The Camden Journal

From the Boston Gazette.

Steamboat Incident.—On Wednesday, the steamboat Providence made a passage from Providence to New York, amid one of the most violent gales of wind that have visited the Sound these many years. She had on board about two hundred passengers, and ultimately reached her port of destination without any particular damage, although three quarters of her passengers suffered severely from sea-sickness. While the gale was piping to its utmost, an incident of thrilling interest occurred which it may be well to relate.

One of the upper state rooms was occupied by Miss Clifton, the actress, and her servant—the next one by Mr. Coster of New York and another gentleman— and the farther one at the stern of the boat, by two respectable young ladies belonging to Abington in this State. While the gale was at its highest pitch, the chambermaid was sent by Mr. Coster to the room of Miss Clifton on some errand, but mistaking her room, she knocked at the door of the one occupied by the ladies just referred to, one of whom, Miss Hobart, laboring under the severe effects of sea-sickness, and frightened by the roaring of the elements, and still more alarmed at being saluted at such a time by an unknown voice, sprang from her berth in her night clothes, and instead of flying to the door which opened into the saloon, attempted to escape from the window, which is only one foot square!

On getting out she found a projection of about two inches only to stand on— beneath and around her were the raging billows of the Sound. If she had released her hold, the billows would have swamped her winding sheet; but, fortunately she became sensible of her situation, and cried piteously for help, when one of the gentlemen in the next room fled to the rescue of the sufferer, while the other held her by the hand from his berth, and fortunately she was rescued from her perilous situation, taken over the railing, and again conducted to her room.—An incident better calculated to call all the sympathies and anxieties of human nature into action could not have occurred.

In consequence of the violence of the gale, the Providence was twenty-six hours on her passage; her wood was exhausted, and it was only by burning the vessel's handspikes, the sweeping of her woodhouse, and such other combustible materials as were at hand, that she was enabled to reach the New York Dry Dock, several miles from her usual place of landing.