, 1874-01-03


Burman. The transit will now 60 Oh week by
week.
LAST VOYAGE OF The ViRGlNlUS.
Official Report Of the officer in Charso
OF the Vessel.
Tho following is tho official report OF Lieut--
Commander David @. Woodrow, OF the Vlrginius,
to Commander John Waters, OF the Ossipee:
Q, 8, STEAMER oss1pEE {THlRD RArE}. AT Sea, >.
Lat ~ deg IL min. n. 1oso Is deg IS mn; n NV W
sm. havo to report that / took command of
tho steamer Virginius On the evening OF Dec II,
OF Dry Tortugas, relieving Lieut.. Mark. Eli
eiuecr George A. Calhoun and Second Assistant
Engineer N. H. Lamdin, together with th1eo
machiniBts, two boilcr-makcrB, six scamcn, en-
gineer's force; SIX ordinary scamen, engineers
force; eight seamon, and fourteen landsmen.
composed her complement Second Assist
ant Engineer Absnlom Kirby and blldshlp-
man Underwood Tyler subsequently joined tue
ship. found about 70 tons Of bitumlnous coal
in The ship aud over 20 tous Of dirt and ashes in
fire-rooms and bilges very dirty. She was ieak-
inr in her forward compartment. aud had water
iu ali hor compartments. During. the evening
we received stores on board, aud d working
from the sctoouer afnttie A. Hand. Tho crew
of the Virglnius were exhausted by constant
work from tho time OF leaving Bahia Honda
Next mo1nlng stopped coaling. and put al bands
to pumping and ba.ling out ship, the water hay
ing rained 2 feet during tho night. At d. M
the water was up, to tbs CRATE bars In both fire.
rooms the forward compartment had depth OF
/ feet, and the -afler compartments feet 6
inches.
During tho day received assistance from the
Ossirce in tt1a way Of working parties, to help
clear tho ship OF water, repAck the stufing
boxes, and overhaul the pipes and stralners
about the engines, and to repair tie bunks in
tile forecastle and cabin. Capt. Whiting WAS on
board during the day and examined the Leak
around her fore-fooe, with Chief-Engineer King
and myself. This leak wa8 tho only ono Of any
consequence that I could find in tho ship. At 1
D. m the water was SO much reduced that Was
able to start fires in the forward boiler, and at
81 in ths utter boiler As soon t ~ steam was
clear the ship OF water " her bilge~pumps
1t TX a. N, Capt Whiting expressed
himself as Satisfied that tho VirginiuB
WAS in fit condition to go north, and
left the SLIP: Soon after, VIC went to sea IL tow
Of the Osslpee. During the day, and Is long. as
the sen WAS comparative smooth, we managed 10
keep the water down with the main eugiIo
pumps. AA We procorded north and tho sea
arose, the working OF the ship gradually Ioo5ened
the riyets OF one Of her bow p]atos an old patch
on tho bow became loose. aud she leaked 30
badly that had to plug up her riniber-holes in
the forward bulkhead to keep tho lirc-rooms
clear.
During the forenoon Of the 22d inst. / threw
heavy weights in her forehold, consisting Of old
wire rigging, chain cables, old itou, ETC.. and
shifted the coal from her fotohold ait, in order
to lighten her forward.
Oh the afternoon OF the 23d We had from to
10 fee. OF wa.er in the forward compartment,
danger putting out tho fires, and Bignalled to
you not to 20 farther north: that there dock
at Chaleston. knowing that it would be dan
cerouB to risk the carrying away OF her
of her pumps, which had been constantly break
ing down and becoming cnokcd ever since start
ing. Besides this, my men were worn out. theE
buuks were drepched, and they had no place to
Sleep Her bows were then working so muca
that the hunks in the forecasklc came adrift from
the sbip's sides.
At3 =. m., Dec q, tho crown shoot OF the
middle furnace, afser-boor, caved ln, and l
hauled ffes from thu; boiler. SHORTLY after sew
eral blsters were reported N the forward boiler
At daylight signaled the condition Of boilers
and water, aud you sent Chief-EnSineer King on
board. IIc inspected tho boilers. and under
stood that in Ills opinion, they we're not safe,
aud gave orders not to carry more tlan ilso
mounds OF steam unless in extreme necessity.
With this low pressure ono of tue furnaces
gave out in the afternoon, having blister on
the crown sheets three feet long. from this
time until We made fast to you aShln on tho 25Ih
inst We had about tie same amount OF water 10
tae shlp, but when VIC stopped our engines the
sion to back my engines. Owlu3 to having on1y
throe seryiceablo furnaces III the forward boiler,
vo could not carry steam to work tho engines
fast enough to throw much water, and as the sea
increased 80 did the water. md nskcd you,
toward night, to haul us up close aud tnko III
oN Halt an hour after. I 60: tho donkey-pump
working, and, as We we're kceping the water at o
stand, I signaIed that I could hold on till day.
light.
The water gained on MS gradually during the
y ~ -, trina Hf s
on the 26th inst, when the donkey-pun
stopped. The hand-pump was broken and could
not DO repaired with any means at our command.
When your boat cams undcr tue 'lrglnIus bow,
/ put the laudsmen in her first, and then only
stopped work passing water out OF the ship. 1t
took five trips to take us all oil, the oRice:s
going in the List boat. As it turned out might
have been able to savo the mems bags aad ham,
mocks, but under the circumstances deemed 1t
imprudeut to attempt it, so sgnaled for you
ward compartment was full Of water
M to rithia b foot aud half Of tho
spar deck; there were five feet Of wntcr III tho
forehold, water over the Rratc~bars IN the ire
rooms. and after compartment dry. The sea
was very rough. and it nas blowing a gale OF
wind from northward to eastward, and did not
think it safe to remain On board minute longer
than Dece- -sarY,
At Alt H. NJ the Virsinus sank bows first in
eight f4thoms Of water, the cross-trees remain:
ing above water. 1nclosed herewith please liiid
tbe list Of officers and crow at the time OF aban-
doning tile ship. and the lists Of articles lost be-
longing 10 the several departments Of this ves-
sci; also. Second Assistant Engineer kirby's re-
port OF the coudltlon of boilers and engines.
Very respectfully. DAVID c. WooDEow,
Lieut. Commander, U. S. N.
To Commander JOHN MATTERS, U. s. n, Command
ing Steamship Ossipiee
Paris and Its Giraffe.
Er0n1 fhZ Sezp ItTE ErentRu Post.
Paris is in possession Of q new giraffe! Tho
fact. one would think from the perusal OF the
French press, is highly important one. The
stately Journal des Debdts derot.s over half q
column to the subject, aud goes at length into
the history Of giraffes Until the year 1927, I"
1t remarks with impressive grandeur. Chris