Delaware gazette. [volume] (Delaware, Ohio) 1855-1886, 1870-11-11
Loss OF THE vARUNA.
IHeralds Special.

SAVANNAH, November D. -On Oc-
tober 20, at 10 o'clock p. NJ, the
steamship Varuna foundered in the
Gulf Stream, thirty miles from jupiter
Inlet, on the Florida Coast, during
one of the most terrible hurricanes
ever witnessed in that latitude.
The steamer was thrown on its beam
ends and went down, only allowing
time for two life boats to be- put off.
One of these containing Captain Spen-
Ger, the engineers ana fremen, ten in
all, was carried down with the vessel
while the other containing seven of
the crew was finally beached on Jupi-
ter Inlet, two of the men, Samuel
Mccormack, fireman. and James
Flynn, seaman, losing their lives in the
breakers. The remaining FIVE, W.
Kirkland, second mate, Wm. Wallace,
quartermaster, Thomas Glennons,
James Burns and George Watson, sea
men, arrived to-day from Florida, and
left for New York.
Wallace's account says: We left for
New York on Saturday night at z
O'Clock and had fine weather up to the
morning Of October 20. when the wind
sprung up from the south. At noon
there was a moderate gale. As the
sun went down it was blowing a per-
feet hurricane. All went well until
8 o'clock, when the wind shifted sud-
denly to the southwest, when the ship
became unmanageable, and having a
list to port, the sea commenced rush
ing on board on the lee side of the
ship, staviDg in bulwarks and cabin
doors. We tried to get her off before
the winds and put on all steam we
could, but it was no use. | was at the
wheel, and we brought her up to the
wind again and tried to fix the cabin
door, but the sea was rushing on board
to such a degree that the men could
not work We then twisted her jib to
pay her head off, but it was blown into
ribbons, although it had been snugly
furled, By this time the sea had
stove In the engine house and was
rushing down into the fire and engine
room at the rate of many tuns per
minute. and the ship listing over more,
she was fast filing. I lashed the
wheel after / felt the engines stop, and
went aft to get some water / was very
thirsty, and then managed to get on
the hurricane deck, when / found the
two life boats were gone from the ship,
and the men were getting the other
boats ready. / was still so thirsty that
came back to the Captain room and
got drink there, and opened the
weather cabin door to see how the
passengers were behaving, but did not
see a soul, as they were all in their
staterooms, unable to come out on ac-
count of the ships being on her beam
ends. | then came on the hurricane
deck and got into the after boat with
six others, then in. 1t was lying on
the deck waiting for the ship to 60
| down, she then being nearly on her
beam ends. The Captain, mate and
engineers, ten in all, were in the boat,
aud In less than Eve minutes the boats
| were afOat, but IN such a heavy sea
that was afraid we would get foul oil
| the ships rigging. While the vessel
was sinking the other boat halted and
asked us if we were all right, and after
this the steamer got foul of their boat
and took her down With the ship
The boats were Ingersall's metallic
life boats, and think the Captain s
boat got clear and came up again, as a
boat, bottom up was seen two hours
/ after, but no person was in it. After
the ships mast head was out of sight
we thought ourselves all right, as the
ship was clear of rs, but We counted
without host, for the heavy sea cap
siged the boat, but all managed after
great exertion to right her and get IL
again. The ship again went down al
2 P. NJ. and at midnight the weather
moderated and was still.
The hardships encountered by the
/ five men were terrible. and while bra
wing the fury of the element sixty
hours in an open boat, we're without
food or water, except small onion
which served to moisteu the parched
and aching lips.
After being cast on the beach by
the breakers in view of the light, house
at Jupiter Inlet, only the second mate
and seaman were sIroDg enough to
/ feebly drag themselves to the building
for assistance, The rest lay exhaus-
! ted until the keeper sent a boat to
take them away. The passengers
thirty six in number, without doubt
| all perished in their staterOOms, When
the steamer suddenly lurched over on
her beam ends, the water poured into
the cabin where they were securely
fastened to die horrible death. with
out even battling for existence. Il
would have been madness, the survi-
vors state, to have attempted to rescue
them, as the cabin was a trap into
which it was certain death to venture.
Horrible as the thought is, nothing
I could be done by the officers and crew
but save themselves.