Raftsman's journal. [volume] (Clearfield, Pa.) 1854-1948, 1870-05-18
The Lost Oneida,
A correspondent Of Sacramento pap,


4 correspondent Of Sacramento paper
writes:
On the 2i;b dag Of February the borrow
/ Ell steamship AroOstnuk, witt Chas. and j.
! ). Lou-ee, practical aud experienced divers
/ from San francisco, Went 10 where the Oaei
! ia lies ia one hundred aud twenty three feet
ii wafer. Alter the usual preparations had
] teen coucludud, and by sounding it had been
a. :ertaiIed hat the deck OF the Oneida vas
( one hundred and three feet beneath the sur
! face OF the bay after every caution had been
given to eight strong sailors to keep the air
pump constantly IN motion. and allow not an
instant of tIWe OF stopra@e to occur, as
thereby drErcadcd The lite OF the bold diver;
after Charley Lousae had been hclmeted,
and shut from air, except that supplied
through that slender tube OF coied rubber,
with u lie inc around hi body and leaden
clogs to his tcgt, with good bye aud God
bless Won, from all aboard he was dropped
over the side and slowly disappeared i'll Tie
bue waves. while a nervous trem0r shot
through Jur frame a we realized ;lIe fearful
rf~k undertaken 10y that man who was seek
/ iur for truth in over one hundred teet Of
water.
Away to the leeward borne by tide and
wind, came floating bubbles 10 the surface,
I life signals from below. The men at the
pump were i;,boring manfuiiy, bur becoming
iaii.uci, attempted to change for fresh
hands antthcrG was stop, Great God
you vii murier my brother! Quick tor
Heavens sake quick E And the men re-
commenced the revolutions OF the air pump
the elder Bougec, with blanched face and
trembling lip, gave signal ca the lifeline
! below. For an instant there came 10 re-
sIouse, anu the face Of that brother seemed
to turn to marble. but then we saw 10 sub
marine station. aRI knew 1t was the welcome
signal OF All rig ght. Charley was search
ing the Oneida ut the tremendous depth
mentioned. At last the signal los surface,
aud instantly the lifeline was put IN mo
ton; slowly came the cni,iBs hemp and ruL-
Der on deck, and at last, away IN the deep
blue waves the diver was seen. As he came
10 the suriace he reached Minister DeLong
Il sword and j. lacqucred box, and then with
his hemiet loosed and our party crowded
around to hear of che gallant ship. Among
7 QUE party we're many survivors of the Onei-
ia; among them were Wm, Crowinshield,
( Capt Clark, Master Yates and DR.. james
Siuddard, who were intensely excited to
learn the udings.
Said the diver: "The water for the first
seventy feet was quite clear, as the sun gave
excellent light, and although my supply OF
air was once choked of tor an instant, L
/ reached the deck Of the ship just astern of
/ the mlzzsn mast and close by the mess room
( hatch the tide was ebbiug quite strong and
/ | WAS compelled 10 hold 10 the lines from
/ the rigging TO keep from being swept tor
ward | first examined the side Of the ship;
/ she was cat from the mizzen rigging lat an
/ angle OF abou; forty degrees across the whole.
! stern ol' The ship, her timbers, far below the
/ Tater-.ine, being crushed aud broken, the
captain : cabin cut IN two, the wheels and
/ steering gear ali carried away and, IN fact,
/ the whole side and end of the ship stove IN
/ Or cut away. The ship IS heading south
west, and sits upright on the bottom, and Is
making sand slowly / laid down on the
! deck and peered over the broken end into
/ the cabin, but did not dare trust my airline
! in contact with the Jagged timbers.
The guns and armament, except one, are
: al in place aft but did not go forward, as
/ was afraid of entanglemeut in the rigging.
/ Turning to Crowinshield. he said: our
evidence, which | read, described almost ex-
actly the injury, except thao she was cut
deeper than you could have known" Lou
I gee expressed the belief that it will he i'm
practicable to raise the ship, but that the
splendid battery. personal effects, &c, can
be saved if the Government sees proper.
By this survey the testimony of the living
is verified, and the memory of the dead
without stain, for the position of the ship
as found, and the position OF both the Onei-
da and Bombay, as testified to by the nayi-
| eating officers, shows that it was impossible
/ for the Captain of the Bombay to have ever
seen the red light of the Oneida, and that
| the order of Port your helm by Captain
| Eyre, was wrong, and the 'Starboard,
hard a-starboard of Master ates was right