New Orleans daily crescent. [volume] ([New Orleans, La.]) 1851-1866, 1859-07-07
sh,p,vreck or Cape Horn.


From the New York Times of the 3oth ut. we ex
tract the following:
The schooner Kate Weston, Capt. Ellis, which ar
rived at this port yesterday from Pernambuco, June
8, brought as passenger Mr.. Babson, first officer of
the ship Fleetwood of Boston which he reports was
lost off Cape Horn May by coming in contact with
an iceberg causing the ship to sink in short time
and obliging the officers and crew to escape in the
boats.
The Fleetwood Capt. Dale, sailed from Boston
February ., with assorted cargo for the Society
Islands, having, among other things twenty five nests
of boats, six in a nest. Nothing unusual happened
until the ship arrived of Cape Horn, when in lat. GO
deg. south, Ion. II deg. west, while going twelve
knots hour, before heavy northeast gale of wind
on the night of the 4th of May the ship struck an
iceberg which carried away her bowsprit, stove in
her bows, starting all the wood ends forward, and
leaving her in sinking condition. The pumps were
sounded when she found to be leaking very fast
The hatehes were opened, and the cargo broken out
forward and thrown overheard, with the hope of
getting at the leak as well as to tighten the vessel
As it was found impossible to save the ship in this
way, the captain ordered portion of the crew to
work at the pumps, while he with the rest cleared
away the boats and made preparations to leave the
ship. The ship sank so fast there was little time Tor
preparation, but Mr.. Babson states that the boats
were well supplied. He, Babson, launched his boat
first but it had been partially stove and only four of
the crew, three men and boy, whose names are not
gven got into it with him.
They then showed off, at o'clock in the morning,
but remained in sight of the wreck. AT daylight, he
returned to the ship, and found everything swept
from of deck, the houses and buwar6s gone, and the
sea breaking her. Mr.. Babson supposed that the
captain took one or more of the surf boats of which
they had several for the Missionaries at the Islands,
and that he escaped safely from the ship. The cap
tain had with him his wife, in delicate situation,
and one child, there being also sixteen of the crew
besides the four in the mates boat. Ii they had all
took to one buat they would have been dangerously
crowded, but divided into two boats, be thinks they
had chance to survive and be picked up to reach
the land The weather, however, was very cold, a
Irregular Cape Horn gale was blowing" and heavy
provisions they required, excepting there was but a
limited supply of water On the second or third day
they saw ship, and made every possible effort to
attract attention. but she went past them without
seeing the boat The sutferings of the crew were
very great from the cold, ice making continually and
their hands and feet badly frostbtten. After being
five days in this situation. they were fallen 10 with
(May 10y by the British bark -, Capt. Williams,
from Valparaiso, bound to Liverpool, and taken on
board. Their wants were humaney attended to by
Capt Williams, clothes and medicine were provided
and everything done to make them comfortable
They arrived at PerDambuco on the Sd Of June. The
men were received into the hospital The hoy had a
portion of both feet ampntated aud should he survive
would be crippled. The Others were doing we'll. Capt
Dale told Mr. Babson he should endeavor to reach the
Falkland Islands. From the fact that they were in
the track OF vessels he expresses the hope that they
NAV have been rescued like themselves, by a passing
vessel. Mr.. Babson hurried off to Boston by the
Sound steamer and did not furnish the of the
persons saved in his boat, the name of the bark
which picked him up
The Fleetwood was G63 tuns register, classed AL
built at Portsmouth, N. H., 1852, and was owned il
Boston by r. Dale and others.