Craven County, NC - Shipwreck Home - Croom Family, 1837

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From the Morning Herald

Yesterday, the house of Parish & Co. received a letter from Mr.
Vanderzee, one of the survivors. Mr. V. states that the Home struck
on a breaker near Sandy Hook Light, going out, and that apprehensions
were entertained of her safety before the catastrophe took place.

It was Mr. Horatio Tileston of the house of Wm. M. Tileston & Co. who 
was on board, not William, as was stated yesterday. Mr. H. Tileston
was the youngest brother of the firm. He carried with him books,
papers and promissory notes, embracing debts to the amout of $150,000
due them in the south which he took for collection. Every one of 
these assets is irrecoverably lost.

One of the most heart rendering cases that we have heard of is that
of Mr. Croom, of Florida, his lady, three daughters, and a sister-
in-law, Mrs. Camock - in all six souls. Mrs. Croom is the daughter
of a highly respectable lady now residing in this city, late of
Newbern, North Carolina.

The eldest of the three daughters has spent the last year here at
the boarding school kept by Madame Chagare. She is hardly out of her
teens, and was returning to the south a beautiful and accomplished
young creature. Her two sisters were younger.

Mr. Croom, the father, was a gentleman of the highest respectability
in North Carolina, and in Florida, and was in the prime of life
and in the midst of happiness. "At one fell swoop" all are gone.

Mrs. Smith of Newbern, residing at present in this city, the mother
of Mrs. Croom, has suffered much by sudden deaths of late. During
the last nine months she has lost ten connections - six of them in
the shipwreck of the Home. Who can fathom the inscrutable purposes
of an Almighty Father?

Last evening we conversed with a passenger, Mr. Holmes, who 
providentially escaped the wreck. He stated to us one very important
fact - that the Home in going out was on the bank off Sandy Hook
for four or five hours, thus corroberating Mr. Vanderzee's statement
as above.

We put the question to him "is it true that she struck in going out
of this port?" "Yes!" said Mr. H., "she was on the bank four or five
hours." "Did no one tell the Captain to put back?" "No!" said he.

Mr. Holmes continuted - was in bed at the time the unfortunate situation
was first announced to the passengers. He heard the danger more by 
the noise made by the feet of those above, and then the cries, rather
than by any other announcement. He rushed from his bed and took his
station at once at the pump. The Captain then was forcing for the
shore but it was too late. The scene that ensued, when it became
apparent that the boat must be lost, is too horrible for description.
The agony of the young, the beautiful, the doomed, is too heartrending.
Let us draw a veil over it. Mr. Holmes was on the forcastle when the
waves broke up the unfortunate boat. Upon this he was providentally
washed to shore.

The place to which survivors swam or were drifted is the island of
Ocracock, at Ocracock inlet. It is chiefly inhabited by pilots.
Mr. Holmes was received with upmost kindness and attention by Mr.
Littlejohn, a southern planter, who was spending the summer on the
island with his family in lieu of coming on North as had been his
custom. 

Every attention that could be rendered to the survivors was afforded
by this gentleman, by Captain Pike, and others. But the sea - the sea -
it held the stiffening forms of the relatives and friends of those 
who were left - and while the survivors lifted up their voices in
gratitude for their own preservation, their frames quivered at the
memory of the past, and their hearts mourned for the loved and the
lost with a sorrow that was not to be beguiled.

Source: The Morning Herald
        October 27, 1837

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This file was contributed for use in the USGenWeb Archives by
Connie Ardrey
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