoch Trian & Co., off Cape Horn
which sailed from Philadelphia, December 18th
for San francisco, has been furnished by Mr.
A. X. Clarke, laie chief officer Of the ill-fatei
vessel, who, together with the second, third
and fourth officers, and cook, arc at present il
this city, from whence they will be passet
home by the United States Consul, at the ex
Pense of the government -
MEssRs. ENooH TRAN & Co.
Gentlemen-It is with sincere and heartfelt
sorrow that l write to announce to you the to
tai loss of your noble ship Cathedral, and he
| gallant and ill-tated commander, VIM. Ii. How
ard, which took place off Cape Horn on thu
afternoon of Wednesday, February, Is, 1857
while in latitude SO deg. IA min. s., and longi
tudo SO deg. 3S min. W. The full particulars
of this melancholy disaster shall now proceed
to detail.
AT about 40 P. NJ, whilst lying too, under
close reeted topsails, fore storm staysail and
spencer, the ship beading to the sOuthward
and westward, wine about N. N. W., a tre-
rnendous sea struck .he ship, and heavy
squull passing az thu same moment, she fell
Immediately over on her beam ends. The cap
tain being unable to leave his berth on account
of illness che having been very unwell for a
week previous, so much so at one time that
gave him up as dying man), proceeded at
once to inform him Of the situation of the
ship, and to request his orders. He directed
me to use every means in my power to right
tho vessel, and not to cut away the masts ex-
cept as last resource. found, however, that
no other means would avail, and accordingly
gave the order to cut away the mizen mast,
which was done, brt without any good effect.
The mainmast was next cut away, and as 1t
went over the side, it carried away with it the
gallOws, upon which were lashed the two life
boats, the Captains gig and whale boat. AS
then perceived that the ship did not pay off,
but lay dead in the trough of tho sea, settling
more every moment, and as the carpenter re-
ported that water was rushing into the tween
decks through the forward scuttle, | directed
the second officer to go forward and clear away
the long boat, which was lashed on the wealth
or side of the forward house, while 1 went be-
low and informed the Captain Of what l had
done. told him that in my opinion the ves-
sci would go down in a very short time, and
requested him to allow me to have him carried
out and placed on board the boat. This, how
ever, he refused, declaring that he would never
leave the ship, and that the boat could not live
five minutes in such sea. l then went again
on deck, when the third officer informed me
that the topsides were open, the coal falling out
and the water rushing in. 1 again went below
to the captain, to inform him that tho ship was
rapidly settling, and to beg him to go with me-,
but he refused, and as l was endeavoring to
prevail upon him the ship fell over on her side,
and the water Immediately half flled the cab
in.
The captain then cried out to me, HFor Gods
sake save YOURSELF" and as / perceived that
the vessel must go down in very few minutes
and that no time was to be lost, 1 broke the
window out on the weather side of the cabin
nd fret l,fpr- a yufhp, hah in
ed by the captain till then) through the win
dow, followed him myself, and ran alon on
the bilge of the vessel, outside her channels,
and leaped down upon the side of the forward
house, breaking through and falling in up to
my shoulders. l Immediately got out, and
leaping into the water, was picked up and plac-
ed in the boat, which had been floated Off the
house by the sea, so far had tho vessel gone
down iA the wafer. go.
uoNing piolsSd al, all whom we could, az
though, owing to our haN.La no oars We were
obliged to leave the doctor afI Vuu-nis.ii on the
wreck, they would not jump overheard, and
we could not get near them, we showed of, and
had hardly got fifteen yards from the vessel
when tremendous sea struck her, lifted us
up, swept us round her stern, and covered her
at once from our sight. We saw nothing Of
her afterwards except few pieces of board
and one spar.
1t was just forty minutes from the time the
sup was lnTOWn upon ller Deall euuS until 5no
disappeared for ever from our sight,
When the mainmast carried the four after
boats over the side, all the oars which were on
deck being lashed inside them, Of course went
also, and the spare oars were below, and of
course inaccessible to us.
We therefore found ourselves, thirty six in
number, on board an open boat with neither
oars nor sails. One half our number-the
watch which was below at the time of the ac-
pid in ba laft flni
berths in, and with nothing but three or four
pieces OF batten, piece of tho loom of an
oar and a small bit of board which we broke
from the bottom ceiling OF the boatto keep her
head to the wind.
During the whole time of the disaster, a
barque and ship were in sight of us to the lee
ward, the barque at the time the ship went
down being distant about three miles, bearing
about s. E. Towards her all her hopes were
directed, but we soon found that she drifted
to leeward faster than we did, and that our
only chance would be to put the boat before the
wind and run down to her.
This, after much trouble we succeeded in
doing by making some Of the men stand up
in the bows Of the boat, and spread out Their
oil jackets, and after several hours of hard la
Dor in bailing and keeping the boat before the
wind, We rounded to under the stern Of the
barque Ann Pitcairn Sharp, Of Maryport, Eng
land, captain Robert Glaister Sharp, to whom,
under Providence, is due our lives. He had
hove to on seeing our disaster, determined to
wait till daylight and then run over the spot to
see if any one could be picked up, as neither
he nor his officers expected for moment that
any boat could live in such sea, aud owing to
the squalls which were constantly passing, it
was impossible for him to see us so far to wind
ward, though he had a lookout at the maintop-
mast head.
This, gentlemen, is the full and circumstan-
tial account OF the most lamentable and un-
foreseen catastrophe which it has ever been my
misfortune to be concerned in-lamentable on
account of the loss of life which occurred, es-
pecially that Of the Captain, and the unforeseen,
as one could have foreseen or fancied an
accident of this description happening to yes-
sci so strongly built and so well bulk-headed as
the Cathedral.
/ send you below list of tho names of all
those lost and saved, and will forward to you
on the first opportunity detailed account oi
the captains last illness, and other little mat
ters here introduced, and have the honor tc
remain, gentlemen, your very obedient servant
ANDREW RICHARD CLARK.
Late chief officer of the ship Cathedral.
P. S.<8Ye LETT at about 20 z. NJ, and ar
rived on board the barque at ll.35 p. NJ.
We certify that the fore Soing account is true
| and exact in every particular, and bear ou
| testimony to the undaunted courage and skill
of the chief officer in all his exertions for th'
safety of the ship, both during the captain
illness and at the time of the wreck.
D. j. Cox, 3D. officer,
REEBEN R. HERIoTT, 4th officer, Witnesses
DANL. DRAINE, carpenter,
LIST Of LOST AND SAVED.
Losr.-Capt. VIM. q. Howard, Boston, Mass.
DIR. q. W. Cirkendal, Trenton, N. j., steward
ess, Ann X. Flaherty, St. John, N. B.i seamen
Daniel Sullivan Ireland Benjamin Davis, Bris
tol, England ordinary seaman, John Graham
Germantown boys, Philip Koch, Philadelphia
Pa, (lost in the boat) Samuel B. Hall, Phil
adelphia, Pa, John Deany New York. Tota
loss, 9.
SAvED.-A. R. CLARK, Chief Officer, Boston
Mass Isaac Best Sd do, Philadelphia, Pal
, | 7 ~. lo do Ranhan r Hprintt RostOu