Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1858-11-19

! with few biscuits, was TO form our dinner /;
and for appearing at dinner in such guise,
being literally covered hands and face, With
tar. AT about 2.30 O'Clock p. m, and when
about to say goodbye, in case Of not meet
| ing again before the final catastrophe, we were
startled with the cry OF "a sail l do not
know how we all tumbled on deck, but we
were there in an instant. How l looked to
| windward, and how faint and i'll felt when
l at first failed to perceive anything but the
| ocean and a few black clouds, just at the edge
/ OF the horizon how we all at last saw the
| sail, just like a distant gull-she was coming
| down upon us-close by the edge OF the suns
rays on the sea how we all cheered, and
wept and prayed and laughed, and clasped
each others hands, and cheered again how
great rough fellows Rugged each other and
wept like children, how men who had proba-
bly, never prayed before, muuered sincere
thanksgivings; and how those who had pre-
served the greatest indifference when death
seemed so. near, now completely over.
come, l cannot describe. I shook hands with
at least one hundred many of them rough,
illterate men, but who had worked with a
high courage in the hour of danger, and who
were now as sincere IN their feelings of thank
fuluess as the best of us. In less than half
an hour from the time we first sighted her,
man, of and from London, with troops for
Calcutta, passed close under our stern. How
we cheered her, and she returned our cheer,
as only British soldiers and sailors can cheer
Our captain hailed through his trumpet, We
are on fire, will you stand by US; to which
Capt. Brown returned hearty Ave, ave
and nend my boats to assist you.
Soon two of the Merchantmens boats
and three of our own were launched but
the sea still was high; and we expected eve
ry moment to see some of them swamped or
dashed in pieces alongside; but thanks to the
ability and care of Mr.. Punnel and MI
Jones, the first and second officers of the
Merchantman, and of our own officers in
charge of the boats, they were conducted be-
tween the two vessels without single acct
dent. We first embarked the women and
children, and by eight P. NJ, we were all
safely on board the Merchantmen, our cap
tain being the last to leave
On arriving on board the Merchantmen,
every thing had been provided by Captain
Brown for the relief and comfort of the res
cued passengers in which he was assisted by
Capt. Dawson commanding the troops They
had prepared not tea and biscuits for four
hundred. The women and children were &C
commodated in the cuddy aud officers rooms
and the crew and passengers mustered, and
told Oft to mess with the soldiers and sailors
without the slightest confusion. The Mer-
chairman stood by the burning ship during
the night. and at about two A. NJ the flames
burst forth over the topgallaut torecastle !;
soon after the foremost went over the side,
and in half an hour the main and mizzen
masts went, and soon after she was a mass Of
| flames. We could see her still burning until
about five o'clock, A. NJ, when the Mer.
chairman having stood for Table Bay, the
distance became too great for us to dlstin.
guish other than dark cloud resting against
the dim horizon, which was the last we saw
of our ship, We in he first cabin saved a
portion of our luggage, but the whole OF the
other passengers and the majority of the crew
lost every thing. But we were all truly
thankful for our preservation from a terrible
and inevitable death, and we all feel that the
finger of Providence was in it, for had the
Merchantmen not been obliged to put into
Rio de Janero, in consequence of the illness
of her medical officer then IN charge of the
troops, she could not have been so far out of
her course, and IN position to rescue us.
The origin of the fire has been attributed
TO spontaneous combustion, or the friction of
badly slowed packages, during the previous
day, when the ship rolled SO heavily in the
high sea.