Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1891-10-15
NOW A TOTAL WRECK
THE BEACH srREWN WITH pteceo o.
THE STRANDED DESPATCH.


CHIxcorHAauK ISLAND. October l3.-The
United States coasting steamer Despatch,
which went ashore early last Saturday
morning on the beach Of Assatsasus
Island. il now total wreck, having been
torn to pieces aud its timbers. furniture.
and rigging strewn along the beach for
miles up and down tho coast by the Ter.
rible storm that has been raging here con-
tinuously since Saturday evening. The
steamer left New York FRIDAY morning
for Washington and had fine sailing
till about midnight, when the weather began 70
get thick. The steamer appears 10 have Lost
her bearing about fifteen or twenty miles north
Of the upper emf OF Chincoteasus and to bave
come inside tho iishtship at winier.{uaFtcr
shoals ana consequently id not SEQ IT, When
Assateague light was sighted II Was supposed
that IL WAS Winter Quarter light. Sccond-iieus
tenant Mulligsn, who WAS In command of the
ship Mt the time, thinking the ship too far
ont st sea, ordered her % be put Ia Closer 70 tho
shore.
This was Conc and In few minutes the
steamer struck upon the shoals that fringe tho
Assateague beach with sach a tremendous crasn
rs to arouse every person ON board and bring ell
OF them on deck IN an incredibly short time. tp
spite OF tho sudden shock the mon behaved With
great cooipess. About one-half hour after the
pumps we're put % work and kept busy I'LL
about daybreak. when assistance arrived from
the Assatesgue iife-sayins station. Tho o6lccrs
and men, numbering seyeniy-four IN ell, wero
taken OF safe and sound and carried % the itfe-
saving station. about two miles OF. on ASA
league beach, where Captain Tracy and his gAl-
liant surfmcn did all Ia their power 70 make tho
wrecked sailors comfortable.
JUNKErISG BOAT.
Tho Despatch has lon. been used a. the Gov.
st..l
dent and tho Secretary 81 the Navy. She wss
built seventeen years ago and was considered
rather antiluatei. She WAS, however the most
magnifccntly furnished boat In the navy, having
been lifted up for the purpose OF entertaining
the kings and princes OF the proudcss govern
ments OF the world. Her furniture was Of the
finest quality, ana her china aud silycrwaro
alone Is said 10 have cost July thirty thousand
dollars.
Tho place where the ship frst struck Is fully .
mile from the beach, but tho waves soon lifted
her and bore her before the nortnessteriy wtnd
far up on the shoals 20 within twenty yarus on
the shore. Here, with her brow fronting SOUTH
ward. she listed out to the ses which swept over
her decks and sides and soon began 20 tear her
TO pieces. Now nothing remains above the
water but her smoke-stack and q email portion OF
her bow. all the rest having been washed away
or sunk Ia tho bottom.
THE SCENE or ruB DIS ,srER
The scene where tho wreck occurred Ia one OF
the most irear AMI dcsolate along tho coss. rs
one stands on the beach he can see nothing but
an endless line OF sani-hills AMI a long success.
sion of pine thlcket- and low-iyins swanps.
Tho lighthouse that liii. lts tall form rom
high sand-nill near tho centre Of As-ate3gue
AMI the life-saying station, nearly three miles
away at the lower end OF Tho island. are the
only human habitations that can be seen.
Nesting behind the sand-hins on tho western
side OF the island arc few fshe-men's huts.
but they are hidden from view I'll ono comes
right upon them. a visit to tho beach ycster-
day and to-day can alone give one al idea u
what shipwreca on An uninhabited island means.
MIN IN CAMP.
The men have improvisei camp ncar tho
scene OF tho wrecx. using two famous l.c-bo0ss
tor tho purpose-one IL the President 3 ami Sccrc-
tary Of the Nays barge. tho haIeo.ani tao
other is one OF tho whalebOats used IN tue freely
relief Arctic e. peii,ion. Tho former was named
for Queen kapeolani of tee Sandwich Islands,
who was ono u the flrst persons ~ ride In her.
The officers ami crew will ROMAN here I'll the
wreckage Is cleared up. hunireis ot pcopss
line the shore every day searching Tor reles
from the stranded ship.
One Of the seyerest rain and wind-sto-ns Tor
several years has been raging hero since satur-
day evening. All the telegraph lines are disa-
bled. ami II Ia feared that 0ther shipping dlsas.
ters have occurred along the coast.