Wyandot County Republican. [volume] (Upper Sandusky, Ohio) 1869-1903, 1870-03-18
THE ONEIDA HORROR.
One Hundred and Twenty Lives
-.- Lost.

BY the bark Benefactress, flom
Japan, we are in receipt of a detailed
account of one of the most dreadful
marine disasters which it has ever
been our duty to chronicle. The
United States screw steamship One
ida (third rate, 1882 tons burden.
carrying eight guns and l76 officers
and men, was run into by the pas
senger steamer Bombay, near Yoko-
hama, Japan, and sunk within fif-
teen minutes afterward, carrying
down 12O Of the officers and crew.
The following is taken from the
Japan Gazette of the 29th of Janu-
airy.
The most appalling disaster ac-
currred on the evening of the oath
of January, at about O'Clock, with
in few miles of the anchorage in
our harbor, which she had left a
couple of hours before. The vessel
had been in and out of Yokohama
and the other Japanese ports con-
stantly during the past two years,
and her officers were more than Or
dinarily well known and well liked
ashore. AS they were leaving the
station, homeward bound, farewell
festivities had been accorded to
them during the preceding week, and
they left accompanied by the cordial
good wishes of all their acquaintan-
ces, afioat and ashore. Yet within
two hours after their departure, OF
complement of officers and men
numbering 176, only Sc, including
DR.. Suddards and two junior. officers
were left to tell the tale of the disas-
ter that had resulted in their ship
and their comrades finding watery
grave. The iron steamer Bombay,
| belonging to the Pacific and Orien-
tai Company, ran into her, and she
sank in fifteen minutes.
| The following account is from one
Of the men saved from the Oneida
we give it as we received it.. But
before we judge the Captain of the
Bombay, we must have his account
of tie melancholy affair, and the
statements of others on board. A
naval court martial has been deman-
ded by the captain of the Bombay
The United States steamer Oneida
which has been on the China anc
Japan station for little over two
years, having arrived at Kobe or
the 27 of December 1867, to b.
present on the opening of the ports
of Hinge and Osaka on the 1st O.
January 1868, left Yokohama har
Dor about5 o'clock on the afternoon
of the "a of, January, homeware
bound. The United States Minis
ter had visited her in the forenoon
and she had saluted him and return
ed the salute of theBritish iron -clat
Ocean, which ship His Excellenc,
also visited. a- .-.y ~
| The guns had also been loadet
with blank cartridge in expectation
of having to return the expecte,
salute of the Russian gunboat Vsad
nick, which, however, did not salut
Mr.. Delong, aad, consequently, tn
| guns were left loaded. On he
steaming out of the harbor, tn,
crews of the other men, of-war in tn
port gave her three cheers and wish
ed her a prosperous voyage. O
: passing Saratogaspit, the wind bein
fair, the fires were banked, and tn
r steam was commenced to be blow
) off. About seven o'clock, while tn
: officers were at dinner, the lookou
man on the forecastle sang out
f Steamer lights ahead" and th
midsnipman, also on the forecasile
!, gave the order, 'Port the helm.
r Every thing seemed so still on boar
8 the other steamer as to lead to th
J: belief that she had not observed th
e Oneida. although her lights we1
! burning brightly. The steamer,no
known to be the Peninsula and Or
4 entail steamer Bombay, came rigt
Q on snd ran into the Oneida, ,strikin