New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1857-09-21
STATEMENT OF W, +, FLETCHER.

was under water.
STATEMENT OF W. i. FLETCHER.
w. +. Fletcher a passenger, resident six years in
California where he has been engaged in mining,
tuning home to Bloomfield Maine gives the following
narrative: The gale blew very fresh at the time OF
leaving Havana, and KEEP: increasing up to Friday
roop when we were all called on deck to lay on tae
weather sde--she being then on her beam ends-and
bail out All the stee age and few of the cabin pas
sepgers went TO work. One string OF pals went TO The
steerage one to the cabin. and one TO the engine
room. had charge OF the one going 90 the storage
After few hours, all were engaged in passing the
buckets. We baled out all that afternoon, the next
night and the mex. day. till near o'clock in the even
ing. About dusk Saturday we fired two guns and
the captain spoke schooner, telling her to lay by as
We expe cted 10 sink every moment. But she went of.
AS the boats that successfully went to the bark
Marine came up, passengers would jump into the
water and ching to their sides and being taken in,
loaded them heavily. As the last boat came
up a man Jumped into its center ftom the deck
some twelve fifteen feet This boat was obliged
to put off before fully loaded for fear of being swsmpcd
BY numbers who looked upon it az their only hope.
large proportion of the Passengers had pouches Of geld
about them, either in dust coin. These fang
carelessly aside, and any quantities OF the precious
metal could be picked up without opposition-perhaps
not 20 easy secured. All on boaro behaved admra-
bly,. About s o'clock, Just previous TO the ships
going down. ard all stood forward, said TO the
men: 'There will never be as many die again as
cocIy. Boys, let lus all due like true Caifornans.
An old man, who has been mining for seme years in
California, from the same place in Maine as myself,
named David Smith, Of quite religious turn of mind,
felt no hope of rescue. His last words moment be-
fore we went down, were the excla nation, Ny God,
we shall all perish" suppose ne was lost Life
preservers plenty and each had secured one for
hin sef IA soon as the water struck the hurricane
Geek she made one pitch forward, then she pitched
astoin ard struck in an instant, and went down a.
quick lightning. Those on the stern went OIL hrst,
those the bow last. was forward and was one Of
II last that went off, must have gone under htteen
or twenty et-so far at least and so long that had
to breathe water while under. ON coming up found
plenty of things 10 cling to, and got hold OF door,
which held on TO about fifteen minutes, tl three
hisbmen grabbed it, when l lett II, a. !
was becoming so numb that l Wa Obliged
10 warm up by Little swimming eIerciee.
Though large quantity of material was floating
about still there good deal OF desperate strug
Cling and fighting to appropriate articles promising tue
ipost security next got hold OF trunk, but 1t -oon
fell to pieces. But -four barrel directly came 10 my
way; in clingrg TO it soon got chilled ard had occs
siorally to leave it and swim TO get warm. But did
not let il get far out Of my way observed the itih
men etu lighting fer the door the last saw of them,
and they are doubtless lost. After q while / came
across a board, concluded the board better than
the barrel ana snapped. was floating about in this
manner for ten hours or more. When heard the
my shoulders. / was picked up Sunday morning about
six O'Clock Through the whole time felt l should
be saved, but the instant got on board the bark
Ellen srtdkcnrd. 1t was before daylight that the
mate heard the cries Of the and and told 1e
captain tia, " the was full OF men," The captain
when be could see any one would bear down to him
ar throw out !ife-buoys and draw In the man with
ropes.
Mr.. Fletcher had gold hunting watch in his pocket
throughout the whole time. OF course it ruined.
STATEMENT OF MR.. CHASE OF MICHIGAN.
Mr.. William Chase, q miner, of Washtensw County,
Michigan among the forty nine passengers picked
up BY the bark Ellen. He has been in California since
1852 His statement relative to the loss Of the steam
ship is much the same in all importan, particular
that of the other passengers herewith published He
remained on the ship until she went down. and having
provided himself with two lfe.preservers, and after
ward securing a portion of a box and enothe- life
preserver which be found in the wster, he MANAGED
to float without much difficulty. He describes tho
effect Of the sMkDg of the ship Ike that produced
by inserting redhet bar OF iron into tub Of water
a moments Kissing and seething, and she was
yeloped in the angry food. Mr. Chase thinks tbs.
nearly ali the passengers had been provided with life
preservers but many Of them had lost all hope and
become discouraged before the critical moment ar.
to make any effort 10 save themselves, while others
afrghted out OF al presence Of mind and lacked
the Judgment to convert to their use means which
might have been rendered available The majority
Of the crew and number Of the passengers, rat the
time OF the sinking Of the ship, were below engaged
in baling aRd 20 little warning wa given that they
had net time 10 escape 10 the deck before she was
under water. After il became apparent that the ship
must, sooner or later, surrender 70 the angry
elements, the scene among tie passengers on
deck and throughout the vesse WAS oas OF
the most indescribable confusion and alarm. Fhe
prayers of the pious and peai,ent, the cures
Of the u8Gdened, and the groans END shreks OF the
afnghted, were all commingled together, added
10 which numerous angry contests between
man and man, in many instances amounting 70 oui-
right fight for the possession Of articles on which ~
keep Themselves sfoat in the water. A grea; many
of the passengers were miners, having considerable
OF gold about them the product OF years of toll
but the love Of gold was forgotten in the anxiety and
terror Of the moment, and many a man unbuckIed his
gold stuffed belt and flung his hsrd-earned treasure
upon the deck some hoping thereby TO tighten their
weight and thus more easily keep themselves ahoa,
while others threw i away in despair, thinking there
for il IN the wstery grave they were going
to. Mr.. Chase says that be might have njcked No
tens Of Thousands Of dollars which had been thrown
away ard lay strewn about the decks but be did not
think there was sufficient prospect Of bis Surviving 10
use 1t, TO pay him for the trouble. Capt Thos. w.
Badger Of San Francisco had so 900 in gold in car
p.tbag which Just before the sinking OF the ship he
threw INTO the Captains stateroom. He, however
succeeded II saving himself, beirg Of the number
picked up by the bsrA Ellen. Mr.. s. Caldwell Of
N.vx a v,t-s a. Il. IL .j..s