Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1874-01-07

New York, Dec. 30.-The United
States steamer Ossipee was boarded
soon after her arrival here, and the
absence of the steamer Virginius,
which vessel the former was commits.
stoned to being into port, was explain
ed, aud the startling intelligence COM
municatcd that the Virginius, which !,
being all along in a lcaky condition,
had, when off Cape Fear, and in sight
ofland, in spite of all the efforts of the
crew aboard of her, settled and went
to the bottom.
The Times further adds that the
officer of the deck of the Ossipee said
he has strict orders not to communicate
with snybody relative to the facts at.
tending the laundering of the Virgini-
US. He would not even give the date
of the occurrence, or the place where
it happened. He, however, made no
attempt to deny the accuracy of the
report as to the laundering of the ship.
The captain Of the revenue-cutter
Grant, who boarded the Ossipee, is re-
ported as saying that the captain of
the latter vessel informed him that the
Virginius had been lost off Cape Fear.
Although no official announcement has
been made of the loss of the Vlrginius,
no one doubts the truth Of the state
meDt.
A dispatch from Wilmington, N
G., reports sunkeu vessel, supposed
to be the Virginius 1ine miles south Of
the main bar.
The Herald has a special dispatch
from Wilmington. N. c., saying that
Capt. Wilbanks, of the steamship Tona-
wanda, which arrived Sunday, reports
passing sunkeu vessel nine miles
south of Main Bar with only one of
her topmasts or top gallant masts out
OF water. A steam-tug subsequently
visited the spot, her officers coucurring
iu the opinion that the sunken vessel
was undoubtedly square-rigged steam
ship A pork barrel was floating above
the wreck, attached to it by twelve
inch hawser, having been evidently
used as tow rope. Pilots at Bald Head,
at the mouth Of the river state that
on Friday last they saw near the spot
where the vessel lies large steamship
in tow of a fulI-rigged ship. The
above facts, taken in connection with
telegram that the steamship Georgia,
| from Charleston. had spoken the Vir
gfnlus IN tow off Cape Rowan on the
18th inst, at 2 o'clock P NJ, render
it tolerably certain that the sunken
ship is the world-renowned Cuban fill
clustering vessel Virginius.
A pilot boat from Smithville visited
the spot Sunday evening, and the men
who we're on her fully agree in the
opinion that she is steamship. Only
few feet of the mainmast is visible
above water. 1t is thought that when
she was abandoned pork barrel was
placed as buoy to mark the spot where
she went down.
| WASHINGTON, Dec. 30.-The Sc
cretary of the Navy this afternoon re-
ceived dispatch from the commander
of the Ossipee. announcing that the
Virginius sunk on the night Of the 26th
off Wilmington.
NEW York, Dec 30-Lieut. David
G. Woodrow, who was in command of
the Virginius at the time of her sink
ing, says in his official report that when
he took command on the 18th at Dry
Tortugas, the vessel had water in her
compartments. Stores were received
on board working party from the
Ossipee coaled the ship all night; the
next morning stopped coaling, and put
all hands at work pumping and bail
ing, the water having gained two feet
during the night; at o'clock in the
morning the water was up to the CRATE
bars in both fre-rooms, the forward
compartment two feet six inches of
water. At 4 P. M. the water was so
much reduced that the fires were start
ed in the boilers. Capt. Whiting ex.
pressed himself satisfied that the Vir-
ginius was in fit condition to start north
and about 2 o'clock she went to sea in
tow of the Ossipee. AS long as the
sea was smooth everything progressed
favorably, but storm arising. the ves-
sci leaked so badly that they had to
plug up her timber holes in the for
ward bulkheads to keep the fre-rooms
clear. On the 22d they threw over
board the port lower anchor and all
heavy weights in the hold, and shifted
the coal to tighten her forward. On
the afternoon of the 23d there was from
eight to ten feet of water in the for
ward compartments. The men were
worn out, the hunks drenched and no
place to sleep. Under these clrcum-
stances, Woodrow advised the COM
mander of the Ossipee not to 60 fur
ther north, but to take the Virginius
mo Charleston, where there was a
dock. On the oath the boilers were
in such wretched condition that it was
impossible to carry more than five
pounds Of steam. At 5 A. M. on the
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