The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1861-11-12

Eu6LwARTx0rLAA9.
IaAnnas Cssdscs sr shs Yankses ana Ts1s
raj Flees--Rescur % The Grew ~ the Cen.
fsaerats Stsau1sr observation-disclosures .,
Gel. Sinslssasy, Re.
The Newborn On. o. Psosress Furnishes full
particulars Of the wreck Of the French friGate
"Prony,' brief notice Of which appeared ia
this paper. yesterday morning. The following
Is the account:
The frfgate Prony Of about eight hundred
tons burthen left Toulon In France on the
End Of July, 1881, with Instructions TO sail
In the American waters, touching ut the va.
voyage the Commodore OF the PROXY re-
cstved orders from the Admiral on bosfd
me na2eship Of the squadron. TO 60 to Hall
lax, aud thence to Charleston, Ia South
When they received the order to sail for New
York, the Commodore Of the Prony was on
snore at Charleston. and the weathe. being
ooisterous and heavy, one Of the Confederate
steam undertook 70 convey the Commo-
oore on board the Prony, and whilst under
weigh, and as the Oon federate steamer ap-
preached the Prony, the steamer was hred
upon by one of the Federal steamers, and
thereupon a boat was dispatched from the
IRONY to meet the Confederate steamer and
bring him ON board. This action On the par
OF the Federal steamer, which the French
commodore character, zed as " a mean Yam
Zee trick, gave him no favorable opinion Of
the morals OF tho Federal Navy. The Prom y
left Charleston IN rough and heavy weather,
and the officers making a mistake In their
calculation whilst off the coast Of North TIA
roltna, the ship struck upon shoal at Ocra i.
coke bar-au steam was put upon her and
every effort made to get off; they fred
guns, and sent up rockets rs signals Of
distress, with the hope that some Que
would come to their aid and relief -
In the meantime the little Confederate
steamer Albemarle, Captain Saiycar, peiAg
at Beacon Island. boat and men commanded
by Captain d ID. Sirmond was dispatched py
order of Col. Singietary 10 visit the frigLte
Prony. BY tbs aid and efficient Iaanag emf =. I
OF Captain Sirmond, the large anchor of lac
Prony was gotten out and cs rried out SO It's
to heaye the ships head around for her r.
lief; and after rendering every assistaL.e
that could b. given--aIl which was fGuiLies.s -
Captain Sirmond returned with his Inen 20
the Albemarle for the purpose of hay -
her brought to the aid of the FreL. b
ship, but unfortunately he found that bae
Aibemarlo hal gotten aground and could
ot.be COTTON OF that day ana not until the
making OF the next tide In the meantiEIe
four Federal steamers Move In sight, coming
from the direction ofHatteras, and yisite d
the French ship and advised the French
Commodore TO keep his ship ON the strain of
the large anchor, as Capt. Sirmond had ad-
J0sted 1t, and they would 60 vn and bring
other steamers to his assistance and aid
The four Federal steamers then left him, and
never returned or sent him any aid that
night the weather came on TO be excesdine ly
heavy, and the sea ran high, which CAUSED
the French Snip to bre TX In pieces: and the
French Commodore, believing that tho al j..
Rec steamers intended TO play upon him a
" Yankee trick, and were only waiting for
the destruction Of his ship so that they might
piuGoer the wreck. threw overheard all Of
the small arms, one cannon, &c, to proven
Commodore, officers, and crew were loud and
deepln their curses and excavations of the
Yankees AT daylight in the morning the
Confederate steamer Albemarie, having got
Off the sho i, made two attempts to get 10 the
French ship, the sea running very high
which, for tho time, rendered i; impossible 10,
the AloemarIe to reach the steamer.
At2 O'Clock p. NJ. the wind changed to the
wes twarG ana the Albemarle Ia .ae tnirC
attempt TO make the French steamer, ana
having, at the imminent risk Of the lives O
all GA board, run as near TO the PrOny as i
VS. safe to do, came to anchor; aud having
but one small boat, the same commanded BY
Capt ID. u. Slrmond, with Col. Singietary or
board, succeeded in reaching the French
steamer; and having put Col. Singietiry On
board of The Prony, where he Was most cor
daily received and greeted by all the officer.
ana men, Capt. Sirrapnd, with the aid of tn,
boats of the PrOny, removed the en- tire crew
from the wreck to the Confederate steamer
AIbemarle and Curlew. Un one of the trip.
steamer, the boat with five of the French sea
men and her crew, were overwhelmed with
the waves and sunk, the boat turning com
petely over, and casting the whole crew intl
The sea. In this periious condition, after ths
men had been struggling in the WAFER TO,
the half Of an hour, tae French sailor.
came TO their relief in yawl boat and res
cued the whole OF them from a watery grave
and Capt. Sirmond and all of the men wer.
safely placed on board the Albemaris Moth
ing daunted by this disaster, Capt. Sirmonc
and his men soon bailed out the little boat O
the Albemarle. and Immediately proceed &c
to the relief of the French crew, and con
unued to ply en- this errand of mercy uu Ii
the whole of the crew were safely rescued anC
put on board the Confederate steamers Cur
lew and Albemarle.
Fifty-six Of the officers and crew of thu
PROXY were brought up to Newbern Ia thu
steamer Albemarie and comfortably provided
and cared for by the citizens of the to wn, tn.
Com modore and the rest Of the crew intend
ing to follow them in another Of therConfede
rate steamers. In the meantime, the French
Commander, after comforting with Comrno
dore Lynch of the Confederate steamers re
solved to go to Norfolk en- route for New
York, and accordingly the whole crew wer,
taken to that place by Commodore Lynch II
the Confederate steamer Curiew, the OIL GERS
and men leaving Newborn On Thursday nigh
last, at IL O'Clock, for that purpose.
The French Commodore is not sparing o
hts denunciations Of the Yankees, and unhes
christian and inhuman- he says, well-know
ing IS they did, tnat he his vessel, and crew
wee In the most imminent peril and di stress
and receiving assurances from them that thu
should be aided by the whole force that the,
could command, and believing that the
had in truth left him and gone to Halter.
for the purpose of procuring and returnin,
with additional aid, that after anxiousl,
watching in vain for their arrival tn at nigh |
the rolled high, and it required ali hi
strength of manhood and fortitude to sustai,
and support his men. He encouraged then
in every way, but when he lost boat afte
boat, until only two small boats were left
which were insufficient in such heavy gal
to save them, he awaited with painful anxiet,
and solicitude the dawu of day, expectin,
every moment that they would all be sui
merged by the waves, and find a water.
grave but when at the break of day the
perceived the little Confederate steamer Al
bemarle buffetting the waves and strugglipI
for life as 1t were in attempting to reacl
them, his heart was chesred, and the
felt That there were still some friend
on earth who manifested an interes
in their welfare; but all hope again
vanished when he perceived the imminen
hazard al risk that she encoun tered, and b
gave up all for lost, being we'll assured tina
she could not survive in 80. boisterous an,
heavy sea. And again, when she failed L
reach him in her fret and second attempts
he believed all further efforts to do so woul,
be vain and fruitless, he and his whole crey
made up their minds to meet their ia ia lik
men. and were sadly and nournfully affiicte
when they reflected that such an awful catas
trophe might and ought to have been verte,
ny the humane md timely aid Of the Fedora
leet, which they most inhumanely refuesd 4
render them. He says that they were greatl,
astonished, and ii sent a thrill Of JOY through
tho whole ship when the little AIbemarIe
which he perceived was q fran boat, mos
gallantly and bravely made u third attempt y
save them; and when she dropped her anchor
apparently safely moored, and sent her littl
boat to their aid, they all dsvoutly gave thank
70 God for their safe deliverance. And tina
TOO much praise and grateful commentator
cannot be awarded to the Confederate officer.
Colonel Singletary and Captains Salyear an
Sirmond, and their crews, for their brave an,
timely death.