Democratic Sentinel, Volume 2, Number 38, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 1 November 1878 — THRILLING MARINE DISASTER. [ARTICLE]

THRILLING MARINE DISASTER.

Loks of the Steamer Express, in Chesapeake Bay. The steamer Express, bound from i Baltimore for Washington, was wrecked ■ in Chesapeake bay during the recent terrible gale, and, of the crew’ of t-wenty-two men and nine passengers, all but the Captain and six of the crew perished. The following details of the terrible calamity, obtained from the survivors, we copy from a Baltimore paper: Ou the way down the bay as far as James’ point the weather was very I rough, and the steamer W’as pitching . badly, but no alarm was felt. After j passing that point the wind increased in I velocity, and the steamer finally became ! unmanageable and rolled in the trough of the sea. Capt. Barker and the entire ■ crew remained on deck directing the I movements of the steamer during the : night. The gale increased during the | night, and the steamer was tossed helplessly about, unable to make headway. About 4 o’clock a fearful sea broke over her on the port bow, staving in her upper works, and the entire mass of water rushed through the saloon, carrying aw’ay all the furniture and life-boats. Again and again the fierce waves swept over the ill-fated steamer, and the Captain abandoned all hope of procuring life-preservers. He found two for the lady passengers, Mrs. Bacon and Mrs. Jones, and adjusted them. He then carried the two ladies on deck and I placed them in the stern of the vessel, , and warned them that the steamer was 1 about to go to pieces, and promising { to come to their assistance, if possible, i The Captain lashed his young son to the saloon and again turned his attention to ■ his vessel. The wind was still blowing at a rate i that w’ould not allow anyone to stand up to it, while the only thing that could be i seen in the pitchy darkness was the white foam of the raging waters which swept over the steamer. The second mate, | Joseph Havey, was knocked down by a I fearful sea which boarded the steamer as ' he tried to cross her deck, and was swept into the smoke-hole. Before he could : be rescued the steamer rose on a wave ' mountain high and pitched headlong ; into the trough of the sea, the succeedI ing wave rushing over her and sweeping her decks clean. Capt. Barker heard ' the despairing shrieks of the passengers ; above the wild roar of the waves as they I were swept away. In the darkness that ; followed it was impossible to discover lor help anyone. About ten of those on ■ board clung to the saloon when it was ■ carried away and found thus a temporary refuge from death. This frail sup- ■ port was, however, swept by the waters, i carrying away one or more of those clingi ing to it every time. The Captain clung to the saloon until it went to pieces, and then, getting astride of a portion of the wreck, held on until daybreak. When the dawn broke he found that

John Douglas, one of the Quartermasters, was clinging to the same piece of i wreck with himself. As their frail support mounted on the tops of the enor- ' mous waves a glimpse of their surroundings was obtained. At about half a mile off was the steamer turned bottom up, and scarcely visible above the water. Nearer to them was a portion of the saloon, to which were clinging several persons. The storm was still raging in unabated fury, and there appeared little hope of their being able to withstand the buffetings of the waves. They could ' see the numbers clinging to the wreck gradually diminishing as one by one ■ their strength failed them and they were ■ swept away by the angry waters. After : clinging for eight hours to the wreck, the Captain and his companion sighted i a small pungy near them, by which they were rescued. They w’ere nearly insenj sible from the effects of their long ex--1 posure. The other portion of the wreck drifted to a barren island off the mouth i of the Paluxent river, where the men clinging to it were rescued by a boat from the steamer Shirley, of the York River line, w’hich was ashore on the island. Of the thirty-one persons on board only seven were rescued. Among those I who perished was Willie Barker, aged 16, soon of the Captain. After the wreck he was seen by his father clinging to a plank some distance away. There were no means of getting near each other, although signals were frequently exchanged. He continued in sight of his father about an hour, when a wave washed the plank from the lad’s , grasp and he is supposed to have sunk from exhaustion.