Evening star., 1944-03-19

was the first screw propelled steamship
built for the Navy, and had just been
put in commission. Her record states she
was constructed in Philadelphia in 1874,
and was built for the Navy under the
auspices of her captain, r. F. Stockton
She was built of white oak, ship-rigged,
and spread $4,000 square feet of canvas
Her first propeller weighed $4,000
pounds, the second 1870, and with the
latter she obtained about a II per cent
increase of speed. She was armed with
nine guns and carried a crew of 166 men.
A Shocking Calamity
A COED account of what took place
aboard the Princeton that fatal day was
printed in the National Intelligencer of
February %, 1874, and says in part:
I'm the whole course of our lives it
has never fallen to our lot to announce
to our readers a more shocking calamity
shocking in all its circumstances and
concomitants-thant that which occurred
on board the U. S. S. Princeton yester-
day afternoon, whilst under way in the
River Potomac IA or Is miles below this
city.
Yesterday was day appointed by
the courtesy and hospitality of Capt.
Stockton, commander of the Princeton,
for receiving as visitors to his fine ship
dying off Alexandria, great number
of guests, with their families, literally
and numerously invited to spend the
day on board. The day was most favor
able, and the company was large and
brilliant, of both sexes, not less probably
in number than 400, among whom were
the President of the United States, the
heads Of several departments and their
families.
"At proper hour after the arrival of
the expected guests the vessel got under
way and proceeded down the river to
some distance below Fort Washington.
During the passage down, one Of the
large guns on board carrying ball of
225 pounds was fired more than once,
exhibiting the great power and capacity
of that formidable weapon of war
The ladies had partaken of a
sumptuous repast, the gentlemen had
succeeded them at the table, and some
of them had left it. The vessel was on
her return up the river opposite the fort,
where Capt. Stockton consented to fire
another shot, from the same gun, around
and near which, to observe its effects,
many persons had gathered though
by no means so many as on similar dis
charges in the morning, the ladies, who
then thronged the deck being on this
fatal occasion almost all between decks
and out of reach of harm
The Gun Exlodes
The gun was fired. The explosion
was followed, before the smoke cleared
away SO as to observe its effects. by
shrieks which announced dire calam-
ity. The gun had burst at a point
Or feet from the breech and scattered
death and desolation around"
The scene upon the deck may more
easily be imagined than described Nor
can the imagination picture to itself the
half of its horrors. Wives, widowed in
an instant by the murderous blast!
Daughters smitten with the heart
rending sight of their fathers nfeless
body! The wai!ings of agonized females
The piteous grief of the unhurt but
heart-stricken spectators. The wounded
seamen borne down below! The silent
tears and quivering lips of thier brave
and honest comrades, who tried in vair
to subdue or to conceal their feelings
What words can adequately depict 6
scene like this?"
Two days after the explosion, the
bodies of Secretaries Upshur and Gil.
mer, Commodore Kennon and Messrs
Maxey and Gardiner were brought tc
Washington in cofins and taken to tht
White House and placed in the cas-