Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1878-11-01
Passengers and Grew Lost.
BALTIMORE, Oct. "a, Il

CapG. barker, Oh inc SJedluer EN-
press, which left here Tuesday for
Washington, reports that his vessel
foundered in gale at the mouth of the
Potomac, and the passengers and crew
are probably lost. The Captain was
rescued while drifting with fragments
of the boat.
Capt. Barker, describing the wreck
of the Express, says the sea was run
ming at a great height, every wave
washing the boat from stem to stern.
Shortly after five o'clock Wednesday
morning there came a terrific crash and
the joiner work started from the stan
chions. The passengers and crew had
hardly time to realize what had oc-
Cured before a wave tore the saloon
deck like so much paper work, and the
following wave swept it off to sea and
with it nearly all on board.
Previous to this efforts were made to
head her for shore. The storm was so
furious it was impossible to stand
against it, and the rolling of the boat
prevented the engines from working
fast enough to keep the steerage way
on her. 1t was deemed advisable to
let 90 the anchors to bring her head to
the wind, in hope of riding out the
gale, or at least until it should subside.
The effort was a futile one, as the
cables parted as soon as she was
broached to, and the steamer went
adrift, no longer manageable. All on
board had secured life preservers at
the earliest period of thegale. Some Of
ficers tried to secure the boats, but they
were washed away and broken up. A
moment after the upper deck had been
carried away the hull rolled over and
sunk bottom upward. Those of the pas
sengers and crew that could reach por-
tions of the wreck clung to them, but the
heavy sea washed them off again, and
in the breaking down only about eight
persons could be seen. These were
Capt. Barker, James A. Douglass, quar-
termaster, and colored passenger.
These three were clinging to part of the
saloon deck. Some distance off, on an
other portion of the wreck, were F. j.
Stone, purser; John Douglass, William
Cant (colored), George Green, bag
gage-master, and Hiram A. Dekhan.
These latter drifted toward Barren ISL
and, and were picked up by boat
from the steamer Shirley, which is
ashore high and dry. The Captain and
his companions were picked up at two
o'clock in the afternoon and taken to
Crisfield.
The Express had crew of twenty
one all told, and as far as known eight
passengers. 1t is supposed fully twenty
five were lost. The following is list
of the crew and passengers: Capt.
Barker; First Officer, L. j. Howard;
Second Officer, Joseph Hanley; Chief
Engineer, Charles w. Bailey; Second
Engineer, Edward A. Pryor; Clerk, F. S.
Stone; Quartermasters, John Douglass,
James Douglass, Fillmore Rice; Stew
ard, Thomas Darlington; Walters, Nat
Darlington and George Walker; Cham
bermaid Matilda (colored), Willie Bar
ker and five deck-hands; Firemen, Rob-
ert Howins and David Wyett. The pas
sengers were Mrs. Bacon, of Bacon's
Wharf, st. Mary's County; Mrs. Jones,
of ST. Mary's County; DR.. d. G. Barch,
of St. Mary's County; H. Ulman, OF
Baltimore, and three or four colored
passengers. James Douglass, the
badly hurt by being struck by timbers
from the wreck.
Capt. Barker, Quartermaster Doug.
lass and the colored passenger are the
only persons positively known to be
saved. Among the number believed tc
have been lost is Willie Barker, aged
sixteen, son of Capt. Barker. After
the wreck he was seen by his father
clinging to piece of plank some dis.
tance away. There were no means Of
getting near each other, although sig
nails were frequently exchanged. Ht
continued in sight of his father abou
an hour, when wave washed the
plank from the lads grasp, and he il
supposed to have sunk from exhaus
| ton.