WRECK OF THE LONDON AND LOSS OF 220 LIVES.

Otago Witness, Issue 747, 24 March 1866, Page 9

WRECK OF THE LONDON AND LOSS OF 220 LIVES.

(From the Home News.)

The month of January, 1866, will he long remembered as one of disaster and sorrow. During the past three weeks nearly every day has brought tidings of wreck and loss of life to our shores. Amidst all these disasters, nothing equals in tragical interest the fate of the London, an Australian packet ship, which foundered on Thursday, January 11, in the Bay of Biscay, with a loss of 220 lives. The fame this;fine vessel bad acquired as a passenger ship — partly owing to the fact of her last outward passage having been made in 59 days — was in itself calculated to dispel all anxiety on her behalf, even during the late tempestuous weather, aud it is believed that her owners and the underwriters concerned were least of a'l prepared for the terrible disaster that has happened to her. It is a remarkable fact, moreover, that tbe London is the first ship belonging to the famous house of Money Wigram and Sons to which any serious casualty has occurred. In a century's experience, Messrs Wigram have enjoyed a perfect immunity from loss, with the single exception of the True Briton, which belonged to a former generation of the firm, and foundered early in the present century in the same fatal bay. The subjoined narrative of the calamitous event, with its attendant circumstances, has been compiled from ail available resources :—: —

The London, which has been commanded ever since she was launched from Blackwall yard, in 1864, by Captain Martin, an Australian navigator of great experience, left the East India Docks on Thursday, the 28th December, and dropping down to Gravesend, sailed thence on Saturday afternoon, the 30th, under charge of a river pilot. As the night was wild and the wind dead anead, the ship brought up at the JSFore, and lay there during the whole of the following da}'. There were three clergymen on board — tbe Rev. Dr Woolley, principal of Sydney University, and tbe Revs. Messrs Draper and Kerr. At daybreak on Monday, January 1, the anchor was weighed, and the ship steamed down channel, still against a head wind, but making fair way. While passing outside the Isle of Wight the wind increased to half a gale, and Captain Martin deemed it prudent to put back and lay to for the night in St. Helen's Roads. On the morning of January 2 the London proceeded through the Needles into the open Channel, the wind being still ahead, but light. As the ship ran down Channel the wind rose and the sea increased, and a couple of hours after passing the Needles the wind blew a gale right ahead with a heavy sea rolling, which continued all the way to Plymouth, where the ship arrived about noon on Thursday, the 4th January. A sad casualty occurred here. A pilot Cutter put off a small boat, having on board the pilot and his assistant, to bring the London inside the breakwater. When the boat was about 100 yards from the London a sea capsised her, and both the pilot and his assistant were thrown into the water. Captain Martin instantly ordered one of his lifeboats to be lowered, and with great difficulty the assistant pilot was rescued, but the pilot was drowned. The London came to anchorage inside the breakwater at 1 p.m. on the 4th, and during the afternoon took on board those of hej first and second- class passengers who had arranged to join the ship at Ply-, mouth. . At midnight on Friday, the 5 th, she proceeded on her voyage, the weather being at this time calm, with a light wind ahead.. She -had, full steam on during the whole., of Saturday, the 6ih, and the voyage proceeded very satisfactorily until Suaday morning;, the 7th, when the wind increased,

and a head sea gradually rose. Duringsthe, day the London passed several ships, ,a;nd nothing occurred _to "create the smallest uneasiness in the rnindg of any of the officers of the vessel. During Sunday night '.he wind increased foagale and the' sea Tse considerably. -On the morning of Monday, the'"Btb, the ship'was well clear »f the lanJjand Captain ' Martin having ordi'i'ed the engines in be stopped, set his t jmila and so endeavored to keep the ship moving slowly ahead. At noon on this day, the v'r d'bav n L ; somewhat lulled, the engines were again set in motion and kept steaming 1 slowly ahead through, the night. At 8 a.m. on Tuesday, the 9th, while the captain was still endeavoring to keeprtheship irr her conrse by means of the screw, the violence ot the gale carried away at one sweep the jibboom, the ioretopmast, the topgallantraa^t, and the royals. These large spars, were not wholly detached from the ship, hut, hanging iast to the stays, swung to and fro with such violence that the crew were wholly unable to secure them. About two hours later the mainroyalmast was blown completely out of its socket and added to the general wreck. Captain Martin, who had, not. been in-bed since the previous Sunday night, was not |at all .disheartened up- to this moment; but, as the gale continued to increase during the morning, with a sea already running mountains high, the position of the ship was undoubtedly felt.to be one of some peril. Still, as the wind had somewhat veered round, the engines were kept steaming easy ahea;}, and it is believed that at this moment no person on board felt any anxiety for the ultimate safety of the ship. About 3 p.m. on Tuesday > however, a tremendous sea struck the. ship and carried the port life-boat clean away from the davits. All that evening, and through the succeeding night, the wind blew a very heavy gale, and the sea ran very high, but the screw was still kept steaming easy ahead. At 3am on Wednesday, the 10th, Captain Martin sent for Mr Greenhill, the chief engineer, and informed him of his intention to put the ship about and run for Plymouth, and he desired that full speed should bo got up directly. This was immediately done. In half an hour after the ship's course had been altered, she was again struck by a tremendous sea, which carried away the starboard lifeboat, and the same sea stove in the starboard cutter. At noon on this day the ship's position was lat. 46.48 N\, long. 8.7 W. A very heavy cross sea was running, with the wind now dead astern of the ship, which caused her to roll heavily, Eut no danger was even now anticipated, and all through the evening of Wednesday, and long after midnight, the ship continued to steam slowly ahead, the captain and his officers remaining steadily at their posts, and the passengers appearing to have full reliance upon the skill of Captain Martin to bring them safely to port. At 10 30 p.m. on Wednesday, the ship sill rolling deeply in a heavy cross sea, and the wind blowing a whole gale from the south-west, a mountain of water fell heavily over the waist ot the ship, and spent it 3 destructive force upon the main hatchway, over the engine room, completely demolishing this ma=sive structure, measuring twelve feet by eight feet, and flooding with tons of water this portion of the ship. Instantly endeavours to repair the hatchway were made with a promptitude and vigour commensurate with the imminent crisis. Every spare sail that could be got at, and even blankets and mattresses from all parts of the ship, were thrown over the aperture, but each succeeding sea shipped by the vessel tore away the frail resources of the moment, and not more than 10 minutes after the hatchway had been destroyed the water had risen above the furnaces and up to the waists ef the engineers and firemen employed in thispartof the ship. The lower decks were also now flooded with the rush of waters the ship was continually taking in. The chief engineer remained at bis post until the water had risen above his waist, when he west on deck and reported that his fires were out, and his engines rendered useless. Captain Martin, wj.th calm conviction, remarked that he was not surprised ; on the contrary, he had expected snch a result. Finding his noble ship at length little more than a log on the water, he ordered his maintop3ail to be set, in the hope of keeping .her before thp wind. This had scar.cely been accom-. plished when the force of. the wind tore the sail into ribands, with the exception of one corner, under which the ship lay to throughout the remainder of the night. The donkey engine- was supplied with steam by a, boiler upon deck, and all the deck pumps were kept going throughout the night, And' the passengers of all classes, now aroused to a sense of their. .imminent, danger, sh'aredrwith the crew their arduous labors. Notwithstanding every. effort, the water 8 fill gained upon the pumps, and the gale continuing ' at its height, cross sea's with tremendous force. , were constantly breaking over the vessel. The motion of the ship became low and "heavy, and. she refused to rise to* the action of the waves. 4-ta'quarter after 4 o'clock on Thiirsday

■morning, January 11, she was struck by a stern, sea,, whichxarriedaway four of ber stern ports, and^admitted a flood of water through the. breach* * From this time all efforts were useless,- -and- at daybreak Captain Martin, 'iwtose cool intrepidity had never for a moment forsaken him, entered the cuddy, i-w^ere all classes of the passengers, had now takm refuge, and responding^ «n un vorssl appeal, calmly an nounced -the certs;i f ion of all human hope. It is a remarkable Let that this solenn admission was as solemnly received — a resigned silence prevailing throughout the assembly, broken only at brief intervals by the well-timed and appropriate exhortations of the Rev. Mr Draper, whose' spiritual services had been incessant during, the previous 24 hours. At 10 o'clock, theship still rolling deeply, an attempt was made to launch the starboard pinnace, but a sea struck her just as she reached the water, and she sank, leaving a crew of five men still struggling for their lives As the ship was lying-to three of them managed to scramble up the sides of the ship, and the other two were rescued by ropes being thrown to them. . After this the exhausted <jre\v ■ appeared .indifferent to their fate, and no farther. effort at launching the remaining, boats was made until 1 o'clock, when, the water having reached the main' chains, , and ,the ship cvi* dently settling down, : the port 1 pin> nace was got over the ship's side; Even at this moment the sea was so heavy that those of the passengers who were within' reach of the bo3t appeared to prefer the frail shelter of the sinking vessel to the obvious dangers of a small boat in a raging sea. At this crisis, Captain Martin, always at hand, addressing Mr Greenhill, his chief engineer, under whose command, this particular boat was rated, said, "There is not much chance for the boat ; Ihere is none for the ship. Your duty is done ; mine-is to remain here. Get in and take command of the few it will hold." Thus prompted, Mr Greenhill, with his fellowengineers and some few other?,, numbering only 19 souls, among whom were only three second- class passengers, quitted the ship, with only a few, biscuits in the shape of provisions, and not a drop of water. "When the boat put off, many of the passengers, who, although expecting death, little knew how very soon it was to come upon them, waved their handkerchiefs, and cheered when the boat got about a dozen yards from the ship, being apparently anxious that gome should live to tell their hapless tale. The boatswain,' Sledding, of Blaekwall, who has left a wife and five children ; the butcher, from Blaekwall, who has left a wife " and family ; Ham, the cook, a married man, and a very old servant of the owners ; the baker, (name unknown), and the purser's mate William Riley, had made up their minds to leave the steamer in the remaining small boat over tha cuddy, and had provisioned and launched her ; but no sooner were they ready to put off than the foundered ship quickly slid below the waves, and left for a moment an awful crulf. within whose walls of dark, whirling

r> 1 .ft water, they fell with every human being and every article around, and were soon swallowed up. The passengers were seen with lifebelts, but probably none were alive wbea they came to. the surface. The spectacle was only to be seen, for in the din of the tempest no cry fr<im the sinking multitude could be heard, and soon not a vestige was visible. As the ship sank it wa9 seen that all on deck were driven forward, not by water, but by a tremendous and overpowering rush of air from below, which, as it escaped through the deck as well as the hatches, impelled all on deck forward with, violence, and their dreadful struggle . must have been soon ended. It was remarked that the third officer, who was named Angel, stood to the last to his post at the donkey engine, which was employed in working the pumps, and that Ma hands were oa the engine even as the vessel disappeared,

A compass bad -been given to the crew of the pinnace by the captain, and under the directions of King, the men agreed that, whatever might might happen, they would sit irampveable except when pulling at the oars. Two worked at each oar, and they then. ran before the sea. Every nerve was exerted to make the boat withstand the fearful and the strain as she mounted the wavesand became surrounded by the surge. Before daylight, and as the moon rose, the men were overjoyed at deserving a vessel -.cjose alongside. ■ They hailed the ship, and were heard, but as they could present no light they could not !be seen, although they, could see the ship ! tacking about for an -hour trying to find t .them. The seatch was fruitless, and the snip was lost'jsight of.',| The boat had not .been rowed during the time the ship was sighted, but pimply kept away before the wind' until daylight, when, no vessel 'was -visible. The men adhered to their course, and at nine o'clock sighted two vessels, bu^ were prevented from^inaking for them by the cross ,;Bea3. They rowed for one of them, however, ior five hours. -When'Bt last they came lip to 'her, they found her tie an Italian, barque, the Marianople!,

Capt Cavassa. Just as they were approaching the vessel, -they were" struck by a "heavy squall and shipped a 6ea, so that all in the boat gave themselves up for lost, but only by one of the mert movjug in the boat to bail her out, and no-fre'eh' "seas striking her, they were en'tbled to bail her clear, and bring up a*r ngiide -the ba-q'ie. A line was thrown t> them and they were drawn up to the deck, where they found themselves completely b'?nu nbcd by . "the exposure to which they had been subjected. Captain Gavassa, who couid speak , little English, to whom the men feel grateful to the eStremest extent, used more means for their recovery and for their comforfe than simple humanity would dictate. -He had the men stripped, rubbed, and clad in fresh warm garments, aad killed for them a turkey, besides 1 providing tea and soup and setting apart for them warm beds. At that time the ship was in 46 48 N. lat. and 7 - 13 W. long, and wag. bound for Cork or Falraouth. They were landed at the latter port, and proceeded by train to London* The subjoined additional details have been furnished by several' survivors : — 1 Very considerable '■ astonishment has been expressed that -no effort -was made during the two days that the ship wa3 "in imminent daag-er of going down to prepare, rafts, and use similar means tor give an additional chance for' the safety of 239 souls on board. The testimony, however, of both the passengers and the rescued crew goes to show that Captain J. B. Martin — of whose skill,, as manifested during the storm, they speak in terms of the highest commendation — did not order the .construction of rafts because the wind blew with such severity, and the wave 3 leaped over the steamer in such quick succession and tremendous force that no man could have worked on the deck, and even if they had succeeded in building a raft there could be no hope of any of the unfortunate people being enabled to cling to it alive for many minutes insuchasea. So soon as it was determined to launch the lifeboat, ■ plenty- oi assistance was at hand to effect the launching, but the passengers and crew, who had beheld the starboard life boat washed away on the preceding day, were horrified at observing their only remaining lifeboat slip through the stern davit, break into two parts, and of course become utterly useless. It was then resolved that the iron pinnace, capable of carrying 50 persons, should be launched, and by the aid of the do'ikey engine the pinnace was raised and hung over the leeward rails. When let g \ however, she foundered, one man, a Dutchman, being drowned, and three others, who were rescued, being cast into the surf to leeward. Two of the men who were overboard were John King, the able seaman, to whose marvellous skill as steersman the survivors all entirely and with gratitude attribute their preservation, and Mr Munro, a passenger, who hung in the davit until brought in by Edward Gardner, the steward. King had one of hia sides bruised, and his thigh cut by being beaten against the steamer, and Gardner received injuries in the back. Nothing then remained on board the ship but an ordinary six- oared captain's gi', and a still smaller boat on the top of the cuddy or cookhouse. After considerable" hesitation it was agreed that a boat should be launched for the second time, and an opportunity was presented for passengers to embark in her, but only three passengers and 16 of the crew availed themselves of it, and if they had delayed three minutes longer than they did, they would have perished in he ship. The crowd on board were afraid to leave the ship, having naturally been frightened by the sinking ot the iron boat, and those who put off in the second boat were shouted to not to make the attempt, as their chance was hopeless. Some heroic sacrifices were made. One of the passengers in the boat, Mr John Wilson, a native of Montrose, went down into^ the cabiD, and endeavored to persuade a friend, Mr John Hickman, from Ballarat, and brother to Mr Hickman, solicitor, of Southampton, to attempt to save his life by going into the boat ; but after being entreated he said, " No, I promised my wife and children to stay by them, and 1 will do so. The water was then a considerable depth on the lee side of the saloon, indeed over the top of the berths, and he asked Mr Wilson to help him in removing his four children to the windward side, out of the water. This was done^ and then he shook hands with 'Mr Wilson, with " Goodbye, Jack," and parted from his friend .for ever. When last _<seen r Mr pCickman was standing. in a row with his wife and children. This occurred about an hour befere the boat put off, but probably they had perished by> that time,. as the water had before then poured, into the • steamer through her cabin windows; and when the -jboat left the' sea was flush with the top of ,the poop-deck, arid ths corpses ol drowned women and. children' were floating o^er the deck. When the men were all in the boat, one of the seaiqen cried, " .There may still be room — fetch ajady."- Mr, Wilson then sprang over a portion of the deck in search (For continuation, see page 14.) • i