THE STORY OF A TERRIBLE WRECK.

Daily Telegraph (Napier), Issue 3847, 15 November 1883, Page 4

THE STORY OF A TERRIBLE WRECK.

The Royal Adelaide, a splendid clipper of 2000 tons burthen (an emigrant ship, bound for Sydney), had been driven ashore on tho West Bay at AVoymouth, just between AVovmouth and Portland-on the natural bar of shingle Avhich forms one side of tho harbour—a wall of safety to those within, but a terror to the- poor souls outside in tho open sea. In the present instance the vessel was driven iv broadside on tho beach, and hurled by tho Avavcs to within twenty feet of the ciwds Avho had been watching her for hours, and avlio would fain have helped her had such help been possible. Noav the breakers had it all their oavii Avay, and played Avith her as a cat with a mouse—sometimes receding, so as to leavo her almost dry, then dashing right over with such violence as to threaten to wash off every soul of that agonised multitude Avhich crowded her decks. Torches and tar-barrels blazed upon the beach, and brilliant blue-lights threw their strange, ghastly glare upon that terrible scene, revealing each figure in clear relief, with the background of mad curling waves, and tho Avhito spray dashing far abovo the masts. Strong Avilling arms wore there, ready and able to help ; but their good purpose Avas in a great measure frustrated by the stupidity of the bewildered wretches on board. AVhen a successful rocket was fired (a firy messenger of hope, bearing the thin cord to Avliich Avcre attached the strung hawser and cradle that should have brought all safely ashore) its use was not understood, and a long interval of precious time was Avasted ere any one was brought to land. But for those no lives need lane boon sacrificed at all. As it was, the number of those Avho perished Avas variously calculated at from ten to fifteen, mostly Avomen and children, who, by all hiAVs of the sea should have been the first to come ashore. Ere these, however, could be rescued, tho vessel broke asunder with a crash like thunder, Avhich resounded loud above the roaring of the waves—a terrible sound, Avhich for days afterwards seemed to re-echo in the ears of all. who hoard it. Straightway the Avhole sea was full of iloating cargo, passengers' luggage, masts, spars, planks, stores ; aud every Avavc thatdashed upon the beach hurled up some fragment, as if iv defiance, till the whole shore was heaped Avith goods of every serf and kind—as if some merchant's vast stores lay piled in wildest confusion. Among the salvage AA-as a pig, Avhich reached the shore alive, and Avas at once appropriated by a by-stauder, Avho, however, Avas detected, wild marched off to the police station with the pig on his shoulders. A racehorse Avhich was likoAviso on board fared less happily —

battered and bruised by one shock after another, it aviis washed ashore dead. As the vessel finally sank, one old woman Avas left standing on her alone. Sho had been too terrified to take her place in the cradle, so had to be left to her fate. One passenger Avho was carrying a large sum of gold perished in the attempt to save it. Another lost a sum of four hundred pounds—the precious .savings of a life-iime—bufhehim-self escaped. "And now that, nothing more could be done to save the living, a terrible scene commenced, a thousandfold more horrible than the terrors of the previous hours. The ship carried large quant ities of Spirits as part of her cargo, tho yery Strongest form of old hollands and Avhisky, from forty to fifty above proof. Soon the shore avus stroAvn in every direction Avith spirit casks and cases. Men Aviih working in the bitter cold and Avet of that piercing winter night, Avcre not sloav to yield to the temptation thus thiwn in their Avay. Casks Avcre broached—in some cases the tops knocked off—-and men and boys drank the firy spirit as though it had been a draught of Avater, and Avhen they had drank till they no longer could discern one barrel from another, many of them turned to the casks of paraffin, and dranlc from them ; then, utterly helpless, they lay down, Avherever they chanced to lie, and soon the whole shore Avas strewn Avith scores of corpse-like wretches, avlio lay out all night in the bitter cold, some so near the avuvcs that the spray dashed over them and they narrowly escaped being SAvept aAvay altogether. Multitudes wore rescued in the morning, chill and cold but still alive, and Avcre carried home by friends, who strove to bring them back to life. Seven Avere actually dead, and their bodies lay Availing tho corner's inquest, and other deaths were'reported later. It is said that oven some of the soldiers and Custom House officers who Avcre placed in charge of the shore joined in the dismal revelry ; certainly the drinking Avent on all the next day, and tho Avidc-awako old hands contrived to bury casks and cases for future use. At length the chief Custom House officers, dospuring of protecting this part of the cargo, Avent along the coast, and stove in every cask that came ashore, and then only was the hideous carnival of drunkenness stayed. Not that Ihe spirits Avere the sole temptation to the harpies avlio crOAvded the shore. Multitudes Averc there avlio had not forgotten tho Avrccking instincts of their forefathers, and Avho had assembled only to see Avhat they could pillage, and thus vast quantities of goods Avhich might otherwise have been saved for the use of the luckless emigrants Avere deliberately carried off, and avc avgi-c told that many of the low shops in tho neighboring villages were full of the stolen goods. These robbers lost 110 time in helping themselves to all they could carry, for, so soon as the authorities camo to their senses, the beach avus guarded so strictly, and all dubious-looking characters Avero so rigorously searched, that not, even an old rusty penknife might be curried oft as a relic. —C. F. Gordon dimming, in tho Gentleman's Magazine.