The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1859-09-28

The Accident to the Great Eastern. &c.
The steamship Vanderbilt, from Liverpool
on the 18th inst, with 353 passengers, arrived
at New York Monday morning. Among her
passengers are the artists Of Strakosehss Opera
Troupe, including Mile CruveIli; French
! theatrical troupe for New York, and Rev. Dr.
Bethune Of New York Her mails contain
very interesting details of the important news
mentioned by telegraph. We give the follow
ing summary
DEFEAT OF THE ENGLISH AND FRENCH BIZ TIKI
CHINESE.
A letter from on board one of the British
ships in the engagement gives the following
account of ii
Son the 25th of June, the negotiations with
the Chinese having come to nothing but put
of TO gain time. the Admiral, with his flag fiy-
ing in the Plover, followed by the gun-boats
Lee, Nimrod, Cormorant, Opossum, Ban terer,
Starting, Forester, Kestrel Janus, and Haugh-
ty proceeded to take up position OF Pei-Ho
forts, ready to attack in case the Chinese
should offer any resistance TO clearing away the
barriers. At p. m, the stations having been
pretty we'll obtained iwith the exceptions of the
Starting and Banterer, which were on shore,
the former on the south and the latter on the
north bank,) fhe Plover and Opossum weigh
ed; the latter proceeded to clear away passage
through the iron stakes which composed the
first obstruction. Two of these having been
drawn, the Plover, followed by the Opossum,
passed through them, and also the second boom,
which had been destroyed by the flag captain
on the previous night On arriving at the sec
and she attempted together with the Opos-
sum- to break through it. but without effect
Almost immediately single gun was fired at
her. and directly all the masks were rolled up,
ond q tremendous fire was opened on the
squadron, and the action became general. The
Lee, by signal from the Piover, passed through
the stakes to the support of the Admiral. The
than n,n hnyp
Obliged to Slip the fire being too heavy for
them and followed by the Lee, dropped clear
of the stakes at Bis. The gun-boat Ployer suf-
fered very much in killed and wounded An
officer was sent to the reserve to order up rein
forcements, but the tide was too strong fer the
boats to attempt to pull up.
The American flag officer very kindly offer
ed 10 tow the boats up to a position to enable
them to reach the gun boats. At 4.30, the enc
mys fire was slackened considerably, orders
were sent down to the reserve for Marines
and Naval Brigades to prepare to land, and
the Foreste end the Opossum, together with
the Toeywan, proceeded and towed them to
the Nmrod, the place of rendezvous. At an
early period of the action the Admiral had
been wounded on board the Plover by a splin-
ter in the thigh and that vessel was almost en-
trely disabled. He shifted his flag to the Opos-
sum. When there he took his station on the
caboose. and thence issued his ORDERS until a
round shot cut the mainstay on which he was
leaning, and caused hin to fall to the deck, 4
height of some eight feet, breaking q rib and
severely shaking him. After a short time he
| left the Opossum. in the Du Chayla's gig, and
proceeded to the Cormorant, where he remain
ed. AT 5.45 the boats having assembled along
side the Nimrod, pushed for the shore near
the stakes as possible, and opposite to the left
bas ton, about GOO yards distant from it,
The landing here was composed of mud
about knee deep, and the greatest difficulty
was experienced in getting up the scaling
ladders and bridges. The Marines and Naval
Brigade, small portion Of which had only
just landed, pushed to the front under a very
heavy fire from six guns in flank and in front
The fire from the walls of gingalls, rifles, and
arrows, was also very heavy. No check had
hitherto taken place, but here ditch, five feet
deep and ten broad, occurred, and the men
having no choice, plunged across, and thereby
wctted their ammunition. A party of some
80 officers and men again pushed on, and cross
ed another wet ditch, which took them within
twenty yards of the wall. In the meantime
Captains Sandwich and Vansittart, as also
Colonel Lemon, having been wounded, the
commands devolved on Commanders CONNIE
rell and Major Parke. 1t was now about 8
o'clock, and darkness had set in. The position
of the landing party was most precarious; 50
officers and men alone remained in the first
ditch. and about l5O in the second.
Many had been killed and wounded, and,
with the exception of n small body $50 yards
further back, no reinforcement appeared to be
offering, and the men already at the front were
perfectly exhausted, and without dry ammu-
milton or rifles fit to use. The officers in vain
encouraged their men TO charge 10 the walls
but it was Intellectual; the men We're few and
done up, and even ii they had not been they
never could have carried them against the
| thousands that lined the walls. Under these
circums tances the commanding officer dis
| patched an officer to the rear to ask for in
| structions, and the senior officer sent him
back immediately with orders for the force to
withdraw, as no reinforcementS could be sent.
Directly this order was received, the wounded
| were dispatched TO the rear by twos and threes
| and two hours having been given them 10 get
| to the boats, the small advanced party re-
| treated in good order from ditch to ditch, eX-
| amining the ground in their retreat for any
| wounded that might have been overlooked
| Many poor fellows, alas in the retreat fell to
| rise more, but the wounded were saved and
| brought Oft.
I'm the meantime the boats of the squadron
| under Capt. Wiles employed themselves in
! embarking the wounded and landing party,
| and at O'Clock, or a little after, they We're
| all off.
| The London Times thus sums up:
| The steamers Immediately engaged were
| the Nimrod. 6 Cormorant 4 COromandel
| Plover, Opossum, Lee, Naughty, Janus, Kes-
| trel, Forest, Banterer, and Startling, each arm
| ed after the fashion of their class, with two
| heavy guns. But officers sailors and marines
| of the Highflyer, Magicienne, Chesapeake,
| troop-ship Assistance Cruiser, Cambrian and
| Fury We're also engaged The Captain (Tri-
cauit) of the French steam-sloop Duchayla is
especially mentioned AS foremost in the attack
| on land, and out OF his small party of 90 he
| had Is killed or wounded. On the whole, it
| would appear that they had about iu
guns to open on the Chinese forts and that
! they landed about 500 or 1000 men of the Naval
| and Marine Brigades to attack them. Anoth-
er great nation was represented on the waters
| of the Pei-iie, but the United States took no
active part ia the conflict, though we state
| with ready gratitude that the American YES
| sells rendered the utmost assistance to our
| wounded and contributed as far they could
| to the success OF our common object. The ac-
| counts OF the American and French officers
| Will throw great and, We hope, comforting
| light on this transaction, of which we have as
| yet only non n-offical accounts-all, however OF
| distressing consistency.
| THE ACCIDENT TO THE GREAT EASTERN.
On the afteln noon of the 9TH when the Great
| Eastern was off Hastings, a feed pipe casing in
| the forward funnel which had been in troduced
! on the ground of economy in heat and to keep
| the heat eff the tunnels from the cabin, explo-
ded with terrific force, blowing the fun mel to
the air, and tearing to pieces the grand saloon
| and lower deck cabins, through which the
| funnel passed, and otherwise doing great dam.
age 10 the internal fittings. Great consterna.
| ton prevailed on board but prompt efforts
| were made to get at the unfortunate men in
the engineering department, who were either
| buried in the rubbish or Frustrated by the
| steam. Three firemen were found in dying
| state, and soon expired, while eight Others
| were injured, two of whom subsequently died
| One fireman was lost overheard, having either
| fallen in 10 the water or jumped into IL Il 1es.
cape scalding. The injured men were generally
| nrogres sing fayorably, although two or three
! of them were in a precarious condition. The
1 numerous guests on board had only quilted
4 the grand saloon, through which the funnel
| passed. and in which they had beed dining a
| few minutes before the explosion took place
| Rut for this. the consequences would have
| neen most serious.
| The explosion is stated to have probably been
/ one of the most terrific which vessel has eyel
| survived, and which none IN the sorid couio
1 tbr a
yeiious strength rs the Great Eastern. She nc
| only resisted it-her frame sustaining no In