New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1875-08-26
THE RIO BRAVO.
THRILLING ACCOUNT Of frxe WRECK

- 'a'tss- = Nsa ..ts-rasa
THRILLING ACCOUNT Of frxf wREcI
From. cur occasional correspondent OF
board the Rio Bravo, which ship wa
wrecked en- route to the Rio Grspde. vi
have tho following graphic account Of tn
wreck Of that vessel:
UNITED SrAr8s STEAMER Rio BRAvo
| 3. Gslveston, August 20. Is75,
This is the frst time 4 have. bud time Il
think of sending you the lew lines you re
! quested. |As it is, MY time i limited, and
| you must not expect more than an extract
of the log Of thjagOOd sbip..
| We lett South west Pass at noon on the
| tenth day of August, and had a pleasan,
trip to Vermilion. On the eleventh, We
1 came to Oft Tiger .Poiut TO- wait for morn.
| ing 90 as to run into Vermilion bay, as the
weather looked threateriDg and WAS q Atsle
too squaljy for our irall bark. : In the morn
We ran into yermilioa bsy and laid there
all day, OverhaulinE and cleaning boilers.
On Chs mOrnipg of the thirteenth the
weather looked fine. The barometer stood
3O:0l. and there vas every indication of fioe
weather. The ship vas in good order and
the boilers clean. Calcasieu was only q
UuUIU ulOlduCcs 0ffNk C0AO VI dCCiuCJb VIC
might run in there. Considering all, Cap:
tain Kells determined to leave Vermilion,
intending, if the W. a her allowed. to run for
Galveston. where We could get coal, etc.
About thirty five mues to the westward
We encountered light .sOutherly SWELL
The wind was south and increasing. but
the weather was pleasant aud there wAs 20
indication Of. very heavy weather to the
eastward Of us. We were not working or
labaring much, and, best Of all, we were
making seven knots, and expected to be ct
anchor in the Sabine pass before P. M
As We made bur way to the westward
the wind iDcressed and created quite a sea,
20 much 60 thst by 10 p. NJ, when We were
abeam Of C~lcseieu lighse, there was sone
talk of making hsrbof there, But both
pilots protested against this, and would not
wind and swell the. hare bar Of Calcasieu
would be the death of the Rio Bravo
Sabine Pass. was only q short distance to
the westward; and Vermilion nearly three
times as far tO the east. We had nothing
to do but run for Sabine, a. E was as bad
to go east ss west With southsrly gale and
swell. ~
sStiff-Mshssshsp-werxea.ssmnt;h-ss
became neoesaary to tack her, so as to bow
the seas. At IA. NJ. We cut IN q l20
fathoxn tewline, and with hammers aud
sponges we maGe turn buckles to keep the
cabins from going over the side, and &c.
cured the pilot House in the same way.
Our exhaust pipes were 'bursted and had
t. b brscketed Apd served, All pipes had
to be cut adH t from the boiler deck to
keep them from being wrupg of.
About A. NJ. the bolt of the turn buckle of
purt fore end wesH eWssiedtegsys
The afteF thwaytship hog frame next vent.
The bpeechimg Of the post smske pipescom-
menced to settle, and in general terms. she
made things lively for aif hands. At about
$50 A. NJ. OF Saturday. the fourteenth, sh6 |
gave heavy lurch and roll and our new
smoke pipes went over the side, taking with |
them the forward part 6t the hurricane |
deck, and leaving rhe port. stack six inches |
inches above the hurricane deck. The cabin |
was immediately filed with smoke and.
cinders. The great. danger Of fire, added to |
the rolling; pitching and. waltOving Of the |
vessel in pitch dark night, the wind blow.
ing half . gale and the SEE running high, |
with swell, did not seem to be enough, |
and Kells set to work rigging jury smoke
INTO. Sabine. We raise6 the iron casing
around the smoke pipes SO as to carry the
smoke above the hurrlcane deck, led out
,he fire hose, and stationed men ready to
,ut out every spark OF fire upon it's first
appearance. From the pitching of the YES
el the casing OF fire had worked in and out, 4
lllowing the brick work around the boilers
o fall down, and we ce,.ld not keep enough
men at work plastering the bricks up again.
Finally the fame commenced to make its
appearance from the top Of the boilers, and
ve had to put our fires out. We came to,
rOpping both our anchors and eivlngSher q
oOd scope of chain. She pitched and
ossed ali mornings. We did Che best we
ould to keep her together, using rope and
7edges. We lashed the port hog frame
wo Or three times, but bad to. give it up at
6g frame went, allowing her bows to work
p and down on Avert sea. She covered
be sea just like . blanket, making abOut [
We curyes to every sea-.
You have seen q miniature ship ON Q /
aper sea lin . fancy clock) working upI
nd down. Well, our pihothouse. looked Just
he that ship, and the rest Of our vessel !
ould do very we'll for the sea. She rolled !,
nd tossed. pitched and wallowed on every
ne way and the. boiler deck the other. |
ach wheelhotse worked up midtown like q
cat getting her back up.
The sea increased, aad there was no sbate-
ent of the wind. 1t was very hard on US.
e hoped and prayed for only two hours p
I'm to get her into Sabine. We were only !,
urteep miles Off. At last, at l P. NJ, the II
ptsin saw there was no hope; she was c
'arly gone. He called the pilots and all
beers in the cabin, and it was their unsui-
ous opinion to beach the ship to save her
III, etc,
At half past one we commenced to veer tt
r in, using $40 tathoms of tow line to over
nety fathOms Of chain on the starboard =
chOr to keep her head to the wind. She
adualiy dragged the small anchor insbofe, d
J bringing her up every once in q while to le
ep her head to the sea. When our. tow I
es were gone we threw two guns over
lich kept her to the eea. At p. NJ. we D
re within the first line of breakers, COM o,
ratively smooth. The ship was winded
as TO bring her head inshore. At $3.50 p.
she went ashore, and on soft mud, and "
wi y worked herself up the beach. In
9 position she remained steady and with h,
motion, the rollers rarely resching her. y y
3y Monday the wind and sea had abated g.
fciently for thorough inspection to be ca
de outside. We found every seem open il
the oskun hanging out Tho buts Of
Irly all the planks had started, SRd some
re bulging out. The hog frames were all bu
le, and the ship generally was loose, to
b four feet of water in the hold. We no. -.
d that all the bottom planks were tight, y"
n other words. those plank that sprung
he motion of the ship on their fat side ba
d not edge) we're tight. n,
fter this inspection the executive officer '"A'
chief engineer reported in writing to | wa
captain, each stating the condition of Bu
department, and also his opinion ~ to ais
practicability Of getting the vessel
at. The executive officer expressed the lo'
non that this could be done. The chief prt
inoop Uout Tn unrh NTH .hriok and tho / a.