Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1873-12-31
THE VIRGIN-EUS.
The Question of Restoring Her to
Spain Settled
BY Sinking Her in the Atlantic
Nine Miles off Cape Fear, NORTH
Carolina.
The Story of the "Accident."

States steamer QSsipee was boarded soon
after her arrival here, the absence OF the
steamer Virginius, which vessel tile former
was commissioned to bring into port, was
explained, and the startling intelligence
communicated that the Virginius, which
being all along in a leaking condition, had,
when off Cape Fear and in sight OF land, in
spite of all efforts Of the crew aboard her,
settled and gone to the bottom.
Official Reticence.
The Times further adds that the officer Of
the deck on the Ossipee said he lad strict
orders not to communicate with anybody
in relation to the circumstances attending
the laundering of the Virginius. he would
not even give the date of the occurrence or
the place where it happened. lie, however,
made no attempt to deny the acc tracy of
the report as to the foundering of ,he ship.
The Captain of the revenue cutter Grant
who boarded the Ossipee, is rep 0rted as
saving that the Captain of the latter vessel
Informed him that the Virginilis had been
lost off Cape Fear.
Although no official announcement has
been made of the loss of the VirginiIEA
no one doubts the truth of the statement.
A dispatch from Wilmington, \. c., re-
ports that sunken vessel supposed to be
the Virginiuls is nine miles south of the
main bar.
The Herald Discovers the Wreck.
The Herald has special dispatch from
Wilmington, n. c., saying that Capt. AIilt
Banks ofthe steamship ToRawands, which
arrived Sunday, reports passing sunken
vessel nine (9) miles south of the main bar,
with only her top masts and top-gallant
masts out of the water. \ steam Jug sub
sequently visited the spot, her officers con-
curing in the opinion that the sunken YES
sci was undoubtedly square rigged steam
ship. a pork barrel was floating aooVe the
wreck, attached TO it by II inch haWser,
the hawSer having been evidently used as a
tow rope The pilots at Baldhead, at the
mouth of the river, state that OF, Friday
they observed, near the spot where the YES
sci lies, a large steamship in tow OF full
rigged ship The above facts, taker in con-
nection with the telegram that the steam
ship Georgia, from Charleston, hat spoken
the Virginius in tow off Cape Roman, on
the oath inst, at , p. NJ, render II tOlera-
bly, certain that the sunken ship was the
renowned Cuban filibuster vessel Vir-
giniuS.
\ pilot boat from Smithyille, visited the
spot Sunday evening and the men who
were on il fully agree in the opinion that
she is the steamship. Only few feet OF
the mainmast is visible above the water.
1t is thought that when she was abandoned
the pork barrel was placed as a buoy to
mark the spot where she went down.
Full Details of the Accident
Lieutenant Commander Haswell of the
Ossipee made the following statement to-
day concerning the Virginius: The OSsipee
left Tortugas with the NirginiuS in tow on
the morning of the 9th inst. They had fair
weather until the afternoon Of Saturday,
the following day, when gale sprung up.
They continued to have bad weather, and
the Virginius signalled that that she was
leaking badly. Capt. Walters therefore
determined to shape his course for Charles
ton, S. c., but as they got into smoother
water the Nirginius behaved better ana
the water was kept out Of her fire room.
On the morning Of Christmas day however,
the severe weather continued, tie Virgin
ius was again leaking as bad
" as ever, and the vessels
| put into Frying Pan nshoals, about ten miles
south ofthe Cape Fearlight, where smoother
water could be obtained. Here the vessels
came to anchor, Captain Walters hoping
that the VirginiuS would ride out ;he gale
| Before daylight next morning, Friday,
| Commander Woodrow signalled with lights
| that the Virginius was leaking rapidly,
with her fires out, and the pumps stopped,
and that the crew wished to be tiken OIL.
| The boats were lowered from the Ossippe
at daylight, and, by a. NJ, all on board
| the Virginius were transferred to the
| former vessel. As a heavy sea was run
ming, the work of removing the crew was
| one of much danger and difficulty, and
therefore no lives were risked in endeayOr-
| ing to save their personal effects or any
| other property on the NirginiIIs. The
hawser of the Virginius was cut, and buoy
attached to mark her position in case she
sank out Of sight. The OSsipeG remained
at anchor during the day, and at quarter
past p. NJ. the Virginius, which had been
gradually settling, went to the bottom.
She sank in eight fathOms of water, and
her topmasts remained above the surface.
The Ossipee then resumed her voyage to
this port.
The naval officers were very reticent to-
day, and the above statement was not OBJ
tained until the United States District At
torney was communicated with and re-
moved the seal OF secrecy.
The Virginius ssPrisCners'' at large
Afrer the landing at the navy-yard last
evening of the surviving members Of the
| passengers and crew Of the steamer NlI-
| ginius, they marched to the Fulton ferry,
taking the boat there to New York, aud
| thence proceeded to a Cuban restaurant IL
Pine street, where they were Hospitality en-
tertained. They were clad i'll the navy
uniform of the United States, and marched
briskly through the streets, Shcwidg NJ
signs of recent suffering.
Indebted to a British OHicer for Their
Lives.
When transferred to the tug boat from
the steamer Juniata which carried them Il
this port from Santiago, they gave rousin!
cheers for their several benetactOH, leading
off with three for the commander OF th'
British steamer NiObe to whom rhey fee
indebted for the preservatiUrof their lives
Night Report.
The released captiyeS of the NirgniuS
remain at the Cuban restaurant on Pint
street, and the scene there this morning
was one of great enthusiasm. Resolutions
were adopted giving thanks to Capt. BrainC
of the Junetta for his Kindness, and cX
pressing sympathy with him i'll the loss OF
his son. The eX-captives also resolved tC
attend the funeral of the child.
The Original Sentence Of the NiFSini
us Crew.
Engineer Knight, of the NirgiIIius, said
the original sentence at Santiago was thai
the entire crew should be hung at the yard
arm, but the Captain of the Isabella Cat
tolica did not wish such a spectacle made
of his vessel and obtained change o
sentence to death by shooting, ano- com
mutation of seventeen of the crow to the
chain gang. knight, two of the quarter
masters and one OF the sailers, were accord
ingly sentenced to the chain gang for life
and the other thirteen, all Of whom were
boys, to eight and four years at hard laboi
on the gang. A life sentence Of this kind
was regarded as worse than death.
The Brooklyn Navy Yard.
The report that large number of mer
will be discharged from the navy yard
I . l., I