The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1859-03-26
L III E DISP A TCH.
SATURDAY MORNING. ..,.......MARcH as ls,s.
TERRIBLE sUEEERING AT SEA.

| aua1r, water logged at sea- has been noticed. Tn
New York papers contain the following statemeu
of John Elliott, one of the crew of the Dromabair
Oh the suffering undergone by himself and hi
| companions:
The British bark Dromahair sailed from Qusbe,
| on the 10Th of November, 1858, for Greenock
| scotland, loaded with lumber, and manned By
| thirteen persons, Including the captain and mate
Sne carried no passengers. Her officers were
Jonn hutchiaon, Captain; John Elliott, first mate
anu N. Henderson, second mate. The following
are the names Of the resi- of the crew:-HectoI
McNalehton, Hector Monroe, DougaId Campbell
James Henderson, Henry Frost, Samuel Cochran,
George Mcintosh, John Murray, Jas. McGrai and
Sohn MoInnes; Ihe bark was built in st. John,
New brunswick, and carried $50 TONS The vow
age was not characterized by anything worthy of
note until Saturday. the 18th day of Decsmber:
then, as the sun crossed the meridian, a storm
commenced.
The Dromahair was then in about so deg. and
~ minutes north latitude, and 80 ceprees west
longitude The captain ordered sail to be taken
| In and the deck cleared. At three O'Clock the
snip was hove to, but the winds crushed roaring
on" tossing her like feather on the foam. a.
| seven o'clock she shipped sea, capsjzinp the
long boat, and the life boat, which was inside of
| II, forcing both from the lee rail into the sea
Ihe long boat was stove to pieces and had to be
oroSen up stu more to save the life boat. The
snip had already begun to make water and ALI
nsnds but three were put at the pumps
Ihus the night passed: occasional showers of
hail being driven furiousIy down upon the hart
between these showers the moon occasionally
pierced the tissue OF feecy clouds and tpped the
| crest foam of the raging billows with q wnyv,
tremulous light. ''
About five O'Clock on Sunday morning ths 10th
OF December, the little bark shipped another trs.
mendous sea-, which carried away the port bul-
warks and staucheons, split the covering hoard
carried away the cook house, tore the life boat
from the deck, where it had been iashed: cnrriad
| away the companion and the steerage wheel. Mr..
ri. fn.h St.A
| struck by the mountain bilow--
Dashed from the helm and plunged heatIonp in
the maiu." 80
The little boat hanging at the starboard davits
vas also swept away, with large portion of the
| standing and running rigging Nearly ALI the
sails were at this time blown from the yards A.
the time the wave struck, all the men were at the
pumps. They jumped for their lives, and when
the water cleared off, they found themselves jam
| med into corners about the deck. One man was
| high up in the rigging. The waves swept as hinb
| as the maintop. The water ran into the cabin
stove the bulkheads, and flowed into the breadroom
destroying nearly all The bread iI it. They had
only one barrel of bread left after this cslam;ty
| it happened to be slowed away in a spare locker
The cabin stairs were carried away and everything
| torn up that Deded the course of the maddened
waves. Sea after sea swept over the Iaboring shin
| the men seeking merely to cling to her, knowing
that she was loaded with lum Der she could moi
| go down. Whenever they could they worked at
| the pumps,trying to keep down the water as much
| as possible.
All day Sunday the storm continued. but no,
quite so violently. About eight O'Clock Sunday
| night the pumps were utterly disabled by a sea-
| Then the storm began to moderate, but the waite,
| gained on us.
At one O'Clock on Monday morning there were
thirteen feet OF water 10 the vessel Seeing there
| was no hope but in the pump we commenced tf
| repair ii, and as the wind bad some hat abated
we got it to work. aud the ship free from water b,
neon of Monday. We cleared away the wreck al
much as possible, and tried to get some canva. OF
| her to steadysher We made tiller and got he
| so we could work her pretty well; but at eiph
o'clock Monday night there arose tremendou
| gale-a wind even more furious than We had here
tofore had-dashiug the sea over the ship fore an,
| aft. The storm was violent we could not re-
main at the pumps. The wind continued to blov
| all night fearfully.
The waves were mountains high and steep
| At six O'Clock Tuesday morning the water wa
| up over the cabin floor We were all obliged 10 o,
into the cabin to save ourselves from besg wasbet
overheard, as the bulwarks had been torn away-
| But as sea after swept over us and filled TN
cabin, we were compelled to run from it and pe
| into small forecaste house on deck, built i,
| with the rise of the keep, about three feet abov
| deck.
| When the Dromabair was used AZ a uassenpe
/ ship this house was used as second cabin Vine,
we were forced to leave the cabin We got 80 or a.
pounds of bread, put it into bag aud took i
| along with Us to the little deck house. We ha,
Il
| which we got afterwards. The storm continued
and we remained in the house for a few days ther
| the bulkbeads of it were Knocked down and tn
water got free access to it, passing through it a
| every lurch of the vessel. The bark was nov
| completely waterlogged, and would have sunk hae
| she not been loaded with lumber. The storm
| struck us on the 18th of December and we re-
mained in this condition till the 9th of January
| 0n the 22d or 23d of December q steamer passed
within two three miles of US; she was staudips
| to the southwark, appeared to be propelled by {
| screw; she could see us, but made no sign what
| ever to US. We lived on half biscuit a day A
barrel OF salt beef and barrel of salt pork wer.
under the matches, and after the storm some wba
| abated we could get at them by watching oul
chances between the seas. This was all the foot
| We had. We had no water except what we caught
when it reined; there were several little showers
one almost every day; We could just get mouths
full of water enough to at all satisfy our burn
| ing thirst We got il by putting our mouths Il
the masts and licking off the water as it trcklet
| down them. Our sufferings we're most intense
The salt meat eaten raw created a fever and inf an
| nation in the bowels, causing a burning thirst.
| About the 25th of December, one of the men,
John McInnis, began to show symptoms of insan
ty; he had drank salt water, and its effects could
| be seen upon him. He died on the 31st of Decem
Der, and was buried, or thrown overheard, on the
lst of January.
Henry Frost had been deranged previous to tn,
death OF McInnis, and on the I'd of January hs
jumped overheard, not knowing what he was do
/ Ii
side of the ship; two men laid hold of his hand
| 10 haul him in, but he finally broke from then
| and was drowned
On Tuesday, the Sd of January, the boy Jame
McGrail (aged about seventeen) was washed int
the cabin and drowned there. The rest of US lvec
| on as best we could; the biscuit gave out on th
| I'd Of January, and after that we had nothing I,
eat but raw salt meat.
On Saturday, the Sth of January, John Murra,
and Samuel Cochran died, after having been Graz,
1 a ham on mi m
ing, the 9th, just before being taken eff the wreck
To satisfy our thirst, We tore up the deck to &c
at cask of fresh water which had been lett there
but great was our disappointment when, after tw'
days labor in getting TO it, we found it with tn
bung out, and filled with salt water. We saw III
vessel except the steamship before alluded to- ant
| a craft of some kind that passed near during
datk night--she could not see us, We only saw he
| lights-until Sunday, the 9th of January, abou
noon, the ship Centurion Captain Caulkins, fron
| Glasgow to New York, came alongside, and pick et
| US up. 1t was blowing hard, as it had been duriDI
| all the time of our wreck, aud a high sea wa
| running The mate of the Centurion, with
crew, came alongside in boat, removed us int
| 1t, aud carried us on board the ship. This was u
| eaey task, as most of unable to stand, al,
| bad to be raised into the vessel, while heav
| sea was running. Captsn John Hutchison, tn
| narrator (mate, John Eliott1 and Hector McNaarh
ton were the only members Of the crew who coul
| stand when rescued by the Centurion. The othe
| men saved were VIM Henderson, Hector Monroe
| pougaid Campbell and James Henderson, making
| seven saved and six lost.
John ID. Mitchell, Mayor Of Abingdon, Va, die
suddenly on the 18th inst
There was slight fall of suow at Abingdon
Va, on the 10Th inst, and the fruit is injured :
| some extent
| The "Langhorne" aour mills at Lynchburv. Va
have been sold Tor $40 900, to Chas Scott and Juo
g. LanghOrne.
Beverly, valuable negro owned by Powhata
Z. Haynes. was killed Ia Lynchburg few day
| since by the kick of horse.
Rosa Jane, daughter of DR.. Charles Msekay, Q
the London Illustrated Ne,cs, died in Naples on th
| 26th February.
Mayor TradeweiI, Of Columbia, s. G., has sp
pointed Thursday 2ith inst, for City Thanksgis
Ing aud prayer, according TO usage and in com
pliaucs with request of the City Council"
boy ramed Albert II. Stevens lost bis life !
Boston, on Saturday last, by falling from benin
| an omnibus.