Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1893-08-31

AO6I Oh Ine NAsJ Va -
nah--AII Hands Saved---The Steam
shin City of Birmingham Safe, as
well as the Kearsarge and Monitor
Nantucket.
The steamship City of Birmingham,
of the Ocean Steamship Company, two
DAYS overdue, arrived in Savannah al
I D. m. Yesterday, bringing portion of
the passengers and crew of the steam
ship City of Savannah, wrecked Mon
day morning on the shoals six miles
from st. Helena lighthouse, South
Carolina, at 5 a. m. The City OF Sa-
vannah left Boston Thursday afternoon.
Che met one storm after another, there
being three storms in all. Sundays
storm was the worst. The steamer
beat about all day Sunday, when her
steam whistle was knocked Oft and the
water began pouring into her hold and
threatened to stop her engines. Seeing
that the ship could last but lew hours
longer, Captain Savage headed her for
shoal water. The stokers were piled
with stimulants and food, and every
effort made to reach shoal water before
the vessel sank. All night long the YES
sci ran in the storm, the passengers eS-
pecting death every minnie. Early
Monday morning the steamer was
heard humping apd scraping against
the bottom, and the passengers knew
they had reached shoal water. The
vessel was run as far aground as posi-
Bile. She could not be gotten into an
easy place, however. The huge waves
broke over her with increasing force
and beat the boat to pieces. The cab
ms were smashed and carried away,
first on one side and then the other.
Capt, Savage and the officers and crew
used every effort to prevent loss of life
among the passengers, and, wonderful
as it may appear, they were successful.
Tuesday at 6p. NJ. the steamer City OF
Birmingham sighted the Savannah
ashore in the breakers about six miles
south of St. Helena lighthouse. The
captain of the stranded steamer saw the
Birmingham and signaled with light.
The Birmingham was anchored, and
Wednesday morning boats reached the
ship. and the rescue of those on board
was effected with safety. The City Of
Birmingham reports passing oil George
town, S. c., the schooner James Boyce,
with mainmast and rail gone. (The
Boyce, it will be remembered, was built
in Alexandria about ten years ago.,
She also passed q capsized schooner
with painted copper bottom. The
Birmingham picked up the captain and
crew Of six of the schooner JOSEPH
Southern, off Cape Fear, from Darien
Ca, for Boston, with lumber.
The shipping at Beaufort and Port
Royal suffered almost total destruc
ton in Sundays storm and many yes
sells are sunk or ashore.
HattleEnake Shoals lightship was
completely wrecked. The crew es
capped, The steamers Seminole anC
Yemassee, Of the Clyde Line, are botf
overdue at Charleston and great anx
iety is felt.
Advices from various points in Nortl
and South Carolina, Georgia and Other
| places show that yesterdays reports o
the rayages Of the storm were in ne
wise exaggerated. Buildings were de
molished, vessels were wrecked and
crops destroyed Charleston has start
ed to repair the damages, while ye
shut off from communication with the
outer world The sight presented j:
an unfamiliar one to people of that city
"a city almost in ruins-the street:
and thoroughfares strewn with debri:
from the roofs of stores and dwellings
the roadways blocked by hundreds O
giant trees, uprooted from the earth
sidewalks strewn with crumbling bricl
and mortar, courts, alleys and by-path!
under water, a magnificent waterfront
with its costly docks, where the fleet:
of a continent could be berthed, pilet
with wreckage, many churches unroof
ed, and almost every residence in thu
city more or less injured. Water ant
wind had played havoc in the old cit!
by the sea, and had laid waste some o
its pleasantcst places, The loss is esti
mated at 81, Ill 800.
Reports coming in from points along
the Hudson river state that number
of lives have been lost by the breaking
up of big lows in the storm. A bi!
tow broke apart between Sing Sing ant
Verplank's Point, and it is rumoreC
that seven bodies were washed ashore
at Stony Point.
Apprehensions for the safety of thu
U. S. ship Kearsarge and the old moni
tor Nantucket were removed yesterday
afternoon, just before Secretary Her
bert left the Navy Department for hi
home, by the receipt of telegram from
Commander Crowninshield, command
ing the Kearsarge, stating that botf
vessels had arrived at Fortress Monroe