The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1870-09-24 00:00:00

THE LOSS OF HER MAJESTY% SRO
"CAPTAIN."

The following extracts from a private letter written
by au ctlicer st Tying on board one of the khipa of the
Channel Squadron will be read with intereat
_

. - -
"The first watch had Just been relieved and the middle
watch dismiseed after muster. The ship (Captain) W.,
under double-reefed fore and main topsails, the foresail
hauled up, and, wizen topsail ful led. Lieutenant Mullein
was officer of the watch, alai Captain Burttoyee was on
deck. Captain Burgoyne, shortly tater the watch was mus-
tered, asked the numeer of degrees the Captain was heeling,
and was answered 18 The wind was then rapidly increas-
hex. titters were given to lower the toped!. and let go the
topsail sheets, but at aeout 12.15 or 10.38 n m.) she gave •
heavy lurch, followed by a still heavier one. Site end not
right herself from the second lurch, but went over and
turned bottom up, the boats and light spars gettleg de-
teehed and breaking adrift from their lashings as
the ship went over. Mr. Play, the canner, who had
terntd out at midnight to look after the guns in
the lunette and sea that ell was secure, gat an
the ship's bottom when the Perned over, and remembers
setting other melt these, and one man in particular, who put
ha foot In one of the Kingstouvalves. May had first bien In the
foremost terra, and then weal into the alter turret, whim
ha felt the first nail seconl teeth et ,he Ode. The latter
elm, eared so serious thet he scrambled oat of the top of the
turret, soil was Fent in time to be lifted off by the sea which
Woe engulphlue tine ship all she turned over. Ile swam fern
the ',nip Pith,. atrium potence which was lying neer, bot t-m up,
and foetid himself In company wills Captain Burgoyne, a boat-
swain's elate, and one or two other seamen, who hart been
washed away from the sinking ship. The ship then passed
asteru arid to leeward, and the men hailed for assistance
from other ships of the fleet, hut, of course, were not heard.
The launch, which had floated elf her crutches on the ship
catne cubit, three or four yards of the steam pinnace ,
and Ceptain Burgoyne, who had been eucouraiting the men
not to lose hold n ' the oars they had In their hands, was
begged to lump with the others from the bottom of the
s teem &mace tin the :leech, but did not retch the
launch with the gene ter and others. The gunner,
gunner's mate, the naptain of the foretop, six able seamen,
six ordinary .eannen, and four boys, found themselves in
the leunch, with Ora, oars. Co, 'ane Burgoyne and every-
thing inning &tete, ethi tic boon wan pulled in a direction
to le v3rd fee the alters. Tee sea nu:blue high, ou nearing
the te 1.1 they mistook aloe rooks for in,netea, awl the boat
was nearly swamped in Inearlng sway round he rocks to seek
a landing plve south of Cape Finieterre. One man had been
washed overbe ad heir the host n• it lost. Fanny they
heeled about neon at a small tenetss, whore they were kindly
treated. A messege was Wale. vita. ly sent over to Caren um
to the Englith Consul the re, re te'egraph the fact of the
landing of the gunner and /1.:, trent tie ship.
" Admiral Milne hail been on email the Captain the day
before she was lost, and was very near remaining there all
night, as he intended going on board again the next minty, and
Burgoyue wanted him to steep on board. Whin rettlag top-
sails on Tuesday ,Bth), the Captain was within& cable's length
of us, and then she looked splendid, Win the sea just wesh-
leg over her deck. The fleet had only tele reefs all night,
and there is no doubt whatever that close reefs should have
been the order at 10 pm. There was every eppearenee of a
geld of win's, aunt the fleet was Mounting straight for the
heart of if. At ten minutes to 11. p m. 1 saw the Captain's
lights, and again about 11 15 pm. At 11 50 I wan cougralu.
lathe myself on getting below front the wretch without any
mishaps when a treineudous squall struck the ship, and car-
ried away sheets, blocks, and braces, leaving the yards bang-
ing about. lialllirds and sheets were let go, and steam
clamped on to send the ship ahead, but the wind bkw fear-
fully strong, and the ship heeled over something considerable.
In the mottling the Caprotu was mixing."

The following gracious message from Her Majesty
was received by Admiral Sir Sydney Decree, K.C.8.,
at the Admiralty on Saturday :
.. _ .

-
The Queen ha; already expressed to several of the widows
anti near relatives of the unfortunate self eeeee in the late
shipwreck Her Msjesty's deep sympathy with them in their
bffliction, but there are many others equally deprived of
husbands and relatives whom the Queen is nimble to reach
except through an official channel lier Majesty, therefore,
desires that measure. may be taken to signiiy to the widows
and relatives of the whole of the crew, of all ranks, who
perished in the Captain the expression of Her Majesty's deep
sympathy with them. Burl to Astaire them that the Q teen
fuels most acutely the misfortune that hunt once deprived
Her Majesty of one of her driest ships of war and ef so many
gaHant seamen, and which has lufluted upon their widow.
and other relatives losses which mast for ever be deplored..

The following letters in connection with the loss of
the Captain have been published in The Timm:—

" Among the numerous letters to you relative to the des
plorable calamity that has fallen upon the country by the
loss of the crew of this gallant ship, I have been surprised to
observe that no sort of suggestion has been made to raise the
ship and the poor dead bodies to the mollies. To the dead,
alas ! we can give no other vitality than that of the " laurel
wreath i" but the very strength of the chip herself enables
me to assert most positively that we CAII not only bodily
raise her aid repair her faults, but, at a comparatively very
small cost, make her a monument of the science of the age.
" That this can he done! fee 'sure that no dianclassmemner
of the pr- tendon to which I have the Poisoner to belong will
deny. Toe ',talus olerandi will much depend upon orcum-
claims easily meet tainable, and with which no one is at
present acquainted. I should suggest that immediate steps
Ise taken to mark the trot and, it pi•seible, grapple the ship
Itself, and at the elms tints to make such observations as
will enable the necessary appliances to be prepared, when I
wind Intake my 1118 upon (ho result —I are, &c,

,
.9 FRATHIRSTONN GRIFFIN, C.&
_

"19, Great George-street, Sept. 19."
"The Capta in, when Mod forges, drew two feet more water
than her calculated draught, owing to an ern r in esti.
mating the weights of hall and equipment, to the extent of
800 tong. .

—••li—i-otstake of inch magnitude Mild necomarily have
vitiated all the caleulationv of her builders, and ii..,, upon
the mavectness of those calculations thst the most vital
element of hr aafety—stabillty—lepsndstl.
.

'1 will not tren-cilupnn you; raft:tibia space by any merely
techni •sI explanation. It will be sufficient t state that the
capability of a thip to recover her equilibrium wh a rolling
depends quite as much upon the position of the centre of
gravity of her mass as upon a bleb freeboard.
"If, therefore, the masusp...cted 000 tons were se located as
to reit° essentially that centre of eravity, we need not wonder
at the result, aggravated, but not necessarily caused, by the
lew freeboard.

" I venture to suggest that the Admiralty ought at once to
ascertxtn clearly the positlon ant effects of the overlooked
and unexpected 800 tons before condemning a class of vessel
Po a nrshap which may possibly be attributable to a
blander, and not to any inherent defect.—l am, dcc.,
"A 811IPBUILDIR."

"1 send you a short narrative of a few of the sad teems
caused by the loss of the stove -named ship. Ev.m the most
vivid dercription would fail to depict the minor,' suddenly
inflicted on numerous families belonging to the sailors and
marines that corupoted the crew. The bereavement that has
occurred in one house alone in this neighbourhood exhibits
the saddest picture that it hal ever been my lit to witness
" First House —A young n blow, with three children, the
eldest font years of age; a widow, with five children and an
old mother.in-lavr to support. a widow, with live children :
summary, three widows, thirteen nirphans.
"In another home an equally sad scene presented itself. A
wcman, hearing of the loss of the Captain, in which her hus-
band was serving, became elvngeroualy 111, and was prema-
turely confined ; the doctor hardly thought that she would
lire, yet still there wan a chitin*, when in this state the list
of survivors arrived, and her husband's name was among the
saved. The doctor begged the people who were alnint her to
keep the intelligence, bet, unfortunately, they allowed their
eagerness to communicate the news to overcome the doctor's
admonitions, and told ter what they in their sympathy could
not conceal. The sudden revulsion from grief to joy was too
such, and the shock killed Incr. The huiband returned the
following day, and found his six children, including the re.
really born babe that still lives, orphans.
"My object in describing these cases is not no much for
the purpore of soliciting charity, although no more worthy
objects can be found, but II I could p.ocure admission into
charitable institution for some of the orphans, I thick that
the benefit would be of a more lasting nature My wile will
gaily answer any inquiries into the above.liarned case. Yours
faithfully,
" W. C. irSTI,R, Mj c Town htujor, W.D.
" 35, George-street, Devonp irt, Sept. 19."

"Without wishing for A moment to stem the Me of Mew
minty now flowing in from all parts for the relief of the sick
and wounded in the present dibailtroll9 war, yet I think that
the loss of Her Majesty's ship Captai,. is a calamity which
has a more especial claim on the nation at large. and I am
sure you will agree with me when I inform you that In one
street alone In this town there are thirty women made
widows by this dire disaster and I cannot but feel that if
you aid kindly mike this fact known a very hearty response
will be made trim all parts of the country.
"The names of the committee in your advertising columns
will be a sufficient guarantee that the fund collected will be
administered with discretion.—l am, "J.
"regime, Sept. 19."