The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1863-02-16
Our Key West Correspondenoe.

point which is fully detailed in correspondents let.
ter.
Our Key West CorrespOndence.
KEY wEsr, Fob. 10, 1868.
Arrioai Of the United States Steamer So,omaInerest,ns
Aooat Of Her Chase of ne f,uaeer Fsorsda--Her No
chsey Girtno O,s-Her Unseatcorshiness and Wont Of
Speed TIE Cause of the Forsdas Ecapc-Tofdi Loss Of TIE
Steamer Sodn-SepsAeen Of Her Creo and Tco Passengers
Go Don sCth Ms Vessel Of 1ranspovts-
Qf-Wor IN the HarJor, dc.
The gunboat Sonoma, Commander Stevens, arrived at
this port Saturday night cruise In tho Calf in
search OF the Florida. She lett this harbor fortnight
ago, and on the LIST inst, while passing the Bahama
Banks on her way to Nassau discovered o'clock
10 the morning, while entering the Queens channel
strange SAIL which, upon nearing hoisted English coors
Immediately suspecng her charactcr) Captain Stevens
ordered full head or steam and with all sail set started
in pursuit. surprising her TO be the Oreto Scarcely had
the stranger hsted her coors when size altered
to iae norhward and westward, made all possible sail
and commenced firing up rapidly. The sonoma to
quarters, anticipating she Would be range OF her
guns and followed her with varying thirty.
four hours, through the Queens channel the tongue
the and Northeast Providence channel hundred
end twenty Ave miles to sea- losing sight OF her Mon.
day aght Wall then bearing west.s"ntbwest
There h6 d6n but that the speed Of the 6reto under
Stoan exaggerated, Wnil6 Inc Wuo iiBnt
the smooth the Sonoma gained gradually but surely
upon her. Upon getting however, into the opc sea- and
the wind fresng and the increasing, the Oreto
rapidly. drew away, until, night coming,
sight OF. For twenty -four hours the quar-
tiers anxiously awaiting the order open fire. three
times ahe the Osdos capture seemed almost certainty,
desamgemet IN the Sonoma's machinery ntefered
her fapor. UNTIL after chasing her for thirty hours
distance OF three hundred miles she succeeded
AT seen she w M at inU IN
the isward possibly with the intention OF making
Of the " indward passages.
Had the Seond possessed the qualifications Of
sea0oig rcsset. the capture al the Cro iould haze been
accomplished fact, and her destruction necaabte.
they captured the bark Sprugbok with Il valuable cargo
OF Conrsband goods, from Falmouth England, bound
Nassau 1hss prize captain Stevens sent 70 New York
Her britannia sesty's ship Gslatea Captain MCGUIRE
from Havana arrived in harh0r the 9Th inst and
remained until yesterday, when she sailed for Nassau.
The usual saics were exchanged between tho ship the
tort and the Admirals flagship.
Another prize has been added 10 long list by the
rival o, the schooner Margaret, with miscellaneous cargo
Of contsband goods shc was captured By Admira! Bal
ieys Ist improvsed Of war; tho Two Sisters, herself
late re- and now doing good service by guarding the
Quick sand Passage.
On saturday afternoon gloom was thrown over the
city by announcement oil tho loss u the swan prize
steamer condemned here and sold few months ago "
william Cur OF Key West she was fitted out al this
mort and started for New Orleans on the 4h Of January
with orders from her TO follow the and keep
within sight Of the Shore so that should heavy weather
she might la aud anchor the land. This
necessary FROM her peculiar buiid sho bong Mis-.
sssrp river boat aud not adapted by Of her great
length aud slight build to encounter weather She
got along well the rst day and made synabe lsland on
Che 25n and or Fgmunt Key where she ancho ed TO
derer, attain Turner. bearded her and ordered
the captain to Immediately get up steam and
for the Belize This change OF route res ied in
che total loss OF the boat and that OF the lives OF seventeen
OF The crew ana TWO passengers captain Roberts has
si The survivors by starvation aud exhaustion after
their from tho wreck 10 the ships boat. This
enclose tr publication. ALEC list Of the lost ana dead
Tbs swan hne vessel, Of great carrying cap city
and valued $50 900. Had she been allowed 10 have
followed the the only safe or taxing her To New
Orleans she would without doabt have reached that port
and proved invaluable acquisition 10 Genera Banks In
moving his troops up Mississippi The extraordinary
order Captain Turner her death warrant and that
also of nineteen valuable Yes
The steamer Empire city, captain Benton, from
New Orleans, aud coaling, viii leave to-day Tor ,e~
YORK.
YORK. with a full cargo OF gvods for this market.
The shlp Wz'rd King. Captain Cobb, Is loading FOR
New dreams, with quarermasiers stores, and sails on
The ginboa,s santiago dc tuba Captain Eidgiy: r. L
cuyer. Huntsville, Captain Rogers; tetorara, Captain
Coos aud conoma, Capt. Stevens in port tho two
iattef e. cave TO day.
Loss of the steamer Swrn, Late a Prize
20 thc Bark Anna amd Brig Balm
bridge.
STATEMENT OF CAPTAtS EDWARD ROBERTS. MASTER.
We let Key West Saturday, January a, at three
r ~, Tor New Orleans. Made SynaDei Island sunday
noon, bearing y. T.. Followed the coast, and when on
Chariot harbor at little after sunset boarded by
tue Uated states gunbuat Wandcrer. Kept towards
Egmont Key until three O'Clock tho wande,er ol,own ing
Ia sight. Monday morning the 26th, anchored 70 clean
boilers, having Egmont bearing ~ ~ W about fifteen
miles Distant and boarded by the wanderer
agsn and received orders approach the again
under any circumstance but TO proceed on a direct
gp0u
ncon, course W. N. W. e W. Experienced fin.
ther Unit next day at noon (2sth) wind haaicl round
w. y, W. blowing very heavy. Al two O'Clock
Y. NJ, the running high and the gale increa ing
was obliged ~ run before II. the snip III every
JOINT an made water rapisy ten ocock " " al tho
pumps gulng and spare hands baiing. st gaming
Toe working 81 the ship was fearful, AMI Mt
the pipes. ~ bal. past one O'Clock the i've
ieot ~ ihs bold asd H. became evident that she
mast soon 20 down, "a y was gaining rapidly ina snip
wss brought foasl head ~ the wihd ~ near AZ u wss
possible and ordsrs gwen ~ i'nnch the boai2 The IN.
hanging ,om tbs siier cae q tho hurricane deck wss
succcricf getting INTO a. The ship WIS setting. and
the soss shovei OF as rapidly A. possible hu had tot
raiued III feet before the ship went down. Nothing
could Do seen Of tho oher bat by the SURVIVOR ts nig
beng n.rnfe dark. AMI n3 DOUBT remains taat = vas
either si.ye while Lam Inn, ur ut fonl AMI ri down
with the shp THIS a Two o'clock j. NJ ~ lour
A. " we shu hove " .pine tour ~ nv niles oA
but our eo,ts ~ ausl = hsr proved ne'rciua From
SIX 70 seven oclorg Tie wDd increased anc ~ .hit
pch sea, nearly swamriug the boat frfa}, ne
soh, We caught tugtic =, about tn pounas weight,
-" W. AFht 'vpi We ifl AieAtA Nlt'3 tesA hN UT
shpi "a, 'ns saved nethcr ool water. r'nd the
Mt ~ ~ ~ Tour oclock a NJ made las . lbtc DC
ow arg isonan. Wedug well On the bearn aat iound
oracknn water az nu0u, which served a. eaen,a or
Ihrst winch had been causing ~ much snneru&
nghaH h@th'hs 70 drink previously except sit 90
the ~ Tue mate, james Matthew'S. ana cal pss-ef
fled 81 ltafvation and thirst 81 noon We r., gpdc~ Nrt
and c0t.td Al M shorc 80 the southwark On Tie "a
daybteJA found bed ., oystcrF a.f at mon
anded iui obtained some hracklsa Wnter .pr..ttnv +
blanket sail. ~e kept ~. with fair Wtn1 III h.
midnight se landed ~ tape sable where We ~ tud tia
bospitabe settlement o. the Me-srs DAVIS o ksy Wei
aud rom them procured TOO md nonrishmept ~ =,
.bar .r5 0grbuat tor better pushed IN Tor ~.
Wes, where W. arrived the evening o. the I'm e,avof
survivors u thirty who had ert Key West Ias, two
before
Arrivals and Departure.
ARRIVALS.
Itvfrr oji-gtean ship Asia--Mr Hatch anf san -.
gissea Hatch, guserncss maid NJ Lnion Nj Nifs
IL "a. Il. E.sW 4nF f.4s ~.