The following account of a narrow escape run by a merchant steamer, bound from Wahu to Hongkong, was issued on Saturday afternoon from the Commercial Printing Office The China Navigation Company's steamer Foochow, Captain Clegg, left Wuhu at 2.30 p.m. on Thursday, the 5th instant, with a cargo of rice for Hongkong and Canton, She passed Chinkisny about noon the following day. It was then blowing a strong N.N.W. gale, with a contentious downfall of rain, sleet and sno} She had on board one of the Company most experienced native pilots, and at 3.95, P.m., in consequence of rough weather and heavy confused sea, anchor was cast in 224 feot of water near the Dove Nest buoy. The bad weather continued, and a few minutes after eight o'clock in the ovening the steamer was suddenly thrown on her beam ends, with the water up to her hatchways, and seas breaking over her, while the tide was running like a sluice. Her position was a most perilous one, and unless the weather moderated it was feared she would topple over and become a total wreck. The chief and second engineers, necumpanied by about a dozen Chinese, took to one of the boats; and fifteen other Chinese, including most of the firemen, manned the life-buat. These two boats left the steamer before she had been on her beam ends a quarter ofan hour, Captain Clegg and the members of his crew, who had stayed on the steamer, did all they could devise to save the vessel; and, to attract the attention of the crew of any vessel in the thbourhood, rockets and_blue-lights were brought into requisition, Fortunately the Customs' Revenue Cruiser Kwa-shing, Captain N. P. Andersen, was anchored about three-quarters' of a mile away, and the two boats that had left the Foochow were carried in her direction. The one containing the chief and second engineers missed the Kuwa-shing, but the life-boat was more fortunate. The fifteen Chinese it contained were taken on board by Captain Andersen and his officers, but the life-boat itself, having had a hole knocked into it, was swamped and lost, Learning from the Chinese of the precarious condition of the Foochow, Captain Andersen immediately got up steam and proceeded towards her, but owing to the roughness of the sea, which resembled, to use the language of an eye-witness, a huge surface of boiling water, she was unable to get close to her, and had to anchor at a distance of about two cables. Upon the direction of Captain Andersen, Mr, Chenoweth, the chief officer of the Kwa-manned the life-boat with a crew of Chinese, and in three trips transferred every person from the Foochow to the Kwa-shing, where they were supplied with dry clothes and refreshments, and in other they were well cared for. Captain the Harbour-master, happened to be on the Kwa-shing at the time, and he conferred with Captain Andersen and Captain Clegg as to what it was best to do with regard to the Foochow. After remaining on the Kuwa-shing about two hours, Captain Elegy, his officers and crew, were taken back by Mr. Chenoweth to their vessel. She was still on her beam ends, but the roughness of the sea had somewhat moderated; it was still blowing a strong gale, however, and the sleet and snow were almost blinding. With great difficulty, and at considerable risk as regards their lives, they jettisoned some of the cargo, and succeeded in so trimming the ship that Mr. Angove, the third engineer, in the absence of his two superiors, wast enabled toget up steam inone of the boilers. Soon afterwards the steamer floated, and at 3.30 o'clock on Saturday niorning she was moved into deep water. Her cargo had shifted, and she still had a very strong list. At daylight she started for Shanghai, in company with the Kwa-shing, and' reached Woosung shortly after nine o'clock. She crossed the Bar at high water, and arrived. at Shanghai shortly after five o'clock last She has sustained no damage, her cargo has been re-stowed she will resume her voya; e to Hongkong and Canton. It is expected she will leave tu-morrow.
The boat containing the chief and second engineers, and about a dozen Chinese, was carried twelve miles up the Yangtsze. A landing was there effected. the unfortunate men fared much worse than those who remained on the steamer. They were in the boat as near as they could guess about ten hours; it was one of the coldest nights of the present cold season; and their sufferings were extreme, In their benumbed state, they left the boat on the beach and walked to the Lighthouse at Woosung, where they obtained refreshments and were otherwise well treated. They came up to Shanghai last evening.
One Chinaman is missing, and it is supposed that he was drowned in trying to xet into the chief and second engineers' boat.
Captain Elegy and his officers desire to publicly thank Captain Andersen of the Kuweshing; Mr. Chenoweth, the chief officer; and, in fact, the entire crew of the Customs' cruiser, for the bravery and true seaman-like conduct they displayed under such trying and dangerous ciretmnstances.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.