The loss of the steamer Dare--full Particulars.
We are enabled, from conversation with an intelligent officer who was on board, to give a reliable account of the loss of the steamer
Dare,
Capt. Thomas B. Skinner, on the
South Carolina coast, on Thursday last.
The Dare was owned in this city by the
Richmond Importing and Exporting Company.
She left
Bermuda on Sunday, the 3d inst., with the following passengers;
Lieuts. Chas. Schroeder,
Otey Bradford, and
A. G. Hudgins, of the navy;
Major Ben. W. Ficklin, agent of
Virginia; and
Messrs. George Whitfield,
Pat. Butler,
Wm. A. Mountcastle, of
Richmond;
Kane, of
Baltimore; Mottete, of
Charleston, and
Hamilton, agent of the company.
She had a cargo of 75 tons, of which about 50 tons were for the
State of Virginia, having cost over £2,000.
On Monday and Tuesday the weather was pleasant, but on Wednesday there was a slight rain and no observations could be taken during the day. In the evening about 4 o'clock they got a cast of the lead, which showed 17 fathoms of water.
About 6 o'clock the
Wilmington pilot took charge of the vessel, saying he intended to steer for
Lockwood's Folly.
She slightly scraped the beach at Baldhead Inlet about 8½ o'clock, and was then steered along the beach towards
Fort Caswell, taking casts of the lead all the way. At 1 o'clock at night the pilot thought they had crossed
Wilmington bar and were within a mile of the fort, and anchored for the night, waiting for daylight to cross the "rip" between the bar and the fort.
When daylight came it was discovered that the pilot had mistaken the position, and instead of being one mile from the fort, they were three miles, and between them and it were three blockaders.
One of them saw her, and immediately gave chase, the
Dare running to the west.
After running about an hour she lowered a boat and sent off six passengers--
Messrs. Whitfield,
Butler,
Kane,
Mountcastle,
Mottete, and
Lieut Bradford--who were landed about 45 miles below
Wilmington, N. C., and shortly afterwards reached that city.
The Dare still continued her course west, and in about an hour discovered the
Montgomery and
Aries, two of the enemy's propellers, steaming after her. They were sailing in parallel lines, the
Aries trying to force the
Dare out to sea.--The chase continued till 12 o'clock, by which time the
Dare had gotten away from the
Montgomery, but the
Aries was gaining on her.
At this time it was found that the density of the water in the boiler was increasing, and that the vessel could not go for two hours longer.
It was then determined to beach her. She was steered for the
South Carolina coast, about twenty miles distant, and at half-past 1 o'clock was beached about six miles to the east of the
Pedee.--The officers and crew were put ashore in the boats.
While they were landing the pursuing vessels opened on the
Dare with shot and shell.
They then sent four armed boats to the disabled vessel, which, upon arriving, were filled to their utmost capacity with the baggage of the officers and other plunder.--As they started to shove off from the wreck two of the boats were swamped and fourteen of the
Yankee sailors drowned.
The crews of the other two boats then came ashore, and were immediately gobbled up by the Confederate cavalry pickets, who were near the beach.
The number of prisoners taken was twenty-four.
The fire of the two blockaders who chased the
Dare attracted the attention of a little blockader lying off the mouth of the
Pedee, and she ran up and threw incendiary shell into the wreck, and firing her aft. Our own people had already fired her forward, and rendered her boilers useless.
It was supposed that much of the cargo of the
Dare would be saved, as our cavalry pickets could ride around the vessel at low water.
Capt. Skinner remained at the vessel for the purpose of receiving her cargo.
His conduct and management of the vessel during the chase is very highly spoken of.
A telegram, received in the city yesterday, says that a large portion of the
Dare's cargo will be saved.
On Monday morning the
Ranger, a blockade running steamer, got ashore near
Wilmington, and was destroyed by her crew.--She was laden with Government stores from
Bermuda.
While she was burning the enemy tried to beard her, but were driven off by the coast guard.
A Yankee gunboat off
Wilmington grounded near
Lockwood's Folly beach, on Monday morning, and the enemy, not being able to get her off, blew her up. The explosion was heard and felt in
Wilmington.
