Virginia free press. (Charlestown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1832-1916, 1859-09-29
fsreIss News.


rscs,vedI
Adeisal Hope arrived oG Psibs river on
the i!sA Of jane, bat found the eu,rsncs
barred. An attempt uas made on Oh. 25,h
70 force . passage When suddenly batteries,
supported By . force Of tvsoty thousand
~eu, vers uomssked and opened . ds.trsc.
tive Ire. After . severe action, the squa,
drss .ss compelled 70 withdraw, With the
,ocs OF san-eosts Cosuorass, Lee, aud
Flower, add fosr hundred sod sixteen we're
khied and .ouodsI. The French had four,
teen ses killed out Of sixty.
Seven British ofiieeres .sr, killed and
seventeen voaedsd, the later including The
The Pl.uipo.ea,i.ry had returned to
Shanghai
The details say the mouth of m. ,;,.,
vas rsked BY the Ere Il newly eop,,,ue,.d
forts, mosu,isg nine hundred guns
At 80 r. VI. the siru,l for ..,,on go,
Gun up. The guu.boass Oposuu aud Plover
pushed 10 close to the 6rs, barrier vben
the guns Of the forts opened ere and the &C
iion became general Tts Gre Of IA. Chi.
nsse 10 seishs add precision Va. such q.
ssver before experienced. Every sho, told
While those Of the British did som psrstiy,-
~ littie damage. The troops we're ordered
70 land. bat - the 6rst boat touched IN,
shore the forts poured . perfect hurricane
OF shell, balls and rockets which moved
down the use - they landed. The shin
supported 'hsm - we'll as possible The
mud on the shore Vas deep, aud Of the thou.
'snd landing barely one hundred reashed
tho trst OF the vide bitches, Eve hundred
yards from the river Only ifty reached
the third ditch, aud these would have made
an attempt to scale the walls but the lad.
dess we're broken By the shot. OF stuck fast
In the mud. With the one remaining ten
men sprang forward three Of whom uere
Killed and I'VE severely Injured. Orders
we're NJ last given TO retire, aud in the re.
treat the meu were shot down like bird.
Many boats we're swampcd by the bail. and
there we're not enough to take of the sur
vivors. Several boats full Of wounded were
struck snd svsmped. Russian features
we're distinctly visible ., the batteries.
The Americans towed up several bosts
TO tho scene Of action, and afterwards took
number OF men to their respective ships.
The foreign files to the 18th instant
by tho North American At Quebec, contain
tho following interesting detsil.
h"e EAFLOsiOS On THE STEAMER
GREAT EArTERS:
The following is = detailed accoun, Of thi,
accident:
On the afternoon Of the 9TH instant when
the Great Eastern vas of lasting. q feed
pipe casing in the forva funnel which lad
been introduced on the ground Of ecouemy
10 heat, aud to keep the heat Of the funnel.
from the cabins. exploded With terrific force
shsitsripg tho fuunel TO pieces, and demoi.
ishing the grand saloon aud lover deck cab.
los, through which the tunnels passed, and
otherwise doing great damsge to the inter
nal fittings. Great CONSERVATION prevailed
on board, but prompt efforts we're made to
get ~ the unfortuuots men 10 the engineers
department., Who we're either buried in the
Rubbish or Prostrated by the steam. Three
areusn we're found in dying condition aud
soon expired, while eight others were Injured
too Of whom subsequently, died.
One fireman Vas lost overheard, having
either fallen into the water or Jun ped into
IL to escape scaidiug The injured men we're
generally progressing fsvor.bly, although
tvo or three Of them were 10 . precariou.
condition. The numerous guests on board
had only Quilted the grand saloon through
which the funnel passed aud 10 which they
bad been dining few misutes before the
explosion TOOK place. But Tor this the con-
sequences would have been most serious. -
The explosion 10 stated 10 have been proba> /
bly, one Of the most violent which a vessel
has ever survived, aud which none in the
world could have withstood save q structure
Of such marvellous strength a. the Great
Eastern. she not only resisted IL, her frame
sustaining no injury whatever, but il made
so little difference 10 the movements OF the
vessel that the engines we're never oocs stop.
ped till she reached Portland IL is ASSERT
ed that great objections bad be.3 made to
the casing round the furnaces, but the diree-
tors persisted in adopting the plan, notwi,h. .
standing u had been tried and sbaudosed in 7
the Collins steamers
The eoroosr's Inquest vas commenced at
Weymouth on the i2tb, aud the evidence
clearly showed the cause Of the explosion TO
be
Firstly. The supply Of ,h. boiler. through
the water jacket Of the fuuosl ~, stopped
because Of failure in the auxiliary pump
ing power
Secondly. A stand. pipe which acts asa
safety valve hsd in 10 tap whom the casing
vas ALPHABETICALLY tested, and that tap vas
turned, apparently intentionally, so that the
pipe vas useless. Tie inquest was adjourn.
ed till the I7ih.
Prior to tue accident. the performance Of
the vessel vas most satisfactory, sud she "a.
almost without motion, While large vessels
10 her vicinity were pitching aud tossing in
stormy sea. survey u the vessel had
been held aud estimstes sent 10 TO forthwith
repair the damage, at cost Of not more
than C5,00O the injury being far less eoB,id-
srsole than vas 81 first supposed Lutte II
ssy dsisy sOaId take plso. IN the depart
urs Of The ship on her Grst voyage butsf u-
NOR prevailed that she you'll not proceed 70
Holyhead, bat sail direct FROM Portland -
The accident caused . slight decline 20 the
shares OF the company bus did not iuasehey
The general coBhdet 90 10 The ship
THE RsrTLI m cHIsA
The Gains mail has arrived ~ London,
bringing complete accounts Of the PsIho Il.
fair, uhieh resulted in the total defeat Of the
British forces, Wish no less than Eve gun
boats sDd about . third Of the whole force
engaged.
It's ststsd ia London that Spain had re-
tufned sn eVssivs reply 10 tho question from
EggInnH fauattu3 a Il q