New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1871-09-01
LOSS OF THE MISSISSIPPI
NARRATIVE OF THE CAPTAIN
DANGERS OF THE SEA

1
vessel encountered:
GENTLEMEN-The steamship Mississippi
| was driven ashore on HilsborOugh Rocks,
| forty miles south of Jupiter Light during a
a hurricane, on Thursday night last TWEEN
| ty-fourth of August. The ship will be a
| total loss. Some of the cargo can be saved.
| No lives were lost.
| We left New York on Saturday, nineteenth
| of August, and had bad weather all the way
out Passed Cape Hatteras at three in the
| morning on Monday, the twenty first :;
passed Frying Pan Shoals Monday night at
| ten o'clock. By Tuesday, at daylight, it
was blowing gale from the southeast, the
| shin rolling heavily and shipping big seas
| Set the toDsails, close reefed. Blew away
/ fore staysail. At noon l was waited upon
by some of the cabin passengers with the
request that the ship might be put into
Charleston. | quieted their fears, and by
midnight the wind had moderated.
On Wednesday night, at ten O'clock, we
Dassed Cape Carnayeral, wind from the
east and a bad sea running. During the
NIGHT the wind freshened and the sea got
worse. At daylight close reeted and set the
| square sails. At $40 A. NJ, Thursday,
passed Japhet Lighthouse, weather threat
| ening. At noon, furled the square sails.
| The storm increased very rapidly; the sea
was running high and the ship rolling deep
| cONAAS~ -
the deck flooded.
| Set the storm trysail and hove the ship to,
/ hard by east to north; wind then about
north.
| Slowed down the engine, that the ship
might ride easy. At A NJ. the barometer
! stood at 29:56.
At2P.M.I Judged that we were on the
northwest edge of revolving storm, whose
track was to the west northwest. Secured
everything for the worst. made the sails
well fast. and got all the spare spars and
CRATE bars ready for drag.
By3 p. NJ it was blowing fearful hur
ricane. and still increasing. The wind
hauled TO the northeast, the ship going no
| better than when TO the southeast. The sea
ran higher than | ever knew it TO do before,
and the decks were full OF water all the
| time.
Got the drag over the weather side, with
a hawser. AT p. NJ the storm trysail
blew away from the hoops, The sea was
| becoming confused and breaking over the
ship constantly.
By 4 P. NJ. the cabin skylights were
washed away, filing the cabin with water.
| The passengers were engaged bailing out
| the water.
The quarter boat was blown across the
| deck and stove; the quarter railing and
stanchions were washed away. The man
| rail, on both sides, was completely torn OF,
| fore and aft, and all the bulwarks gone.
| The lee side was under water, and the sea
running down the engine room.
| As the steam was going down, | ordered
| all the steam possible to be put on, so as to
| keep up off the lee shore.
At three o'clock the pilot house was broken
| ND on the weather side. Lashed the litter
| down. The windows ard doors aud part of
| the midship house were stove in. The lee
boats were torn away by the waters to lee
ward, swapping off the davits as though
! they were pipe-stems.
A heavy sea swept over US, which washed
| away every skylight and railing from the
midship house, sending about six tons of
water down the engine room and fire room.
| The engine was almost stopped for want OF
| steam.
The weather boats and beam davits and
| all the wreck was washed to leeward. Put
weather cloth in main rigging. The drag
struck the wheel and had to cut it away
| from the ship. While cutting it away l
was struck by sea, which dislocated my
| shoulder. Several of the crew were in
| iured by the sea and drifting wreck matter.
At about the same time the starboard
waterway broke in two; the butts on that
side of the deck were opening. The ship
was unable to lift and had all the appear
ance of laundering. At ?. NJ. the ship
was a wreck. l ordered the passengers to
! prepare LOT lne WORST; edcu oHe was IuI-
| nished with life jacket and fastening,
| Judged the ship to be off the beach. To
wear the ship was to insure destruction.
| Our only help was in the gulf stream cut
| ting us off by striking against our starboard
| bow. All hands were working their best
| to save the vessel. | knew that If she
| foundered every soul would be lost Our
| sole resource was in running her ashore
l was just preparing to ware to the west
I'D o,,Ao tba ct 4
about eight o'clock she paid off to south
west. The engine did no good whatever, the
| fires having been washed out.
| Shortly after she struck heavily. | and
| the first officer were dashed to the piece OF
| sail on the lee side of the wheel.
The sea broke over her most feartully. |
| ordered every one to secure themselves. L
made an effort to get to the cabin, when
| sea struck me and washed me from the mid
| shiphouse to the lee side of the cabin. l
| hailed the cabin, but got no answer. My
left arm was dashed to my side, which left
me in very weak state.
managed to get on the poop deck, where
| found the chief engineer. | managed to
! get into the cabin, where ! found all the
| passengers praying. The cabin lights were
washed away, and the prospect was hor-
rible.
The passengers were ordered to remain
in the cabin and to keep on bailing. Light
was made, and | got on deck and crawled
| along the weather rail to the forecastle to
see if the crew were all right l found
| them all under the forecastle. got them
all into the cabin and furnished them with
| life jackets and lashing, and kept all hands
| bailing the water from the cabin. The sea
| was breaking over us awfully, the ship
| striking and tanning over the rocks all the
| time. | was afraid she would break her
stem, bilge in and fall over on her side; but
she did nobly. At 8 P. M. the barometer
was at %, and the sharp lightning denoted
| the close proximity of the storm. 1t passed
to the southwest of US Many of the crew
| and passengers were injured, but not badly.
The stewards arm was broken. All the
night they worked at keeping the saloon
| free from water.
| About ) A. NJ. Friday the barometer went
up little. AT A. NJ. it began blowing in
| squalls, an indication that the worst had
| passed.
At daylight found that we were on shore,
| our boom close to the beach, our stern III
six feet water; the storm stilf raging.
sent two men ashore with block and
rope and got life line ashore, with chain
on it, and so sent all the passengers on shore.
Worked all night. Got all the crew OF,
some sails tents and provisions.
On Saturday evening saw steamer COM
ing from the nOrthward. Sent the mate oil
at Sand Key, SO that he might bring us as
sistance.
The mate returned after having boarded
the ship, and reported her to be the Cortes,
Captain Whitman.
The captain sent me word that he would
wait all night if necessary and take all
hands off. He sent his boat in. We mao