The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1870-10-29
LOST AT SEA.

The sinking er the Alexander PeiIeu-sshe e
cent On n NOyuae while In n LeHky USndtttSn.
Another instance of sending ships to sea i'm an
unseaworthy condition has just occurred, aud
resulted disastrously. On the 9Th day of Sep
tember the steamer Alexander Petion which
had formerly belonged to the Haytien Govern
ment, but which had beeu lately sold to the
mercantile firm OF NJ River, left Port au Prince
for Perit Guave. neighborlng port where she
was to be loaded with lOgwood for Boston. On
her arrival there il was discovered that she was
leaking, and this was reported to Captain Cor
don. who gave orders that the donkey engine
should be used in clearing her
The next difficulty to be surmounted was the
obtaining crew, some of the hands having de-
Serted declaring that they were
NOT GOING TO BE DROWNED
with their eyes open. At last by means of de-
ceptioR, some bands were cajoled into coming
on board, on the assurance that the run was 10
be only to Nassau. She started, however, short
manned to such an extent that the cable was
cut and the anchor left behind. Seriously leak
ing and utterly unseaworthy, she put to sea on
the 9th of September She labored heavily,
straining as II she were going down every
moment, while the leak made terrible advance.
In this state of things the captain aud
THE OFFICERS HELD A COUNCIL,
and determined to head her off for Nassau then
about 500 miles distant. The next day the leak
had put out the fires, so that the vessel was
drifting before the wind. Seeing that she was
rapidly going down by the head, the captain
OTuCIGu JnaJ Jne DOaLS De got ready and pro-
visioned, and leave the vessel to her fate. He,
with fourteen men, entered into one boat, while
the chief officer, James Watson, entered into
the second one, accompanied by eleven men.
When they left the steamer she had nine feet OF
waterin her hold One hour after they had left
her they
SAW HER GO DOWN.
The two boats kept together, Signalling each
other every half hour during the night, until,
about o'clock in the morning, the captain 5
boat disappeared.
sUFFERINGs OF THE MEN,
The sufferings undergone by both boats
crews were very great. For two days before
the steamer went down they had no fresh water
to drink, owing to the rising of the water on
board the Potion above the tanks, and having to
work nlgnt and day, were literally exhausted.
On the third day the men in the captains boat
suffered so much from thirst that they swallowed
large quantities of salt water, which they
scooped up with their hats.
TERRIBLE DESPAIR.
The captain did all he could to encourage the
unfortunate men, but at last be too lost all hope,
and said, 'Let her drift boys; we have done
our best; we can't do more; we must either get
help or die" When fully resigned to their fate,
and having abandoned all hope, in the evening
of the fourth day since the steamer went down
they were
PICKED UP BY A SCHOONER
bound to Texas, hailing from New York, the
captain of which, after treating the exhausted
men with the utmost kindness, further con-
sented to deviate from his voyage and put the
men down at Key West. Those who arrived at
Warsaw were cared for by the authorities in
the absence of the Haytieu Consul and at Key
West they were also cared for by the authori-
ties and sent to New York to the Haytien Con-
sulate, where they are duly cared for and sent
away as they desire. 1t is said that there is no
insurance on the vessel and cargo. The agents
at Boston, Messrs. Canoll and Truber, have
placed the entire control of the matter in the
hands of the Haytien Consulate in this city
N. Y. Herald, today.