Little did any one among that gay and splendid throng anticipate a sudden transition from the height of human enjoy ment to the extreme of wailing, anguish, and death! The day was remarkably fine, the sun rising clear and bright, and Washington from early in the morning presented a gay and busy scene. Nearly all the carriages were engaged, and freighted with the loveliness, beauty and grace of the city. About eleven o'clock in the forenoon, Mr. Tyler, the president of the United States, as chief guest, Mrs. Robert Tyler, Miss Cooper, Mr. John Tyler, Jr.,-all from the John Tyler executive mansion,-with a large number of officers in glittering uniforms, all the members of the cabinet except Mr. Spencer, many other high functionaries of state, senators and representatives, quite a number of attaches and secretaries of legation, General Allmonte, minister from Mexico (Sir Richard Packenham had been invited, but declined,) and others, to the number of some four hundred, were assembled on the deck of one of the steamers plying between Washington and Alexandria, fast bearing down for the latter place. Opposite the navy yard, a boat load of musicians were taken on board, who, as the company approached Alexandria, and the Princeton hove in sight, struck up 'Hail Columbia,' while the convoy was describing a graceful curve under the bow of the splendid war steamer, to view her in all her pride of architectural model,the flags of every nation streaming in the brightness of the meridian sun from every mast, and her yards manned to return the cheers that were uttered by the happy guests as they neared her side. They now approached the Princeton on her larboard side, and came quite close to her. A bridge was soon made from the hurricane deck to the great steamship, and the ladies and gentlemen received by the officers on deck, and conducted to Captain Stockton, who was in full uniform. The band now struck up the 'Star Spangled Banner,' the marines presented arms, and as soon as the company were on board, a salute of twenty-one guns was fired, the band still playing national airs; and it was quite amusing to see how many ladies. remained on deck to witness the naval maneuvers and evolutions, although they had been politely requested to step down, so as not to be annoyed by the smell of the powder, or the noise of the report. Sumptuous, too, was the banquet spread before this gay and brilliant company. In the meanwhile, the Princeton hove anchor and made sail, bearing down for Fort Washington and Mount Vernon-her sailing qualities being admired by all. Past Fort Washington, where the Potomac expands, presenting sufficient scope for the power of the Princeton's big guns, the forward gun was shotted and fired, the ball striking the water and rebounding five or six times, till the eye could no longer follow its progress. An eye-witness of this experiment-a newspaper correspondent-states, that, in order to observe the effect of the shot, he posted himself on the nearest larboard cannonade gun, and, by the side of this, a kind of scaffolding had been erected by the sailors, for the ladies to stand on. One or two ladies had taken their position there, and, close by, stood Mr. Secretary Upshur, intent upon witnessing the whole scene. The correspondent offered his place to the secretary, but the latter declined, saying he preferred to stand where he was-the precise spot where, an hour afterward, he was torn to pieces. Captain Stockton's great gun-called ironically "the Peacemaker,"—was now again loaded with shot, and another trial made of its strength and efficiency. The gun was pointed to leeward, and behind it stood Captain Stockton; a little to the left of him, Mr. J. Washington Tyson, assistant postmaster-general. By the side of the latter, a little behind him, stood Mr. Strickland, of Philadelphia; and a little to the right of, but behind him, Colonel Benton, of Missouri, who had a lady at his arm; and Judge S. S. Phelps, senator from Vermont. To the leeward of the gun stood Judge Upshur, the secretary of state; also Governor Gilmer, the secretary of the navy, who had but a few days previously entered on the duties of his office; and, a short distance behind them, the late charge d'affaires to Belgium, Mr. Maxey, of Maryland. By the side of him stood Hon. Mr. Gardiner, of New York, and Commodore Kennon, chief of one of the navy bureaus. tors. The gun had burst, at a point three or four feet from the breech, and scattered death and desolation all around. The lower part of the gun, from the trunnions to the breech, was blown off, and one-half section of it lying upon the breast of the newspaper correspondent; it took two sailors to remove it. Secretary Upshur was badly cut over the eye and in his legs, his clothes being literally torn from his body; he expired in a very few minutes. Governor Gilmer, of Virginia, -under whose official directions, as secretary of the navy, the power of this great gun was tested,-was found equally badly injured; he had evidently been struck by the section of the gun before it had reached Mr. Upshur. Mr. Sykes, member of congress from New Jersey, endeavored to raise him from the ground, but was unable. A mattress was then procured, and Mr. Gilmer placed on it; but before any medical assistance could be procured, he was not among the living. Mr. Maxey had his arms and one of his legs cut off, the pieces of flesh hanging to the mutilated limbs, cold and bloodless, in a manner truly frightful. Mr. Gardiner, of New York (one of whose daughters subsequently became the wife of President Tyler), and Commodore Kennon, lingered about half an hour; but they did not seem for a single moment to be conscious of their fate, and expired almost without a groan. The flags of the Union were placed over the dead bodies, as their winding-sheets. Behind the gun, the scene, though at first equally distressing, was less alarming. Captain Stockton, who was knocked down and somewhat injured, almost instantly rose to his feet, and, mounting upon the wooden carriage, quickly and anxiously surveyed the whole effect of the calamity. All the hair of his head and face was burnt off; and he stood calm and undismayed, but deeply conscious, over the frightful wreck. Shrieks of woe were heard from every quarter-death and desolation, blood and mangled remains, were all around. all around. In addition to the deaths already mentioned, about a dozen sailors were badly wounded; one was dead, and, behind him, Colonel Benton, Judge Phelps, and Mr. Strickland, as if dead, were extended on the deck. On that side, by a singular concatenation of circumstances, Mr. Tyson, of Philadelphia, was the only person who stood his ground, though a piece of the gun, weighing about two pounds, had passed through his hat, about two inches from his skull, and fallen down by the side of him. A servant of the president, a colored lad of about fifteen years of age, was amongst the slain. President Tyler himself was saved only by the merest accident-having been temporarily called back from where he stood, just a moment before! Judge Phelps, of Vermont, had his hat blown or knocked off, and the buttons of his coat torn off. Mr. Strickland, of Philadelphia, immediately recovered his position. Miss Woodbury and Miss Cooper, who, in company of Captain Reed, of the army, and Mr. Welles, of Philadelphia, had been standing on a leeward gun, were not hurt; but the first-named lady-the beautiful and accomplished daughter of Senator Woodbury, of New Hampshire, had her whole face sprinkled with blood, from one of the unfortunate killed or wounded. Judge Wilkins was only saved by a rollicking bit of witticism of his. Thomas W. Gilmer He had taken his stand by the side of his colleague in office, Secretary Gilmer, but some remarks falling from the lips of the latter, and perceiving that the gun was about to be fired, exclaimed, suiting his action to the word "Though secretary of war, I don't like this firing, and believe that I shall run!" A most heart-rending scene was that which transpired among some of the lady guests. The two daughters of Mr. Gardiner, of New York, were on board, and were piteously lamenting the death of their father; while Mrs. Gilmer, from whom the company had in vain attempted to withhold, for a time, the dreadful news of the death of her husband, presented truly a spectacle fit to be depicted by a tragedian. Her agony was was doubtless aggravated by a peculiar incident. It | appears that, while President Tyler and family, and a large number of ladies and gentlemen in the cabin, were in the act of leaving the banquet-table, to proceed to the deck, the movement was arrested for a moment, by a gentleman announcing that one of the ladies would give a toast, and but for which it is probable most of the party would have been exposed to the deadly missiles. Some of the ladies, however, were upon deck, and near enough to be dashed with the blood and mangled remains of the victims. One of those ladies was the wife of Secretary Gilmer, and it was at her husband's special request, that the gun on this occasion was fired, in order that he might observe its quality in some peculiar way. This gun was the one called the 'Peacemaker;' the other, of the same size on board, was called the 'Oregon.' Mr. Seaton, mayor of the city of Washington, was one of the company, having been invited by Mr. Gilmer, and would have accompanied him to the deck to witness the firing, but for a difficulty in finding his cloak and hat at the moment. A lady, standing upon the deck between two gentlemen, one of whom had his hat, and the other the breast of his coat taken off, escaped unhurt. The secretary of state, Mr. Upshur, left a wife and daughter, to mourn his untimely death; Secretary Gilmer, a wife and eight childrenthe eldest but fifteen. Commodore Kennon left a young wife, and children by his first wife. Mr. Maxey also left a wife and children; and Colonel Gardiner two accomplished daughters, leading belles in the society of the metropolis. The only circumstance calculated to relieve the all-pervading distress, was, that of the multitude of ladies who were on board the ship, not one was materially injured. As illustrating the effect of such a phenomenon, upon those who were near enough to have their sensations and emotions wrought upon to the highest degree, without actual injury to their persons, the experience of Senator Benton-certainly one of the strongest-minded of men-is an EXPLOSION OF THE GREAT GUN ON BOARD THE UNITED STATES STEAMSHIP PRINCETON. interesting case in point. In that senator's account of the occurrence, he says, among other things: 'Lieutenant Hunt caused the gun to be worked, to show the ease and precision with which her direction could be changed, and then pointed down the river to make the fire-himself and the gunners standing near the breech on the right. I opened my mouth wide to receive the concussion on the inside as well as on the outside of the head and ears, so as to lessen the force of the external shock. I saw the hammer pulled back -heard a tap-saw a flash-felt a blast in the face, and knew that my hat was gone; and that was the last that I knew of the world, or of myself, for a time, of which I can give any account. The first that I knew of myself, or of anything afterwards, was rising up at the breech of the gun, seeing the gun itself split open, -two seamen, the blood oozing from their ears and nostrils, rising and reeling near meCommodore Stockton, hat gone, and face blackened, standing bolt upright, staring fixedly upon the shattered gun. I had heard no noise-no more than the dead. I only or falling on the water and swimming: and persons recovered from drowning, and running their whole lives over in the interval between losing hope and losing consciousness.' This account, written by Mr. Benton, several years after the occurrence, shows the vivid impression made upon his mind. Of similar interest was the experience of Judge Phelps, senator from Vermont, who was nearer to the gun than any other guest, and who had at his side a young lady, Miss Sommerville, from Maryland. The judge was prostrated, his hat and the lady's bonnet disappeared, her dress was also torn, and the judge's apparel rent and demolished. The lady's face was scorched, and she stood like a statue, unconscious. 'I took a glance at the scene,' says the judge, writing to a friend, 'caught her round. the waist, and carried her below. I witnessed a scene there which I shall not attempt to describe it was one of agony, frenzy - the shrieks of a hundred females wives, daughters, sisters the beauty, the loveliness of the land. The imploring appeals to know the fate of the nearest and dearest objects of their affection can not be forgotten. Sir,' said one, 'they will not tell me about my husband.' I knew her not, but she was at that moment a widow-her husband was blown to atoms! You will hardly believe me when I tell you I was calm-collected. It was no time for trepidation. I felt as if introduced in the presence of my Maker. The scene was unearthly; every selfish feeling vanished-even my own life was of no account. I was taken to the portals of eternity, and felt that I was surveying not the paltry interests of time and sense, but man's eternal destiny. The first tear which started in my eye fell upon the few lines which conveyed to my beloved and devoted wife the assurance that she A Mapsha the burning of the powder in the touchhole, and the burning of it in the barrel of the gun. No mind can seize that point of time, no thought can measure it; yet to me it was distinctly marked, divided life from death-the life that sees, and feels, and knows, from death (for such it was for the time), which annihilates self and the world. And now is credible to me, or rather comprehensible, what persons have told me of the rapid and clear working of the mind in sudden and dreadful catastrophes as in steam-boat explosions, and being blown into the air-and have the events of their lives pass in review before them, and even speculate upon the chances of falling on the deck and being crushed, |