TERRIBLE SHIPWRECK ON THE ENGLISH COAST.

Otago Witness, Issue 1981, 11 February 1892, Page 19

TERRIBLE SHIPWRECK ON THE ENGLISH COAST.

TWENTY-SEVEN LIVES LOST.

During a terrific gale which raged round the British coast on the night of Saturday, December 12. the steel sailing ship Enterkin, bound from Hull to Brisbane, with a cargo of iron drain pipes, r,ui aground on the Galloper Sands and became a total wrerk. She had a crew of 30 men on board, and of these only three •were rescued. At first it was believed that an apprentice named Lewis, who was rescued from the rigging by some fishermen, was the only survivor, but it transpired afterwards that another apprentice aud an able seaman had been picked up by a passing steamer sind landed at Antwerp. From the account of the disaster given by Lewis it appears that as soon as the ship struck the captain ordered the boats to be lowered. Two lifeboats were launched, but both were capsized directly they got clear of the ship. Lewis, with the mate and two or three men, climbed into the rigging, but a wave almost immediately washed them all away. Being furnished with a life-belb, Lewis managed to swim to the mizzen rigging, and there he remained till early morning, when the fishing smack Britons' Pride came alongside and took him off. This rescue was only accomplished with groat difficulty, as the smack could not get nenr the rigging. Two of the crew, however, bravely launched tho boat, and going as near the wreck as they could, called to Lewis to jump into the sea and swim to the beat. Although fearfully numbed with the cold, he managed to do this, and was taken on board the smack, which landed him safely at Ramsgate on the morning of the 14th. The two men who were picked up by the steamer Ashton and taken to Autwerp say that the first of the Euterkin's lifeboats which capsized contained the captain and 12 of the crew, and they did not know what ultimately became of those men. They themselves were in the second lifeboat, which was immediately pulled to tho assistance of the capt tin and his struggling companions. The sea was, however, lenibly rough, \u«vcs almost continu-ou-ily washing over them, and nearly swamping their boi't. When almost within reach of the unfortunate men their own boat whs struck by a wave aud capsized. When the two survivors rcse to the surface they .saw the boat keel upwards a few yards away, and at tho s;«vnc momont were, washed against her. Tiny instinctively grasped the keel, and were earrii-I out of sight of their hapless fihipnwtr-s. In this dff.poiiilo position they were tossed about for two hours, and they abandoned hope when tho A.shton, which appeared to h.!V<; sighted thorn hom»j time previously, MuMci-h him; down to them and took them on bo.u-il.

The En'crUin was owned by Mr T. C Guthrie, of Glasgow, and her hall was injure d for L 17.000.