Ottumwa weekly courier. (Ottumwa, Wapello County, Iowa) 1872-1899, 1878-10-30
The Waves Sweep the Deck
OF the Doomed Vessel
From Stem to Stern.
Finally Tearing the FTail Craft
Into q Thousand Fragments.
And HurryinG Her Helpless
Passengers and Crew to q
Watery Grave.
Numerous Other shipwrecka
With Great Loss of Life.
Vrsaels. Dashed Upon he Beach
and Destroyed 0rjLeft
High and Dry.
A WArERY CRAVE.

BALTIMORE, Oct. N.-Capt. Baker,
Of the steamer Express, which left
here Tuesday for Washington, re-
ports that his vessel foundered at the
mouth of the Potomac, and the gas.
sengers and crew are probably lost,
The captain was rescued, while
drifting with fragments of the boat.
Capt. Baker, in describing the wreck
ofthe Express, says the sea was run
ming at great height, every wave
washing the boat from stem to stern.
Shortly after 5 O'Clock Wednesday
morning there came q terrific crash
and the joiner work started from the
stanchions. The passengers and
crew had hardly time to realize what
had occurred before the wave tore
the saloon deck like so much paper
work, and the following wave swept
1t of 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 that 1t was impossible
to stand against it, and the rolling OF
the boat prevented the engines from
working fast enough to keep steerage
way ON her. 1t was deemed advisa-
BILE to let 60 the anchors to bring her
head to the wind in the hope Of her
riding out the gale, or at least until
It should subside. The effort was fu
tile, Is the cables parted as soon o.
che broached to, and the steamer
went adrift, NO longer manageable.
All on board had secured life pre-.
servers at the earliest period OF the
gale. Some Of the officers tried to &C.
cure boats, but they were washed
away and broken up. A moment az.
ter 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
portions of the wreck clung to them
Out the heavy sea washed them of,
Only about 8 persons could be saved
These were James A. Douglass, quar-.
termaster, and two colored passen.
gers. These three were clinging to q
part of the saloon deck. Some die.
tance of. on another portion of the
wreck, were -. Stone, purser John
Douglass, VIM. Cant, colored George
Green, baggage master, and Hiram, 4
deck hand. These latter drifted to.
ward barren leland and were picked
up-At2 p. m. and taken to Crisfield
The Express had q crew of2l, all told
and as far as known 8 passeu9ers
1t 10 supposed fully 20 lives were
lost t3 ~
LIST OF CREW AND PASSENGERS.
The following is . list of the crew
and passengers: Captain Baker
First Officer L. j. Howard. Second
Officer John Haney, Chief Euginee,
Chas. w. Barley, Second Engineer
Edward A. Prior, Clerk #. 8. Stone
Qaartcrmasters John Douglass and
James Douglass, Lookout Man Fill
more Rice. Steward Thos. Caring.
ton, Walters Nat. Carrington and Geo
Walker, Chambermaid Matilda, col.
ored; Willie Baker and 5 deci
hands, Firenen Robert Hawins And
David Wyett. The passengers were
Mrs. Bacon, Of Bacon's Wharf, st
Marys county Mrs. Jones, st. Mary.
county Dr.. d. c. Barch, st. Mary
county H. Ulman, Of Baltimore, aud
3 or 4 colored passen gers.
JAS. Douglass, the wheelsman, who
was rescued, was badly hurt BY be.
ing struck by timbers from tn,
wreck.
Captain Baker, Quartermaste,
Douglass and colored passenger ar,
the only persons positively known t
have been saved.
OTHER DISASTERS.
The steamer Theo. Weems. after /,
terrible experience, was rescued BY
the Tangier and towed to Crisfielt
harbor, where she now lies. TIL.
steamer Massachusetts, is Ashore, dis
abied, at Diam Point. All on board
well. The steamer Louisa il ashor,
on middle ground; the steamer Id,
and % schooners are ashore near th,
Massachusetts,.
STILL ANOTHER.
The signal corps station at Cap,
Henry reports the American ship A
8. Davis, of Searsport, Me-, Captain
Ira N. Ford, ran ashore at 9 q. m. tn,
2Sd inst, 8 miles south of the station
The vessel and cargo are total loss
The crew, consisting of 10 men, were
all lost, with one exception. Twt