The daily gazette., 1878-10-25
FIFTH EDITION.
LOST In THE GREAT STORM.
The Steamboat Express Going
Down with Twenty
four Persons.
ONE MAN ONLY OF A CREW OF NINETEEN
ESCAPING FROM A WRECK.

| BALTIMORE, Oct. 24.-A disaster at
tended with serious loss of life occurred
! on the Chesapeake Bay in the great storm
of yesterday morning. Capt. James r.
Barker of the steamboat Express of the
Potomac Transportation Company, who
sailed from this port on Tuesday, re-
turned to Baltimore this morning and re-
ported the startling intelligence that his
vessel had been wrecked In the bay early
| on Wednesday morning. OF the crew
of twenty-five men and of the nine pas
sengers, the Captain and six of the crew
only are reported saved. From the mar
rative of Captain Barker and the others
saved the following details are given =
The Express sailed from Baltimore on
Tuesday afternoon for Washington, Alex
andria, and Georgetown, with large
cargo of freight and the following named
passengers Mrs. Capt. Randolph Jones
of st. Inegoes district, st. Mary's county,
Md; Mrs. Mary A. Bacon, of Bacon's
Wharf, st. Mary's River; DIR. Dennis G.
Burch, of Milestown, st. Clements Bay.
st. Mary's County; Henry Ullman, 22i
Lee street, Baltimore; Mrs. Mary A.
Tarleton and her six-year-old son VIM
Capt. Walmsley, of Cecil County, and
two unknown colored women-total, 8.
L urly on Wednesday morning the gale
inc, essed to frightful extent, and the
steamboat was tossed helplessly about
unable to make heidway. About 4
O'Clock fearful sea broke over her on
the port bow, ,staving in her upper works.
The entire mass of water rushed through
the saloon, carrying away the furniture
and liieboats. Again and again waves
swept over her, and the Captain aban-
doned all bope. Procuring life presefy-
ers, he found two of the lady passen-
gers. Mrs. Cacon and Mrs. Jones, and
adjusted them. He then carried the
two ladies on deck and placed them In
the stern OF the vessel, and warned
them that the boat was about to 90 10
pieces. He promised to 90 to their
assistance If possible. The Captain
then lashed his young son to the saloon
and again turned his attention to bis
vessel. The wind was blowing at a rate
that would not allow any one to stand
up TO it, while the only thing that conld
be seen in the pitch darkness was the
white foam of the raging waters that
again swept over the vessel.
She also had on board James n. Rark-
er, Captain; F. j. Stone, purser l.. J.
Howard, first officer Joseph Haney, sec
ond officer; q. W. Bailey, chief engineer;
Edward Prior, assistant engineer; JOSEPH
4. Douglas and John Douglass, quarter
masters; f. Rice (colored), lookout man;
Robt. Hawkins, fireman. David White
(colored), fireman; Thos. Carineton
(colored), steward; Nathaniel Carrineton
(colored), waiter; VIM. Gaunt (colored).
cook; Geo. Green (colored), }, baggage mas
ter; Matilda, colored hamberma ID:
VIM. Barker, aged II years, son of the
Captain, and five deck hands. Total. ~.
Down the bay as far as James Point
the weather was very rough, and the
steamboat was pitching badly, but no
alarm was felt. After passing that point
the wind increased in velocity to fright
full extent, and the boal became unmsn-
ageable and rolled in the trough of the
sea. Capt. Barker and the entire crew
remained on deck. He directed the
movements of the steamboat in the
night.
After chnging for eight hours to the
wreck, the Captain and his companions
sighted q small pungy near them, by the
sailors of which they were rescued. They
were nearly unconscious from the effects
OF tnelr long exposure.
The other part of the wreck drifted on
Barren Island, the men clinging to it
being rescued by boat from the steam
boat Shirley, of the York River line,
which was also ashore ON the Island
Those known to have been saved by the
Shirley are f. j. Stone, John Douglas.
VIM. Graut, Geo. Green, and Hiram. a
deck hand. Out of the thirty one per
syns on board, only the seven named
above are known to have been rescued
ana Inc others have, in all probability,
Ieilsheu. none OF The passengers we're
rescued, and Capt. Baker is Convinced
that all the ladies perished. The punpy
which rescued the Captain and the Quar-
ttrmaster landed them at Cristield on
Wednesday afternoon at o'clock where
they TOOK the steamboat Maggie for Bal
timore.
Capt. Baker is at his house in Baltimore
scarcely able to move, aud receiving the
attentions oi physician. The house has
been besieged all day by friends of the
drowned passengers in this city asking
Tor the news of their fate. Cant. Parker
IS prostrated mentally and physically.
HIS only son is among those drowned
| 1he second mate, Joseph Haney, was
| knocked down by a fearful sea. which
Doarded the steamer as he endeayored In
cross her deck, and was swept into the
| smoke hole. Before he could be resc,1ed
the boat rose ON wave mountain biob
and pitched headlong into the trouob Of
the sea, the whole OF the succeeding wave
rushing over her and sweeping her decks
clear. Capt. Barker heard the despair.
ing shrieks of the passengers above the
roar OF the waves as they were swent
away. In the darkness that followed n
was impossible to discover or helm any
one. About ten of those on board clung
TO the saloon when 1t was carried away
ana found thus temporary refuge from
death. This frail support was, however
swept again and again by the waters, car.
rying away one or more of those clinoino
to 1t every time. The Captain clung te
the saloon until it went to pieces, and
then getting astride of part of the
wreck held on until daybreak.
AS the gray dawn broke he found tba,
John Douglass, one of the ouartermas
t-rs, was clinging to the same niece ot
wreck with himself. AS their frail am
port mounted on the top of the enormoi,,
waves glimpse of their surround,nos
was obtained. About half a mile off was
} the steamboat, turned bottom up. and
just visible above the water. N.arer ~
them was part of the saloon, to which
were clnging several persons. The storm
was yet raging in unabated fury, anG
there appeared little hope of their heinz nc
able to withstand tha hua,a+;,.-. !. ~