Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1870-05-25
A TERRIBLE SCGNE At SEA.
Burning of the Ship Sunbeam i'm I'll, t
Pacific Ocean-Sfx of Her Crew Per-


Burning of the Ship Sunbeam i'm the
Pacific Ocean-Six of Her Crew Per-
tsh.
Captain Chadwick, of the ship Sunbeam,
has Just arrived in New York, and gives
the following account to the Herald of the
| loss of his vessel:
| The Sunbeam loaded in the harbor o1
| Iuqiqui Peru, during the latter part OF
| February and first week in March, with
saltpetre, bound for Tome, Chile, fol
which port she sailed on the 18th OF
March, the officers and crew expecting a
short and pleasant voyage The days
passed on with favorable winds, and il
seemed that their wish would find a joyous
realization, as the sturdy vessel made rapid
strides toward her destination. Nothing
occurred to mar the pleasure anticipated Of
quickly reaching Tome, until the 3Oth OF
| March, then being seventeen days out,
when the second mate, usually cautious
mariner by an act devoid of prudence,
caused the picture of contente6ness to
suddenly change to one of dismay and
death.
About noon of the latter date this officer.
desirous of giving the upper deck little
neater appearance, suggested to the captain
| that he intended to varnish it, which, meet.
ing his appreciation, he foolishly procured
an open light, and descended to the after
| hold, where the article desired was conve-
niently slowed, and attempted to draw it
but it was the last act of ships duty he ever
did, as the flames of the lamp coming in
contact with the fumes of the flowing var
nish, a terrific explosion occurred, and the
demon fire with a hundred nands was work
ing destruction on every side. In an in.
stant it seemed to pervade the entire hold,
and before the frightened and burned mate,
with his clothes on fire, could reach the
deck, explosion after explosion was heard
as the fire licked up the lniammable salt
petre, and the flames danced with glee up
the hatchway. So sudden did the terrible
| truth break upon the crew that for mo-
meut they were paralyzed. But, looking
around and realizing that beneath them
was a seething volcano, and the forked
tongues of their enemy were working to
every part of the vessel, creeping through
the decks and climbing the masts, they
must act 1t was a critical second.
When the first explosion was heard Cap
tain Chadwick, who had been below, rush
ed on deck and although but moment
had intervened, he was staggered to see
the flames forcing their way SO savagely
through the hatchway. Nothing could be
done. Smoke all around, binding suffo-
eating, and the boats could not be reached.
He asked no questions, but, looking into
the seething cauldron below, told the men
to save themselves and pray to God to help
them all. With this word the men leaped
into the sea and attempted to cling to the
spars and boards they had already thrown
overheard, but in vain Tor many Of them.
In ten minutes from the ignition of 5he var
nish the mainmast was topping, and in
thisteen minutes it went over the side, and
the gasping, drowning men clung with life
In view to its charredremains. When this
had gone and the fire was creeping along
| the rigging to the foremast Captain Chad
wick took his little son in his arms and
jumped over the side into the ocean. Hap
Ipily he caught hold of studding and
boom, which saved his and his sons lives
SO terrible was the heat at this time that
the faces of some of the men by the ships
side were blistered and cooked, and thus,
to change their positions and place their
backs to the burning mass, six poor fellows
dropped from their places of insecurity
and, frightened and exhausted, sank to rise
no more.
When despair had settled upon the sur
yivors' hearts, and the captain and half
drowned sailors felt that no earthly power
could save them, the fastenings of the
quarter boat fortunately gave way, and the
boat falling in the water right side up, one
of the crew secured it, and finding the oars
IN it, at once began opick up the thankful
souls about him. In a few minutes the
captain, his son, the first mate, Marshal
Johnson, boy, E. ii. Roberts, seaman, the
cook and six other sailors were taken in,
and they showed off as far possible from the
fast-settling wreck.
Twenty minutes from the first explosion,
| the Sunbeam sank from sight. 1t was fear
| ful how the fire still kept creeping through
the vessel. Varnish and saltpetre thou
sands of sacks of the latter, sent the wicked
darts of fire upward and around. Mast
after mast fell, and about ten minutes past
| twelve oclock D. M, on the 91st of March
last, in latitude thirty degrees forty-foul
minutes, about eighty miles from shore, the
last bubbling hiss was heard, and the noble
craft of an hour before was thing of the
past.
When the last look had been taken o1
the disappearing wreck, the boat, with Its
twelve sGuls drifted for while with Its
! forlorn party on the ocean. Yet work was
! to be done, and that quickly, as they ha0
nothing to eat and nothing to drink. But
deliverance was at hand, and when but al
hour or so in their frail craft, the whaling
bark Charles w. Morgan, Captain Athern
then on cruise, having seen the fire miles
away, bore down to their position and tool
them on board, subsequently landing then
at Talcahuano, Chill. From this place thu
party made their way up to Panama.
OF the saved, twelve in number, but fou
names are known-Captain Chadwick. hi
son, e. Fl. Roberts and Marshall Johnson
None of the names of the six lost hav
been divulged. They were the secont
mate, carpenter, steward and three seamen
Perhaps their tragic fate may never be as
certained by their friends.
The ship Sunbeam was built in Chelsea
Mass, in 1865. She was of oak and fast
ened with copper and iron. She had tw
decks, drew eighteen feet of water whel
loaded, and was 798 tons burden. Sh
was owned by Messrs. Augustus Heman
way & Co., of Boston.