, 1863-12-16
LOSS OF THE WEEHAW-
KEN,
Loss of Four Officers and Twenty
six of Her Grew.
no DAMAGE SUSTAINED By THE
REST OF TIE FLEET.


=. esns i.uueeu u al1noS. cef1o'nty shet
tne painful oi9ae1ei " LIE "ecna"ken "as
que 70 1ne carelcssness on inc part OF those
IN charge OF her, the accounts OF the casualty
in no essential particular varying from TINT
we present below. Among the persons known
+. -. -, ...-s
~ oe on noafu was Ensign j. Il. Iced, ecc-
ord son Of John l.. Reed, Esq, IN old and
rromincpt resident of this cttv crco+ any.
i.ty wos cntert.fncd ,,v ,,,s fr3ends h.nn;,v
'e.' wa e.te' ..A"ea ~ !as 'uieu"o' aappny
set at rest by the following letter received
yesterday from the young officer
cusr1ysror u.reop
FLAG SNIP Pr11ApEIrn1A. Dec. 6 1851,
suppose Won haze heard. bes,ra this reaches
Won. Of 1he ainl,inf of, 1he Wechawkrn- was on
hooTd Int 9Tas soTcd W.
Tstayed by the ship until the oTil.r va. given.
=. ~ 1anss ,,s+ .a,1.s.,r-. ~ tho mas
,ea.a a's "ss "aa sr surr sampeu ossl
ooa.u, .u.a ~ Aa uo'o'ng on ~ ooa1u
6eP1 4o11e ~atsl FL ~ hp pac9e1 un. ..
.,.or,t t.rt.1,-'nSo .Faa.,a..ns ~ 'AA
@'on' :" Aout atee''ooats eo.1,
.. d. HEED.
Ensign Reed is graduate Of the Naval
Ac5derny Mt SewDort. AMI was with Forr,.
~ ~, +i,o Ha~+fard ~,,,t,,;at,,,a t., -, 49,.
e.t ~ tne 1"A .1oAu' pa1ae' P0'An5 ~ ~ .1ic
etfff1hs scenes III Inc western 6ull, enolng
with the surrender Of New Orleans, at which
he was present. His many friends will re-
sat. ~ It. 1,.,,,,.1 -, ~ 5:.,to.
1o..o az A40 "app, es>~p. "oAn ~ "40'''e1 ~
WINCH Inc de1alls we COPY rs 1olo"s:
From the New York Herald, Dec III
At two o'clock on Sunday afternoon, while
d furious wind prcyailed from the North
west, the iron-clad Wcehawkcn, lying at the
her anchorage suddenly, swiftly and
unaccountably to the oottoln-and carried
with her, to horrible death beneath the
wares, four Of her engineers and twenty y-six
Of hcr:crew.
Saturday had been q bright and beautiful
day, with scarcely breath Of nir astir, and
with cain, unrutfled sea- During the night
1xeexe sprung up, and the wind, blowing
freshly ut daylight on Sunday, increased By
noon TO violent storm.
The iron-clad fleet was lying meantime ut
its usual anchorage. The frigatc New Iron
sides was stationed Of. Morris Island, at q
distance Of about ole mile due east from
Fort WaEner-or, as 1t Is now called, Fort
Strong North Of the Ironsides lay the flag
ship Philadelphia, distant about four hundred
yards, The Wcchavkcu was next in line,
anchored twovor three hundred wards to the
nortAWard Of the fagsl,ip. The Montauk
wns on picket duty, between Fort Sumter
nnd Fort NoultrIc, Astcru of the Iron6Ides
lar the Nabant and Passalc-thc latter far
thest away from the flagship, and nearer than
nny other vessel to the Morris Island Shore,
Tic South Carolina and tho Homo were rock
| fng on the restless tide some fire OF six hun
| dred Yards ustern of the iron-clads.
The above was the posltion of the fleet
| when the first signal Of distress was made
| from the Weelawkcu, at a few minutes be-
| fore two o'clock. The signal was seen and
answered al once by the dagship, from which
four boats were dispatched to her assistance,
and By the South Carolina, which sent two
! Of her boats to the WechaWken's aid. The
+ tugs Dandelion and Iris were also at once
called up, and with them Commander Dun
can, Of the Weehawken, who chanccd to be
on tic II gship, and in conversation with the
Admiral, when the signal was made, pro-
eecdcd Immediately, With the hope Of run
uirg his vessel on the beach. He had scarce
II left the Admiral wien the officer OF the
deck made ont from the Wcehawkcn new
signal, and Immediately reported her to be
4 moment after she settled swiftly down
| BY the head. careened slightly over to star
board, and disappeared beneath tic waves.
It Il impossible to convey any idea Of the
| appalling nature Of this disaster. It came
| with the suddenness Of thundcrbolt. When
the first signal Of distress was made no one
dfyIpcd how serious was the danger, and
when. at !cncth. the vessel Went down, it
was difficult for those who snw her disappear
/ to credit even their own senses The confu-
sion on the flagship, arising mainly from the
dif]crIty nf 1a1ncLinr her hoats. and the de-
sire nF f,ofl officcrs and men To- bc first in
| thom was most intense and na;nfn1. Tie
r.;n5 ,,ns ,o,,- h1oTfnv with aTeat fnry. nnil
10 INV hoote "s ri,seb ~ ba.tancI from nj sides to
the scenc encountered trent periI in u;cking
| m from tha Watcr lie few Tlo had eucccldci
-, Ta+tirT ausx from tJ,a WeehawEen hefore
a. sI.e ea,,i.s Almost n he ,nonoent sic vent
! down eome twenty OF more spraug to the
1,oa+s ond enccecded- IN eettinr AVN Al
| many nfhcrs Tcrc rescued from the surciuy
| wares hy The launches Of the flagship. the
/ Sonth Carolira and HE tuc boats Dandelion
! md 11fe Tbsny nerished
| An ds1 thc Wcchawkcn Ind 1aborcd hcayi-
| 1v in Tie sc5,. which kent her decks coRstantr
H. sn1,mcrnrd and which frenuentlv sWcpt
! IN hurc volumes into her forward hatch. To-
| wards noon fnc crew commenced paying out
| cha,n- fo case her: but. ACCUSTOMED Us they
| wcTr. in crery caie. to the shipping Of such
sons It ia helicyed hat they bad grown con
1;f;ent and carcless Of danger, and paid no heed
ia fhe enrroachine waters until 1t wns too
late to resist them. They dreamed of no peril
tif} The waves had fairly yawncd to swallow
them. Then, when 1t was known for cer-
! tafnty that the vessel was to be lost, Epanic
Of fright and fear benumbed them, nd the
tcrror-strickcn crew below had little powcrto
l,clp themselves There were men In irons be-
tween decks, and the Eergeant-at-arms rush
cd frantically away to release them. Poor
! 1ell0Ws+ tney au went C0Nu. 4uelt WtlE 4A'
valids in the sick bay, and to their relief the
surgeon sent his steward, who never return
Cd There were fremen at the furnaces, to
| whom win slrieks for helping hand at the
pumps were made. A few Of the confident
| were rushing to their quarters to save Their
effects, jostline the tin,id On their way to the
| dcck to save Themselves. It was in the midst
Of scenes like these that the WcehaHkcn went
down.
believe that none Of the officers perishcd
| saye thc four assistant engineers, who were
| oycrtakcn b5 the Hood before they could make
| uuy effort to escape. Commander. Duncan
| ho;1 only taken command Of the Ncehawkeu
on Saturday, having been detached from the
Poul Jones to relieve Commander Calhoun.
Tha officers clothing, the paymaster,s funds
and the papers OF me snlp sank VAN nel: ~,
iGc yeonaa4 We otou ~ ~ N nnaan4s IT,
nfr,a nfsE.ra1,a ~ Vn|;ors nort;cs werc nicked ur
a' d NIL +io uaa1eat ga resse1s vhere cvrrT
Ia 1u aAasn 49, ~ 49, s.,a5a F.r *bo;r nomfnr+ and
PROVISION "As tntae ~ ,..t.a s,-a.. 49,
retofatlon' lhosc 81 l1e cFe" Mno Me,t
| saved arc now scattered IN small squaat
/ throughout the fleet. II Is impossible to pro
curc at present the names Of those who Wert
| Inst
Thu Vechovkcn Is 1ayfnr in five fathom.
i | WHY Ellc 6U0k. IL WIS through u0 1AAAk y