The Press. — London, England, 1853-09-10 00:00:00

gottibtats anb Offnun. THREE COLLISIONS, of such SEAMS character as to result in the total loos of as many vessels, occurred during the gale of Saturday last. Of these, two took place in the British Channel and one at the mouth of the Thames--the crew in every instance effecting a happy and very narrow escape. The most serious of the three occurred Home miles off Dungeness light. A tine Greek barque, the Despina, Gird commander, from Ilarionople to Antwerp, having put in at Fal mouth for orders, was making her way up el tau mel when she came in fearful contact with the East India trader Cambridge, 'Mr. Wilson captain, bound to Calcutta from London. The shock was terribly severe. It was quickly ascertained that the Lupins was rapidly tilling, and that there was no chance of saving her. Every effort wait then directed to the preservation of the crew, and the Cambridge was promptly brought to, on board of which the whole of the unfortunate fellows belonging to the barque were eventually got. That was scarcely accomplished, however, before she foundered in deep water. The Cambridge appeared to have sustained but little if any damage. A lugger that was cruising by was hailed, and took off the shipwrecked crew, and on the following morning they were landed at Deal. The Cambridge proceeded on her voyage.—The second disaster happened on the same evening, rether later, lower down the channel, off lleachy Head. The llenerokat brig, of Ply mouth, bound to Hamburg from Cardiff, was pursuing her way up channel through the squally weather, when she was run into by a brig the name of which could not be ascertained. The crew had most sharp work to save themselves, as the vessel went down a few minutes after she was struck. There was just time for them to launch t h e beat and get away before she foundered ; the hands, who were down below asleep, and who had a most marvellous escape, not being able to snatch up any clothing to cover their nakedness. After several hours' Nitrating about in the boat. they were fortunately picked up by the Hope lugger, of I ical, and landed in an exhnusteti and very distressed eon tilt ion.—T he third ill-fated craftwhieh suffered was the Rapid, of I larwic h , laden with stones. Sine was making her way up to London, when she came in collision with a light collier brig bound north, which is repro mented to have gone on without neutering the least assistance. The crew had barely time bigot the boat oil' and preserve themselves before she sunk in several fathoms. lionomln MOT. INQVIIIY AT BIRMINGHAM has been proomting daily during the week. The commissioners, it is said, intend thoroughly to inves tigate the general discipline of the establishment., the nature of the work, the punishments tinforeed, anti the effect of the whole system on persons sub jected to its influence. It is expeeted that on these quest s several of the visiting justices will give evi dence, and the ofileers anti hooks of the prison un dergo a rigid scrutiny. At the conclusion of the inquiry the commissioners will proceed to lAticester, to undertake a similar investigation in reference to the gaol of that. county. Tue DiteAerti, Loss nv FIRM of the British ship Xenobla, in the harbour of St. Ann's Bay, Jamaica, was announced a few days since. Site had received on board a full cargo of :104) hogsheads of sugar, 1111 puncheons of nun, ten bags of pimento, besides large quantities of coffee and other articles, and was preparing to take her departure for London, when the appearance of smoke from the main hutch way apprised those on board that her cargo was on tire. Captain Eye applied every means in his power to extinguish the flames, le n did not. succeed, notwith - shuttling many hours' exertions. As the lastresource to save the ship front total destruction, she was scut tled anti run ashore on a nuelloank. On the next • day, however (the 29th of duly), the flames gained the pmeheons of nun, which exploded with tremen dous fume, and in tut instant the ship was in a blaze. Happily the captain and crew had left her some time, the dense smoke preventing them front remaining longer on her deck, and in two hours after the ship was • burnt to the waters edge. The origin of the tire is not explained. The ships loss and cargo is calculated at 10,0011/. IN AN EXCIIRRION TRAIN which left. Taunton for Western-super-Maud: last week, conveying 2,t M) per sons, so much confusion prevailed that one child was toshlett to death and a man's leg broken. THE SIIIPWRE(*Ii of the Rebecca, a Sydney trader, followed by the hiss of many lives, has been reported to Lloyd's. The fatal event took place on the 215th of April last, on the west coast of Van Diemen's hand. The Rebecca left ttravesend in December last, with is crew of thirty hands, under Capt. Sheppard, who was accompanied on the voyage by his wife. They encountered some heavy gales at- various point s , but had made the western coast of Van Diemen'. Land, when, about half-past nine in the evening of April 29, the vessel struck on f ofrocks, and within tut hour was thrown on lteris ulsitle, the sea washing completely over her. A imoat was lowered, and the betund saw, Mr,. *licreitrd, with it hitl, and b04:11 a .~ .. THE PRESS. seamen, got into it, but capsized almost immediately, when, with the exception of three seamen, all perished alongside the wreck. The master and the remainder of the crew remained on the wreck till four o'clock the next morning, when, finding that she was fast breaking up, they resolved to make an attempt to reach the shore, about a quarter of a mile distant. In the attempt Capt. Sheppard and several seamen were drowned, the others reaching the beach in a very exhausted state; ; and, out of thirty men, only eleven were saved. The following day search was made along the beach for food, but all that they could discover was a small portion of bread and seven small tins of herrings. After enduring great priva tions they were surprised at the appearance of a dog, which MIS hailed as the harbinger of their deliverance. • Fearing he might run away, they wrote an account of their situation and tied it round his neck. The dog, it appeared, belonged to a gentleman named Burgess, who, with a party, was exploring the country to the south ward : the moment they heard of the wreck, which was by the return of the dog, they set out and came up with the survivors of the Rebecca on the twenty-third day after the ship's loss. The poor fellows were fast sinking when the exploring party came up ; and through their attention and kindness their lives were preserved. A FINE STEAMER, the 0/ctulower, plying betvieen Liverpool and Bristol, was wrecked in an unac countable manner on Sunday afternoon. She left the Mersey on Saturday evening, and was approach ing Milford Haven, where she was to land SOME pas sengers, when, at three in the afternoon of a re markably line day, she ran on the Crow rocks, a few miles off the port. Having been backed off the rocks, it was soon ascertained that the steamer was filling rapidly, and only by great exertions of the crew was she kept afloat long enough to run into shallow water, near the shore, where she speedily sunk in three fathoms. All the passengers were put into boats very shortly after the first shook, and escaped safely. Much alana was, however, occasioned, and consi• derable loss incurred of baggage, &v.; besides that of the steamer herself. Had the occurrence taken place at night, or in rough weather, most deplorable consequences must in all probability have ensued. • FOR TIIR ALLEOED MURDER, OF TWO CHILDREN at Stockport, 'fistulas Moore, a factory-worker, and their stepfather, has been apprehended, pending the result of an inquiry before the coroner. It is stated that the children (both boys), one aged four and the other eight years, were missed yesterday week. They were absent on Saturday and Sunday, and on Monday their dead bodies wore found at Reddish, in the Manchester and Ashton ()anal. The bodies were together, and the unfortunate children scent to have perished at one moment. Their names were James and John Ilighant, and the mother married Thomas Moore about two years since. Moore was of idle and vagabond habits, and had scarcely lived with his wife for six months during the time he had been married to her. The cider evidence against him related to the fact of his lowing been the last person into whose keeping the children could be traced, and to his coming to the house of a neighbour on the night in question with his clothes wet, and a confused story by way of explanation. The inquiry stands ad journed. As a motive for the commission of the crime it is stated that the elder boy was entitled to -U. in the Old Admiral Burial Society, to 3/. 12s. in the Branch Admiral Society, and 4/. in the Tem perance Club; anti the younger to 41. in the Old Ad miral Society, and 4/. in the Temperance Club, making 19/. I2s. in all. It is said that the prisoner made an attempt to drown the children in the river Thames about a month ago, but they made their escape. Ile is a native of London, and hats lived at Stockport about twelve years. The inquest termi nated on Thursday, when a verdict of Wilful Murder was returned against Moore. Tut; Aectmort ON THE GREAT NORTHERN RAILWAY Will, it is said, cost the company from 10,0(10/. to 20,0001., on account of the number of respectable people injured, and the amount of destruction to property. The inquiry into the cause and particulars of the catas trophe is still proceeding. The Lord Mayor is re covering from the effect of the accident, although still suffering from pains iu the head, and want of sleep. ANOTHER EXTENSIVE !ilium.: has taken place in Manchester, where the weavers of "domestics" by power-loms demand 10 per cent. more wages. The weavers in the service of Messrs. Hargreaves, of Bolton, 160 in number, struck work on Wednesday " for the 10 per cent." The card-room hands are also asking for 10 per cent. The hatmakers at Denton, Ashton, and Stockport are moving in the same direction. A Sileosn FALL 01 , A lII'ILDINO took place on 'Thursday in Brewers court, Croat wild-street, where the first floor of a house, occupied as a 01, suddenly gave way %link a meeting of the patrons of the establishment was being held in it. The edifice was very old, and much dilapidated. Great conster nation followed the accident, but the numerous oc cupants were tenunigely extricated without amino, A DESTRUCTIVE FUIE broke out at Rochester on Thursday, by which property to a large amount has been destroyed. The premises in which the flames originated were occupied as a furniture manufactory. A north-easterly wind blowing at the time, the fire spread with great rapidity, igniting the premises of Mr. Goldstone, provision merchant, and of Mr. An drews, builder, both adjoining Mr. Dawson's, and all of which are entirely consumed. The property destroyed was insured, though not to the full amount. AN EXTENSIVE FIRE broke out early on Wednes day morning at the warehouse of Mr. John Lorkin, oil and colour merchant, Aldersgate-street. It originated, from some unknown cause, in the bum merit floor of the building, where a large quantity of oil and turpentine was stored, which on becoming ignited sent forth a vast mass of flames. Nearly every story in the building quickly became enveloped. Several engines were soon on the spot, but consi derable time elapsed ere the firemen could succeed in checking the flames, and not until the greater part of the warehouse was consumed. The amount of property destroyed is very large. A FATAL FatE occurred on Saturday morning in White Lion-place, Edgware-road, in which a man and his wife were burnt to death. The flames were first discovered by a policeman in a room on the ground floor, tenanted by the unfortunate couple, and, before assistance could be procured and an entrance effected, the whole contents of the room were ignited, and both the occupants so terribly burned that they died shortly after reaching the hospital. Their names were Daniels. It is supposed that one of them set lire to the place while in a state of intoxication. A MELANCHOLY ACCIDENT happened last week to Mr. John Hales, well known as the contractor for the railway extending from Coalville to Burton-upon- Trent, who was killed by falling from a scaffold erected against his house, netu. Tunbridge Wells. He had recently purchased the estate upon which the mansion stands, and was superintending the outside epairs when the fatal occurrence wok place. AN ALAI:MIND ACCIDENT Occurred on Monday on the North Union Railway, iu Lancashire, to the six a.m. train from London to Edinburgh. The portion of this line from Euxton junction to Preston is in the charge of the Lancashire and Yorkshire Company, whose trains run over it between these points. Near the junction, on the down side of the line, is a siding for shunting coal trains, with facing points. These points had been allowed, by the servant of the Lancashire and Yorkshire Company whose duty it was to keep them in order, to become clogged with dirt, so that they did not act properly. The stet' -master at Preston had sent some empty carriages to be shunted there, for which there was not sufficient accommodation at the station, and, after these carriages had been ran into the siding, it appears that the points had never properly closed, as they ought to have done if they had been clean. When the train from London arrived, therefore, it ran into this siding against the empty carriages with a most fearful collision. The engine went off the line and was entirely disabled, the driver was thrown off and sustained a very severe cut across the fore head, but was not dangerously hurt, and two first class carriages were smashed, but the passengers escaped without serious injury. There was no tele graph by which to communicate with a station where an engine could be procured, and the train was detained for nearly an hour, until a Lancashire and Yorkshire excursion train coming in the same direction its engine was taken off and attached to the express train as far as Preston, where the London and North-Western Company have a station, and where the guard was enabled to get a fresh engine to take the train forward to Scotland. The empty carriages on the siding were shivered almost to pieces by the shock. ANOTHER COLLISION occurred upon the Chester and I lolyhead line on the same day to an afternoon train than I lolyhead. There is at that point of tho line near Chester station a shunting, lying to the north of the rails, which is reached by cross rails from both lines of the road, and it happened that, as the train was approaching Chester, it ran into a short luggage train which was at that instant being removed from the down line to the shunting, completely cap sizing it. The confusion at the moment among the passengers, chiefly excursionists, on their return from the Dublin Exhibition, defies description. Happily there was no harm done to life or limb, all the damage being confined to the upset vans and the fittings of the foremost carriages of the passenger train. This good fortune is, however, hardly to be attributed to the caution of the railway officials, who, despite the public outcry against the practice of send ing coal and luggage trucks across the lines when passenger trains are momentarily expected, persevere in doing so; it is rather to be accotmted for by the slackened pace of the train when approaching the station and the lightness of the obstruction. MONEY AND JEWELS to an extensive amount Were stolen yesterday week from the Clevedon railway sta tiees 111:at Driltvl a untba circum,ltaucc* of u wpte- 71 1. •