Burlington free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1827-1865, 1862-02-07
Obegree Nrfaa
BURLINGTON:
FRIDAY MORNING. FEB. :. 1862.
THE STORM AND LOSS ATUAT-
TERAS.

TERAS.
From the letters of a n. Y. World,
correspondent We take extracts which show
the severity OF the storm which the Burn.
side Expedition had to encounter at Hatteras
inlet and some Of the losses which the fleet
met with
IL. ...,, .ItaIl hAIIkHA. (NLsf, n. c., Jan II.
decks in the mo" Stag WAS but tho nrecnr,o- oS a
r., tbi,,t -dble gale, which has been blowing
t;on S-siK hours, and Is now in the culmina-
:. Il It's fury. Think OF ferry, and canal, and
-.ern-sheei riser boats of Cape Hatteras, strug-
giing with the angry waves Of genuine North
Ssster. But let me at onco assure you that as
yet the feet that sailed from Annapolis has suf-
lered no serious harm, From the time we ar
rived until oark yesterday we were in
tensely interes'ed IN witnessing the arrival Of
neet - ene ay one they came plunging through
the bf~akers and surf on the bar. BY night-fall
over half the feet had got safely in aud the bal
ance came TO anchor under the cape, where they
were about safe as in this variable harbor, with
its changeable channels and strong tidal ebb and
fow. The vessels which remained out through
last night and to-day were the steamers New
Brunswick, propeller Eastern State, two floating
batteries in tow o; the latter, the ships Arlcan,
Kitty Sampson, Ann Z. Thompson, Marcia Green
deaf barks Guerilla, Voltigeur, John Trucks, II.
.. Brookmsn, brig Dragon, and schooners Scout,
Skirmister, Recruit, and Highlander, all with
troops IN board, save the Eastern State Beside
thee, about dozen store ships, loaded with ord
1aHco, ammunition, and provisions.
About o'clock yesterday afternoon the screw
stesmship City OF New York which had Joined
u At Fortress Monroe and been in sight most Of
the time suee we left that place, weighed anchor
anu left her position under the lee of the cape,
aIl lans down with the intention u coming IN.
AZ c.. sequence Of her groa; drauEAt lf water,
--t-l she missed the channel, aad vas soon
lsh,-c the bTeahcrs & the south lt the
tu~ Immediately vent out O. her,
4- a5aia thought she was not dangerous.
lauouuced his intention # staying by her
u-fH be vas compelled TO leave. The increased
- ,eHcs Of the gale during the night, EowCveT,
rendered his position very uncomfortable, aad he
Vas obliged TO cut away his fOremast to case the
steamers position. In going overheard the main
top mast was carried with it. Early this morn
Ing signal Of distress Ess deserted, but iur some
reason, whether from tho lack Of boats and truu.
hands, Or from want of a proper realization ul
The unfortunate vessels position cannot sag, her
signal has not been needed, aud she lies pounding
ou TIE bar, her smoke-s,ack gone, every 500
breaking over her, and, 10 all sppcarauec. oised
snd full of water To witness the deliberate rUt
inevitable destruction Of So fine a vessel aui pos
siby severe loss Of human life, has been the
most painful sight that has greeted my cyc, t.r
many q day.
WEpNEsDAl, Jan. I5.
The gale is over. The story Of the wreck can
now be written with all the facts before us. Lest
evening. az : o'clock the wind shifted Iu;' tlo
southeast an abated material ly. EU' this In-
creased the sea where the yess cl lay, ami he im-
rnediately began to break up. The crew aai pas
seDcers, twenty seven in number, after grcnt ut
Cering and many pcrils, have been rescued.
The City Of New York was screw steamer of
nearly 500 tons, belonging to Nm. /. Niiiiims,
No. . Maiden Lane, New York. Sle was built
BY Cape, at Hoboken, N. j., in 1852. and was for
a long time employed in the line between Phia-
vielphis snd Boston. Her cargo consisted in part
of 400 barrels of powder, 400 heavy shells, 60 ca
ses rifles solid shot, canister, grape, tent equip
sge and other munitions Of war, very valuable o.
this expedition just at this present juncture.
Wednesday EUeH'ug-A visit to the hag-hip
hss thrown more light upon the wreck Of the City
of New York. or rather upon the tact that she
was allowed TO become a wreck, and as near as we
are sHo now TO judge, the blame lies between the
captain of the tug who attempted TO pilot her ins
-.ii dc hrst 'siner Of the shin, Rasars- who 50
" hen the tug returned, the captain reported 10
che flagship that the vessel was not dangerous;
that her crew were safe; that she would probably
live through the storm, and that there was an ap-
parent dispositio evinced by the crew to prema-
was thought that no assistance was nece sary, and
accordingly none was sent.
Cslamities thicken. Hardly have summed
up one, ere the terrible reality Of another bursts
upon us and the sad task Of recording the loss Of
human life is again imposed upon us. We have
Just learned the painful intelligence Of the loss Of
Col. Joseph W. Alien and surgeon 7. 5. Weller,
of the Ninth New Jersey regiment, this after
noon, under the following circumstances: The
regiment was on board the ship Ann 4: Thomp-
son which had remained outside during the gale.
This afternoon the colonel took one OF the surf
boats manned by squad Of soldiers, and came in
through the breakers, to report TO Gen. Burnside,
but what he reported l was unable to learn. They
then started to return, but their boat was swamp
ed in the surf, and the colonel and surgeon were
lost. The boats crew were saved. and they were
picked up and brough, in by the schooner High
lander, which came along with part Of the sd
Massachusetts, regiment on board. The bodies of
the officers were soon recovered, and every sppli-
snce used to restore them to life, but with ef-
feet.
Jan. %, 1852.
WRECK or TIE STEAMER FocAucyrAs.
There not being sufficient vessels at Annapolis
80 transport all the horses, word was sent to Bal
-Iuore. and the ancient side-Wheel steamer Poca-
-ln5as tbiIty-three years DID, formerly running
o.i the Bay line between Baltimore and hich-
1r.1d as chartered. She came % Annapolis the
expedition left, the eth inst, and took
~. 4tr ergo, consisting OF one hundred 1ud siN
l"ls,s, eighty-niue belonging to the FOURTH
Rsode lsla d, and seventeen 20 the Iweriy-hith
Massachusetts, Regiment; likewise detachment
u tae New Jersey Ninth, the mechanic, surf
mea aud Of hers, who, with crew and officers, made
the number Of persons on board hfty:six. The
steamer left Fortress Monroe on the 10th, an
Commenced breaking down before she got outside
OF Cape Henry. When twenty FIVE miles cut her
rudder chain broke; and about the same time the
captain got drunk; wheE fifteen miles lrom Cape
Hatteras Light cap blew of the boiler, which
vas promptly stopped up with piae plusi soon
after, the rudder chain again brokei about the
same time the grating in the fre-room fell down
and the boiler dropped into the bottom Of tic
shIp. shortly after she struck on Lttle-kine kcct
shoals, twelve miles north of Hatteras Light,
when, the captain being drunk the cabin
ioor the pilot took charge Of the steamer, aud 60
save the lives Of those on board, ran her ashore.
No was lost, but only thirteen horses saved,
belonging TO the Rhode Island regiment The
steamer was rotten and perfectly unseaworthy.
The foregoing facts arc derived from Elias L.
Hatch and George I. Brown, Of Perth Amb'y,
New Jersey, who further state that the captain
sad iu one Of his drunken fits that the loss Of the
vessel vas a pre-coneerted arrangement. There
Is some reason to believe this, but il would seem
TO be at variance with the statement made by tho
same person that the vessel was chartered at $500
per day. Her charter at any price was ar afro
ciC US swindle. The drunkenness of Capt. y ORTIZ,
and his virtual abandonment Of the command of
the ship, undisputed facts. The passengers
are all here now, with nothing left but their
lives and the clothes hey have upon their backs
OPERATIONS on The " swAsH.'
We have become so reoonciled to tedious delays
and especially the enormous task of transferring
this feet over the "sEssh," or bulkhead, that we
have quite forgotten that the original design Of the
expedition was to operate against the rebels OF
North Carolina. The work going on looks more
like pulling vessels over St. Clair Flats than like
a grand war-like armada bent upon the destruction
of wary and inscriptions enemy.