The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1869-10-23 00:00:00

ALARMING BOAT ACCIDENT OFF

BRIGHTON.

An accident of a very alarming character °contrail
on Sunday oil Brightou, bringing the seaside excursion
season to a very unpleasant termination. Every
visitor to Brighton is acquainted with the four large
pleasure sailing yachts which make daily trips from
the beach at the bottom of West-street, the point to
which every excursionist wends his way immediately
upon arriving in the town. Last Sunday, as stated,
was the last of the cheap excursions which have been
made during the summer, and the weather being beau-
tifully tine, and a comparatively smooth sea, many
visitors who had arrived from London were tempted
to go for a saiL The Sea Lark, formerly known as the
Lady Sale, the property of Mr. Benjamin Kent, and
one of the largest of this class of boats, started about
noon with something like thirty passengers in board.
After going a short distance to the eastward she
was put bout and run down cif Brunswick-square,
and was It aning to her station when every one
on board was alarmed by a shock which shook
her from stem to stern. It was immediately dis-
covered thr • he was filling rapidly, a large hole hav-
ing been ki.ocked in her starboard bow, which had
come in contact with a pile connected with the Wes-
tern Outfall Works. The alarm increased to a panic,
but the master and his crew behaved with great cool-
ness and presence of mind. They immediately set
every stitch of canvas they had with them, and made
for the shore, from which they wens nearly half a mile
distant; but the panic which had seized the passengers
was indescribable. Thzy shrieked and weed hats
and handkerchiefs; and their cries fortunately at-
tracted the attention of the promenaders upon the
esplanade. She was then fast settling down, and it
was her low position in the water, which was then
level with the pinwale, that indicated something was
wrong. Several boats immediately put off, and several
of the passengers were taken off, others jumped
over and were picked up; and, thus lightened, the
vessel gradually drew towards the shore, where,
by this time, two or three thousand persons had
gathered together. The West Pier was aLso quickly
crowded, the disabled vexsel being only a stone's
throw from that structure, ancl just as she reached
within a few yards of the shore she keeled over and
sank. Fortunately she was now in shallow water, her
'- beam appearing just above it, and the remainder of
A those on board were safely got out, some of them ins
re very exhausted state produced by fright. These, as
MAI as they were restored, were removed from the
'S. boat arches, under the esplanade, whither they had
no been taken, to some of the inns in the neighbourhood
on of the King's-road. It was rumoured that one or two
iJig who attempted to escape when the vessel sank were
caught by the sails and kept under, but this fortu-
rom nately, proved to be untrue, every one on board being
°in saved. Luckily, the wind was off land, or the conse-
ling. quences would have been serious. There was a ground
ty of swell, which, with a southerly wind blowing as strongly
on of as it was then blowing, would have made the sea
somewhat rough, as it was high tide at the time; but
ion of
the wind, being northerly, kept the waves down; and
is Will but for this circumstance the vessel must have sunk
ulge in in deep water before assistance could have been
;bating rendered.