Virginia Argus

From the N Y Columbian

SHIPWRECK OF THE SYLPH

By several gentlemen from the east end of Long Island, in the stage, yesterday morning, who reside near the scene of this melancholy event and were on the spot shortly after, we have obtained the following particulars of the uncommonly distressing occurrence:-

The Sylph is a British (ship) sloop of war, rated at 18 guns and carrying 22, and was commanded by Capt. Dickens, with a crew amounting, with himself and officers, to 112 souls, of whom 107 have perished. On Tuesday morning, the 17th instant, at half past 2 o'clock, previous to the snow storm, the weather being thick and night dark, the wind a N. E. standing to the northward under close reeled topsails, she struck on Southampton bar, at Shinnecock bay, Canoe place, 5 miles west of the town; and soon beat over and drove head on within a few rods of the shore,

By day light she was perceived by the inhabitants, and a number immediately collected and hastened to attempt the relief of the people. From the height of the surf and the violence of the sea, however, as the storm approached and increased, it was impossible to get to the vessel. The people were all safe, 60 of them in the tops and on the rigging, until half past 8 o'clock, when the purser parted with the captain in his mizen top and came to the windward gunwale, which was then as high out of water as her tops. Directly after, a tremendous sea capsized the ship and broke her in two between the fore and main masts; the fore part rolled over and lies keel up, ward, and the after part, splitting lengthwise, went to pieces and drifted to the leeward.

The crew being thus dashed into the sea, were chiefly drowned immediately. A few were seen on the spars and pieces of the wreck, and every exertion made by the spectators on the shore to save them. The purser, Mr. William T. Parsons, with two of the seamen, were taken off the spars about 2 o'clock in the afternoon, each three more sailors, some time after, saved from the wreck by a boat. The next (Wednesday) morning the bodies of the 2d lieutenant and 3 seamen were found on shore at Southampton, and buried, and 16 others have drifted up with part of the wreck as far west as Babylon, near Fire Island inlet,

The snow came on about noon, and the storm raged with great violence through the day. The inhabitants of the neighborhood, however, in considerable numbers repaired to the place, and made the greatest efforts to relieve the unhappy sufferers, to the extreme risque of the lives of a number of the citizens who distinguished themselves by their zeal and intrepidity on the occasion.—Their humanity and exertions were gratefully acknowledged by Mr. Parsons, the purser, in a letter to Com. Hotham (of the Superb, at New-London) who returned a polite and friendly answer, and promised the release, if in his power, of a captured vessel and crew belonging to the place, for which purpose the flag that carried the letter was sent.

The men saved remained at Southampton prisoners of war. The wind and tide set almost directly along the coast with a strong undertow off shore, or probably a much greater proportion of the crew would have survived.

The purser states that capt. Dickens is a young gentleman of fortune, lately married; and mentions that one of the saved seamen held a little son in his arms until he was chilled to death, when he dropt him overboard, and a number of other affecting incidents.