Dear Governor: Before this reaches you, the telegraph and papers will have brought the news of a most terrible and heartrending accident, which resulted in the loss of the United States steamer Oneida, and twenty officers and ninety-five men, among which your nephew, Ensign George K. Adams, lost his life while gallantly, heroically, doing his duty--in fact more than his duty. The general particulars the papers will give you, and as we are all worn with searching day and night for the bodies and property of the deceased, you will excuse me if I give you only the particulars of his heroic conduct and death. The collision carried away the "poop deck," and the quartermaster, who had the keys of the magazine, and wile the ship was sinking, he (Adams) and Lieutenant Commander Stewart (son of Senator Stewart of Pennsylvania) went below, forced the doors of the magazine, got cartridges, loaded and fired a gun three times, and was in the act of loading the fourth time when the ship had sunk so far astern that the rifle gun at the bow fell over and killed him. He refused to take to the boats and died like a hero as he was. Poor boy! I had seen a good deal of him since my arrival, he having been on board the Ashuelot, which landed me officially at Yeddo, and discovering your picture in my album (the photograph you gave me the winter I was at Albany as Mr. Bennett's Private Secretary), as he did upon a subsequent visit to my Consulate, he considered me almost as an old friend, and told me of his home, friends, yourself, and the high hopes he had for the future. Many times he had been detailed to command the cutter, the Captain sent for, and with me, and the very day of the accident the Minister (Mr. DeLong) and myself had been officially visiting the men-of-war of the different nations in the harbor, and he again brought us ashore--took charge of a fishing rod for Police Commissioner Ostrander, of Syracuse, I had promised him, bade us good-bye at 4 o'clock p.m., sailed at 5 p.m. and at 6 1/2 p.m. he was at the bottom of the bay. All his officers spoke very highly of him, and I had taken a decided fancy to him. Depend upon it, Governor, all in our power shall be done to recover and forward his body and property. He had collected many camios and very valuable ones. He had economized in every reasonable way in order to surprise his friends with presents. Noble boy! an honor to any country are such as he. Any questions I can answer, or anything I can do for his mother, yourself or any of his friends, command me for.
Yours truly and sympathizingly
C.O. Shepard,
U.S. Consul, Yeddo, Japan

Syracuse Journal, March 11, 1870.