The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1884-02-02 00:00:00

Louis Planck, able•bodied seamln, belonging to the
City of Lucknow, has made a statement, in which he
says :

"About ten minutes past eight on Friday evening
the man on the look-out reported two lights ahead. The
order was immediately given to port the helm and as
the vessel swung round we just cleared a brig which
was directly in our course. In clearing the brig,
however, we ran into another four•master, which after-
wards turned out to be the Simla. We struck the
Simla with a terrible crash right amidships. There
was at once a scene of the greatest confusion, dering
which the captain of the Simla, the chief mate, the
third mate, and as many as ten or twelve of the crew
and apprentices, together with the skipper's wife
and two children, managed to climb on board the
City of Luckmw. The two ships parted for a few
seconds and then came into collision azain.
This time the anchor of the City of Lucknow
got foul of the Simla, and thy remained locked
together, rising and falling with the tossing of the
sea, making it very dangerous for any body to get
from one vessel to the other. As soon as we found
out what had happened we endeavoured to clear our
three boats, and with some difficulty we managed to
get our port boat over the side. Ten of the Simla's
crew and four of our own went into her, and they were
picked up directly afterwards by the steamer Guernsey,
which had come up to our assistance and was lying
about 200 yards from the City of Lucknow. The rest
of Us got the other two boats clear, and two of the
City of Luck,now's crew, together with the chief mate
and two of tte crew of the Simla, went into the star-
board boat to see if we could save any of those left on
board the Simla. I'shculd state that while we were
looking after the boats our anchor chain had given
way and the two vessels had drifted apart, the Simla
being now about four miles away. The two
ships had been lcekei together about a quarter
ef an hour altogether. We pulled about two hours
and a half before we got to the Simla. We got within
about fifteen yards of her and then found we could not
pall any nearer because of the heavy sea and the mass
of broken spars and rigging which hung over the side
af the vessel. As near as I could count there were
20 to 25 men on beard the Sintla at this time. We
sung out to them to throw something overboard. We
thought if we could establish a connection between the
boat and the ship we might be able to save a good
many of them by having them lowered one at a time
into the boat. But the crew of the Simla would not
make any attempt to come down. They seemed to be
euite paralyzed and horroratruck and appeared to have
lost all nerve. At last, finding we could not get near
snoueli to the wreck to be of any assistance, we pulled
back to the ''''uernety. But here another difficulty
met us, for the waves ran so high that we could
hardly get near the steamer. After much dodging
about we succeeded in getting hold of the rope that
was thrown to us and were drawn alongside. The
mate of the Stmla eprang on board as soon as the
°oat touched the Guernsey, but directly afterwards
the 1. oat broke adrift again. We got up to the
steamer again and the two men from the Sini/a
sprang on board; then the boat broke adrift
a second time. The next time we got up to the
Guernsey, any mate and myself from the City of
Luck',,2o managed to climb on board, and it was lucky
we did, for the boat was at we in by the waves almost
Immediately afterwards. This was about half•an.hour
after midnight. The Guernsey kept close to the
wreck—within 200 yards of her—until two o'clock in
the morning, when it became pitch dark, and the
wind blew a perfect hurricane. As soon as we loht
sight of her we made tracks for the Needles. About
balf•past five in the morning we anchored off the
Yarmouth Roeds. We were brought from there by
the captain's orders to Southampton. and then came
tip to London. Six of the CE'y of Lucknow's crew
and eleven from the Simla were brought away by the
Guernsey. We tried the City of Lucknow's pumps
before we left. She had only got 7in, cf water, and
we could just see the water rolling over the forward
part of the watertight compartment. This was
before we left the chip to assist the others. The
men belonging to the City of Lucknow who were
landed by the Guernsey are Benjamin John,
able ee men, from Western Australia ; Menzies, the
cook, a Scotchman ; Thomas Cardigan, able seaman;
Cernellus Ryan, able seaman; and an apprentice,
who was always known on board ship as James.
When we were lying alongside the Simla I asked how
much water they had got in their hold, and they told
us Bft. We could not see whether she was sinking,
' the sea was so high. She was heeling over, the weight
of the broken masts and the tangled rigging giving
her a list to one side. We could not get to windward
of her at all. The men on board the Simla seemed tco
horror struele to do anything. Although we shouted
to them, not one would make any attempt to get over.
If we could have fastened a line to our boat, and
brought them over one by one, we could have got
them to the steamer in two boat loads. When the
boat broke adrift from tbe steamer the second time,
Johns and myself, who were the only men left in her,
made an attempt to find the City of Lucknow again,
but without success."

Charles Soul, able-bodied Beaman, one of the Bury'.
vora ci the Simla, has also made a statement, in which
he ens
"The City of Lueknow struck us on the starb-ard
beam. She struck us once and then came out and
struck us again. The third time we locked together
and at emed to be smashing each other to pieces. There
was not much wind at the time, although it was very
dark. There had been a heavy squall a few minutes
previcully, but it had blown over. When I got on
board the City of Lucknow I saw some men getting out
the boats, and one of my mates said, Let us go and
see if we can help.' We made sure our vessel was going
straight down. We helped them to get out their boats,
and just as we were lowering the tirst the two ships
struck heavily together, and the two mainmasts of
the Simla fell. We sang out for them to lower the
boat away quickly, because the wreckage was coming
down on ul, and we pulled away. We dodged about
under the stern qnarter of the Simla t 3 se3 it she was
going down, and after Ntniting about ten minutes I
saw another vevel's lights. We could not 'give much
assistance ourselves, as our little boat would only take
two or three more, and in the heavy sea that was
running we had a fearful j ,b to keep her from cap-
sizing, so we pulled for the strange vessel. When we
got alongside my leg was jammed, and I had to be
hauled on board. After I got on board the Guernsey,
which was the name of the steamer to which we had
pulled, I sal,/ the Simla once or twice, but she did
not seem to be very low in the water. At the
time the collision took place the Pilot was in
charge of the Simla. After we were picked up there
was such a heavy sea that the little boat in which we
had been was capsized or swamped, and we lost it.
The Guernsey stood by, and about ten or eleven
o'clock we heard that the City of Lucknow was not
making water. The captain of the Sim'a, with
his wife and chili, went on board the City of Lucknow
when the two ships were locked together. The first
meta of the Simla also got on board the City of
Lucknr,vs, but he went in the second boat with four
other men to see if any assistance could be rendered
to those on the Simla. As far as I Can judge there
would be about 20 men and boys left on board the
Eimla besides the pil-t and the second mate when the
two ships parted. After the first crash the man on
the out-look went forward, saying that he was going
'6n the out-look again, I never saw him afterwards.
The City Lucknow struck the Simi right amid-
ships, the bow of the former cutting three planks into
cur ehlp. We were ening at the rate ot about six
knots an bone. Thc Siirc7,a has watertTaht coinpara.
manta at each end of the vsatoo- but not ansicisbip;
where she was strnak..'o