The Rutland daily globe. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1873-1877, 1874-01-02
Che Autlaad daily Globe.
FRIDAY, JANUARY 2. 1874.
The End OF the virginius.

LYING AT THE BOTTOM OF THE ATLANTIC.
The news of the surrender Of the Vir-
ginius to Old Ocean, OIL Cape Fear on the
2Gth was brought to New York by her con
sort, the Ossipec, in the small hours Of
Tuesday morning. The Ossipec was met
in the harbor by orders from Admiral Row
an to permit no communication whatever
with the shore. The orders were faithfully
kept Soon after sunrise Il steam launch
carried Lieutenant Commander IIasc ell to
the navy yard. He bore Commander Wat
tcrs's official reports TO the Admiral and
the Secretary OF the Navy. Throughout
the morning the launch piled between the
yard and the steamer, Keeling off red tape.
When the officials of the navy, Collector
Arthur and District Attorney Bliss, had
been put in possession Of all the facts the
order forbidding communication with the
shore was rescnded, and the lips Of the
officers were unsealed. Commander Wat
tiers furnished the story of the sinking Of
the Virginius. The Ossipee reached Dry
Tortugas and took charge of the Virgin
ius Dec. II. She was in a state Of com
pletc unrepair. The Spaniards had strip
ped her as completely as they had dared.
Only one flying jib was left Of her suit of
sail, the companionways and wainscoting
were destroyed, and the wood work gem
orally was badly damaged, were not entire
| " destroyed. She was leaking badly, the
| forward compartment was almost full of
water, and the other sections were deep i'll
water, which had risen 80 high in the en-
| CINE room Il few hours after She reached
/ the Tortugas as to overflow the furnaces
and put out the fires. The first efforts
were directed to reducing it, Working
parties were sent abroad from the Osspec,
and BY hard work the water was reduced in
the engine room so that the fires were re-
lighted and the steam pumps set to work
again This enabled the pumps belonging
to the engines to keep do N the water in
the engine room. In the mean time bucket
bailng was diligently continued to free the
other compartments, but without apparent
success At the same time other working
parties were receiving coal from a schooner
alongside and the mechanics of the ship
were repairing the damaged skylights and
companonways
FLOATING SIEVE.
"By continuous labor" said Commander
Walters, "shc was prepared for sea in two
days. We left Tortugas at a. m, Dec.
10, and towed the Yirgnius with hundred
fathom hawser. Her engines were kept
going all the time, revolving the wheels u
little, thereby Stacking the strain on the
hawser. Although the water in the for
ward compartments depressed her bow 4,
considerably increasing the draft, she seem
ed to do very well in the smooth sea. There
was a light breeze, and we could see no
ter we left the Florida Straits. From that
time a heavy sea and very strong wind
were encountered. She rode tolerably well
until the night of the oath. Then ,ignal
from the Virginius informed us that in CON
sequence of the rough sea water was gain
ing in the engine room very rapidly, en-
dangerne the fires in the furnace 1t still
seemed possible to keep the steamer afioa'
by creeping along the comparatively smootl
waters Of the shore from cape to cape. We
ran close in past the harbor of Charleston
,hinlyinu still that tho NIr.
ginius could be foated to New York. Or
the morning of the 9th one of her boiler
gave out completely. The braces and stay
5 that gave strength to the interior, having
corroded through and through with rus
and age, parted and the crown sheets losing
their supports collapsed upon the furnace
crate. As soon as the information was sig
nailed a boat was lowered from the Ossipe'
and the chief engineer was sent abroad
He represented one boiler as entirely use
less and another rs in Il most precarlou
condition BY working the pumps con
stantly the water had not apparently gaine'
any in the engine room since the stcame
had been running in the comparative
smooth water. On Christmas morning W
ncarcd Cape Fear. The prevailing win
was increasing so fast that terrific gal
from the northeast was seen TO be at hand
1t was useless to attempt to face the Sc
then running with steamer in the cond
ton of the Virginius. She would inev
tably have foundered and all on board hav
been lost, as no boat could live in such
sea. The cape and adjacent shoals an
II islands promised Il safe harbor'
TIE SCENE OF THE SINKING
"The hight into which we ran forms I'll
mouth of the haroor of Wilmington, y.
This bay is formed 10y Nagg's Head, apoil
of land projecting from Cape Fear far int
the ocean. From its extreme point seri'
of shoals known as the Frying pan Shoa
extend far away to the seward, breakIr
the force Of stormy weather, and renderr
the face ofthe bay smooth except from Gro
seas. In this small bay the Ossipee W
anchored in eight fathoms of water wi
eighty fathoms OF chain. The Nirginl
was moored astcrn of the Ossipee by hay
ser. Her engines were worked baekwa
so as to keep the pumps going and low
the water down in the engine room. II
ships rode comparatively easy in the sh'
ter afforded by the bay. Still the stor
had increased to a terrific gale and som
what of sea was running even there
4 a. NJ, they signaled from the Nirs'h'
that the second boiler had given out-c'
lapscd just as the other one had DONE 1
water had already risen so high IN the
CINE room that the fires in the iurhac
were flooded. No alternative was lett no
Nothing could save the steamer anu eve
A.. 49,, lironted tn roscuing her Office