The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1883-09-22 00:00:00

SINKING OF AN EMIGRANT SHIP.

On Monday the iron ship St. Leonards, with a general
cargo and emigrants, from London to New Zealand,
was sunk near Start Point during a dense fog. She left
the docks on Thursday, the 13th of August, and after
undergoing sundry repairs and shipping forty tons of
gunpowder at Gravesend she finally started on her
voyage on the 30th ult. She passed down Channel
under the charge of an experienced pilot, ex-
periencing light winds and foggy weather until
Monday morning, when the log showed that the
distance run amounted to only 164 miles, the
lead at the same time giving soundings in thirty
fathoms. About eight o'clock there was a very dense
fog in the Channel, and a good look-out was therefore
kept, and the fog-horn was continuously going.
The wind was very light, and the ship was on
the starboard tack with all sails set, and making about
two and a half knots. The whistle of a steamer had
been heard for some time previously, but nothing was
seen of her until a very short time before the collision,
when she was observed bearing down on the St.
Idoonards. Then the orders to stop, reverse, and go
full speed astern could be distinctly heard on board the
emigrant ship, whose pilot immediately gave the order
to port helm. This was done; it was, however, too
late to avert a collision, and in another second the two
vessels crashed together, the St. Leonardo receiving a
blow amidships, which made a hole below the water-
line two feet wide. The shock of the collision was
comparatively slight, acd at first no danger was appre-
hended aboard the emigrant ship. Tne water, however,
flowed in so rapidly that it speedily became apparent
that nothing could save the ship. Fortunately in this
emergency the steamer, which proved to be the Cor-
morant, bound from Messina to London, did not desert
the sinking ship, but came round on the port bow and
passed a line to the St. Lcon.ards, many of whose pas-
sengere and crew scrambled over the steamer' i: bow on
to her deck. Meanwhile two of the ship's boats were
launched, as was also one from the steamer, and so
admirable was the discipline on board both ships, and
so well managed were the boats, that in an incredibly
short time the remainder of the crew and passengers
on board the St. Leonardo were safely conveyed to the
steamer, where they were most kindly received and
every attention was paid to their more pressing
wants. None were able to save any of their personal
effects, as the St. Leonardo sunk within eight minutes
of the collision. Several of the female emigrants and
some children escaped in their night-dresses, and most
of the poor people lost everything they possessed.
As the St. Leonardo vent down by the head an ex-
plosion of confined air burst open the saloon, and in
another moment nothing was visible but a masa
of floating wreckage. The Cormorant is but slightly
injured, the only damage done to her being a
slight hoisting of her stem and the fracture of
two plates. The St. Leonards was an iron sailing
ship of 1,C54 tons register, belonging to Messrs. Shaw,
Savill, and Co., of London, and has been for some
years a regular trader to New Zealand. Her com-
mander, Captain B. Todd, is well known in the ser-
vice. The vessel was built at Sunderland in 1864.
The Cormorant is an iron steamer of 709 tons register,
and 100-horse power, was built in London last year,
and was bound from Palermo for London, with fruit
and other produce. The crew and passengers of the
steamer St. Leonards were landed at Dartmouth.