The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1860-05-10
The Disaster At Camden, 5. C...Further
Particulars.

The Sumter Is. CO. WatchmAn brings fur
Their particulars Of a melancholy disaster near
Camden. S. e., Saturday, by which twenty
four persons, chiefly young ladies, lost their
lives. The party had enjoyed the morning
pleasantly in a picnic excursion at a mill
pond ten miles from the town, and In the
afternoon about thirty of them, all ladies save
one or Two, embarked on a fiat boat to sail on
the pond. The Waterman says
They had been out some time, and were
near the centre of the pond, when The boat ran
on snag. This excited little or no fears, AZ
it was supposed that a speedy extrica'ion
could he effected. All was life and spiritual
was hope and happiness! SJUn il was per-
celved that the great pressure of he boat Upon
the snag, in consequence Of the nunll er 1t con-
tanned, was puncturing it's bottom. and that
the water was making its way inside. Now
the excitement began. Now fear began to pic
ture its sad traces upon those just now
happy counteDances. Now the tender and
timid ladies called upon their protectors
for that assistance and deiverance which,
painful TO say, they were unable to afford
Momentarily the danger became greater, aud
mom-ntarily the excitement OF those on hoard.
as we'll as those shore, became more in
tense. 1t seems that deliverance would have
come and that the boat would have probably
been pushed Oft and run near enough the
shore for many. if not all, to have escaped had
it not been that those who stood at each eGd,
"a white man and negro,) with their poles,
laborIug with all their power showed each
III the same direction. thus mutually destroy
ing the effect OF their efforts Soon, in few
moments, she began to sink. When this was
seen. and the fact that she could not be moved
became too apparent, The scene became fright
full indeed The widest excitement and fear
seemed to seize every heart and but few if
any were sufficiently COLLECTED to enable them
, to employ their efforts for rescue advantage
| ously. In T. few moments, now, she sank,
when the scene may be better imagined than
described.
Piercing cries and shrieks, and calls for help
both from those on shore and those on the I'M
| fortunate boat, filled the air. Sisters and
| brothers, parents and children relatives and
| friends, whose hearts were bound together by
| the nearest and dearest OF earthly ties, and
| animated by the warmest aud most tender at
| fiction, We're there-scme on the sinking boat
and some on the shore Oh, how rudely Were
those confidng hearts torn asunder and raw
ished with wild and aching grief
| The boat seems to have committed them to
| the bosom of the water huGded together.
| mainly, in a mass. The water is supposed TO
have been about tWeLty feet in depth. Thus
| thrown together, one clihging to the other,
| with that grasp which belongs only to those
| III Il CroWnlng condition, there was little OPP
| rortunity for the males III the company to
| resc ue the ladies or even to save themselves.
| But Il few eve have not been appIised of the
| exact number We're saved, OF those upon the
| boat. One acj OF daring, manly and gallant
| rescue which has been reported to us, aud
| which We believe true, demands eSntc1al nOtlce
at our hands, and should be rewarded by the
| lifetime gratitude OF those Immediately con-
cerned, as well as the relatives and friends OF
| the same. MIR. Jones. a fireman upon the Cam
den train, (this train was, as well as we can
learn, at the time OF the aWi uI occurrence, near
| the spot rushed to the spot, and by almost
! superhulnan efforts coupled with most cool
and manly courage, brought three of the
drowning persons to the shore.
Mr.. S. 5. R,chburg, surveyor. formerly OF
| this place. with noble devotion, lost his lite.
| as we understand. attempting 10 save another.
! Two negroes also lost their lives.
| Efforts TO rescue TIE bodies of the unfortu-
| Some were taken from the water. Others
! could not be found. The flood gates of the
| pond were soon ilois ted, but the body of wafer
! was great ana could no be soon run of. 1t
| was thought that IL Wot.d be sufficiently dry
| on Saturday nlahi to ad nit OF ell the bodies
! being found. We naye not learned the num-
| Der that had been tou20, when our dispatch
| was sent.
| Camden is shrouded Ia gloom, and many OF
| its citizens overwhelmed by the most severe
| afii ton and bereavement. At half-past three
| on yes terday, eight bodies were at the MethO-
| dist Church, where funeral ceremonies We're
| being performed, in the presence of a large
| congregation. Almos every eye was moisten-
| ed by the tear OF sympathy or bereavement.
| The names Of the drowned Were published
| yesterday. A correspondent OF the Charles
| ton Courier says that four of the victims be-
| longed TO one family, and that another family
| lost five of its members by the disaster