Great Loss of Life.

Thames Star, Volume XI, Issue 3473, 11 February 1880, Page 2

Great Loss of Life.

Loss of the Steamer Borussia, and 200 Lives, The ship Mallowdale arrived at Ctr.k lon December !23rd, frqm Bassein, and landed ten men, part of the prew of the Dominiou line steamer Borussia, being the only survivors of that vessel's crew and passengers bs far as yet known. It appears from the statement of one of the survivors that they left Liverpool on November 20 for New Orleans, calling at Corunna and Havannah for cargo aud passengers r of the latter they had on board frouii Liverpool seventy, with a crew of 54, all told. They reached Corunna on November 23, alt well, having shipped some cargo and embarked about eighty Spanish emigrants," They pro* ceeded to Havannah. On the 30th tho wind freshened and iucreased to a gale, and on the following day it suddenly

cropped to the north/west, blowing strong, with a heavy orq?^'sea, in which the ship labored heavily^ and at noon sprang a leak amidships.^ "All efforts at the pumps were fruitlcss^to keep the ship free, and the .waters-filled the engine-room and stokehole, putting out the fires and stopping the engines. The crow continued to work at the pumps until December 2nd, when they determined to abandon her. The boats were launched and provisioned, and part of the crew and ebout a dozen of the

passengers got into,, them. Those of.the crew who remained in the vessel were the - master (Captain Roberts), second mate, three engineers, eleven firemen, three stewards; the^arpester, «ttd --.twfr'boys. Shortly after leaving the vessel, one of the boats was swamped by the sea, and her occupants, five in number, were all drowned. The .survivors slate that the steamer's covering board jwhen they off was not more than two inches over the Jrater, and soon, afterwards they saw a rocket fired off from the steamer, and almost immediately afterwards, the steamer's masthead lights, which were visible during the evening, disapperred, and it is supposed that she mpathavf gone down with her living freight. The fate of the other boats , is" doubtful, as nothing.has been heard of their oecu* pants. ■ '