The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1868-07-24
A Strange Story of ShipMreck.

A correspondent of the Chicago Repub ican
writes from the Azores the following dramatic
account of recent fearful collision and ship
wreck in that latitude. He says:-
"My ship, the Codmb q, which left Liverpool
on the 23d OF April tor Ne Y York, with near Elk
bundled souls ON board c'llided, at half
O'clock A. M. OF the 10th of May, with the
berque Joseph Hume. twenty-one days out from
Kingston, ST. Vincent, West Indies. and bound
for Loudop. The night was thick and togsy,
the wind blowing fresh from the westward. aud
a heavy sea on at the time, and those on board
we're ignorant OF the proximity of the
other vessel until it was too late to avert the
disaster. The barque, sailing across the course
of the Columbia at right angle, struck our
ship on her port bow. The Columbia raised her
bow aud came down with her cutwater on the
starooard bow OF the Hnme, carrying away the
latteI's bulwarks and doing much other damage
TO her. The Hume then recolled TO give US
ram in the port ribs with her horn, and then
quietly drifteo astern OF us.
"lhis gladiutorlal contest lasted but a few
moments, the captains of the two vessels
changing promises to lay-to til daylight to see
what the damage might be, and at the moment
ot the collision the sailor who was steering lhe
Hume when the accident happened, iumoed
aboard OF us. From HIM we afterwards learned
the name OF the Hume, that she was bound to
London with cargo OF molasses aud sugar. and
that she bad twenty souls on board besides him.
self, including woman aud child and one
armed man as passengers, besides the captains
wife.
''As for the original joseph Hume, for whom
this baroue was called, he was Spirltualst
from America, who, a dozen years ago, awak-
ened France and the rest Of Europe by his own
somnolency, and therefore il is not any wonder,
as the rescued sailor says, that the mate of the
Hume was asleep when the accident occurred,
instead OF being on the lookout. We lay to
for several days after the accident, but could
see nothing of the Hume, and therefore con-
cluded she sunk Immediately after the shock,
before boats or any means of escape could be
got ready. We in the meantime made careful
examination TO find out our own damages. We
u lpa nc hQn In UQd Lotto
mined 10 endeavor to keep on our course for
New York, forty-three degrees Of longitude and
five OF latitude away, for 1t was in longitude
81 80 West from Green Wlch and latitude 46, that
is to say about the middle of the Atlantic, that
the accident happened. Twenty-four hours of
faithful effort plainly told us the Columbia was
too much crippled to make westward passage
without repairs, and the alternative was pre-
sented OF possible safety by tacking ship and
sailing for these islands, then five hundred
miles distant, or sinking.
81 will not attempt to describe the
scenes which happened on board the ship
during the awful moments when our lives
seemed to hang in the balance, sus pended by a
single hair; when the sea yawned with its sick
ening trenches as sepulchres to receive our
struggling bodies; and when the winds and
waves howled and roared, as If revengetully
mocking our weakness and prayers, taking a
keen DELIGHT in our despair, and feeling bois.
terousy happy in taunting US with all the light
things we had said of them. And when the
strain of imminent and sudden danger was re-
luONeu anu RlOouly apprehension IOOk lJb pldCe,
the scene was still more appalling. Each Que
asked his neighbor what he thought, to see If
he could gather hope from another's opinion.
All were quiet and comparatively silent, count
ing the number OF miles made each day towards
Fayal, and praying for light favorable winds. so
that the ship might be humored. Finally, on
Saturday morning, by the grey dawn, the peak
OF the Island of Pieo. an island almost touching
Fayal, twelve thousand feet above the level of
the sea, was deserted, and gladdened every
heart.n
We were five days in reaching Fayal. but
finally came to anchor in the harbor of Horta,
at o'clock P. M, on Saturday, the 10th of
May, in safety.