Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1873-07-09
THE STEAMER CITY OF WASH
aa $500 INGTON.
A Dispatch from the Purser.
Full Particulars of the Disas ter.
The Passengers, Grew, Baggage and
stores all Saved,

StOreS al ShVcOs
NEW YORK, July 8.--The following dis.
patch has been received from the purser OF
the wrecked steamship City Of Washing.
ton:
Liverpool, N. s., July Z, 1STS.-To John
G. Dale, Agent Inman Line.-The City Of
Washington struck on Gull Rock bar, 70
miles west of Sambro, at 2 p. NJ, July s, in
a dense fog, and is likely to become total
wreck. The passengers, crew, baggage and
spare stores were landed at Point Lebear.
She had dense fog all the wsy from
Queenstown. MAHoN, Parser.
-5rI -1t The Vessel.
The City of Washington was built at
Glasgow in 1856, and was considered q
staunch vessel, being of iron, with stout
iron fastenings; was 302 feet long, 40 broad,
% deep, and 222 draft; was ship rugged; had
three decks; was furnished with water-tight
bulkheads, ard had maximum capacity of
1855 tons bul den. DuIing the Crimean
war she made several Important trips in the
service of the English; has been in the SER
vice of the company for considerable time,
but was used latteIly as an extra vessel. Ii
insured at all, the risks are probably held
by Underwriters in England.
Further Particulars.
. HALIFAX, July S.-The tug boat Daisey,
of Liverpool, n. S., arrived here this morn.
ing with Henry Mahan, purser of the In
man steam ship City of Washington, from
whom tho following particulars of the ship
wreck were cleaned. The City of Wash
ing sailed from Liverpool on the 24th of
June, and from the time Of leaving that
mort rpt tho veeeol etru nly nv, tho vrast cid
Of Port Lebear, on the western COST,
Neither sun or Stars
had been seen; so that it was impossible to
obtain observations during the entire pas
sage in order to ascertain the position of the
ship. When the steamer struck, about 2
O'Clock on Saturday, the fog was so thick
and so dense,
No objects Could be Seen
three yards ahead. Everybody on board sup
posed the vessel was proceeding on her way
to New York, and the only iItimation to
the contrary was
Heavy Grating Sound
as the vessel was driven over the rough
bottom of the shoals where she now lies.
The steamer was going at the rate of shout
nine knots when she struck. There was
no excitement On board at the time. Every
body was perfectly calm, and Capt. Phil
lips officers and crew Immediately set
about lowerieg boats and getting passengers
on shore, of whom there were TWEEN ty-
eight cabin aud 4Sl Storage. Mes ntime
Guns Were Fired
from the grounded ship, and in answer TO
them men came alongside in small boats
from whom the first intimation was OBJ
tanned as to the locality where the vessel
had been driven. Fortunately the ses was
calm, and the distance from the main land
only about quarter of a mile. All the
boats were speedily launched and manned,
aud in three hours from the time of the
disaster
Every Soul On Board
was landed at Point Lsbear, where the in
h2bitants busted themselves providing tenn
pOrary accommodations for passengers and
crew. All the passengers luggage and eff
fecLs, ship stores, etc, were also saved and
landed. The ship is lying on an even keel
as if riding at anchor; there are about fifteen
feet of water at high tide on the shOll. The
engine room is full OF water, which GIBBS
and flows through it, and il is supposed that
a hole was stove in the bottom beneath the
The second deck is pretty
cle.r Of water, but below that the snip is
full. The fog did not lifo till yesterday
whea, for the first time, it was
seen that the vessel narrowly escaped
Total and Immediat Destruction,
with probable loss Of every one on board.
The distance between the port bows Of the
ship and Little Gull r ok vas oily about
two hundred yards. How she escaped IN
the dense fog is marvellous, and all on board,
passengers and crew, are deeply thankful.
In the direction the ship was steering along
the dangerous western coast Of this prov
ince, her escape from destruction on reefs
and sunken rocks so plentifully sprinkled
along the coast was simply providential.
There is no theory oferei TO account for
the ships deviating, though it is fact thai
no observations had been taken from the
time of leaving Liverpool to the moment of
the disaster. The place where the steamer
is stranded is inside OF Little Gull rock, or
what is properly known as Gull Rock bar.
This is distant from Rockport, the nearest
port, twenty miles, ard from Halifax about
eighty miles, in latitude 43 deg. SO min.
north, longitude Ga deg. &c min. west. The
have been
Comfortably Accommodated
III houses a. Port Lebear, while for steerage
passengers and crew tents and awnings
made from thu ships sails have been erect
ed On shore, where they have been COM
fortably attended to since landing. Agents
of the Company have chartered q steamer
to bring passengers and crew to Halifax.
hn ha Of liuh
morning, and will probably return to-mor-
row p. NJ. Passengers will be forwarded to
their destinations by the mos. expeditions
routes, instructions to that effect havi 6
been self to agents here. it's not correctly
known whether the ship will
Prove a Total Loss
or not. 1t is thought that all the cargo will
be got out III damaged condition. Divers
ana wreckers with their gear leave here i'm
mediately for the wreck. A feeling of in
tense ralief p-rVsdes this community that
no Ives have been lost, and that second
Atlantic calamity has been ayerted.
HALIFAX, July S.--Very little further
has been received from the wreck of the
City of Washington. The passengers are
supplied with cooked provisions from the
ship. 1t is ep4 ected she will be got off if
the weather continues favorable. There is
great anxiety among the passengers for the
arrival of Lie n. 4. Starr, which sailed from
this port this morning for tie wreck, The
officers of the ship report that no obsery&-
ton Tad been taken for eight days. When
the ship first struck, there were oDiy few
feet OF water Oy.r The bar, the tide being
low, but water came in through the hole
knocked ii The ships bottom, and now over
ten feet of water is in the hold. II will be
impossible to ascertain the extent
of the stesmer's injuries until her cargo
is taken out, but it IS hoped the hole Will
be plugged an the vessel floated ard re-
paired. She has full general cargo, part
Of which is very valuable. Ragged Islands
is the name received from tie high nature
Of that part OF The coast. Several ships
have been wrecked st different times within
three or four miles on either side of where
the City of Washington lies. The most no.
yab'e Of these were the transport Emuious,
" hen several lives were lost, the steamer
Facgoius fron this city bound to s.. John,
n. b., aud the Philadelphia ship Hezikeah
Williams. There are two lighthouses on
thes4 islands, each distant about two miles,
one east aud'the other west of LIE Bear Bar,
Condemned kilograms.
The engagements for specie for the steam
er leaving New York to-day amounted to
100000 gold and $4,000 silver bars.
Tho TIN1.rtf,r- &c L. 81