The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1870-01-04 00:00:00

EXCITING SCENES AT PORTLAND.

NARROW ESCAPE OF THREE SHIPS' CREWS.
The terrible weather which prevailed during the
te.joiced to say, by the mercy
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of Providence, and the gallant efforts of the Portbinders,
ell the lives endangered have been saved. What adds,
if possible
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belonging
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! side of the Channel have been saved by those who were
I it to
formerly their ideate. May every French vessel that
gets In &eerie meet a prompt and scientific coastguard
with their rocket app trains, and a gallant crew of brave
, Englishmen to rescue them from the jaws of death. So
nisy the extemle tordial4 he deepened and made lasting,
as long as the ships of England and France eball plough
the sea. But we anticipate, and must return to the
story of what happened. It was a feudal time all
IVedneeday night, and a boiling sea dashed its mighty
waves on the Portland roast, as high as the highest
buildings in our town. Sailors were thought of and
prayed for ; but no &nage was done that night, and
the anxious enquirer was relieved with the word.
" Nothing on shore, thank God!" The storm oontinued
next day from the B.W. by S., and every onettguarsman
watt on the look out, as the vowels ran for our noble
South Central Harbour. Shortly after two o'clock on
Thureday afternoon (just as the carvers at Mr. Pace's
dinner to the poor began to whet their, knives—when
all was jollity in the town) a dozen or a score poor
sailors were struggling for their lives. A schooner and
a clause num& were coming up Channel, and endeavours
ing to weather Portland Bill Tack after tack was
made, seamanship struggling against the wind with a
lee shore behind them, and at last the sehooner reached
away, got round the dangerous headland, and wan soon
safely in the Roads. The angst monk, which our son.
nautical readers should be told, is • three muted
yes-el carrying lug sails, mild not weather the point
and, in danger of being dashed on thou fearful rocks on
the west of Portland, she hoisted her signals of distress
and came into Chesil Cove, not far from where the
Amalie went on shore. A Portland lerret Was manned
by the redoubted W. Flans, gen., Joseph and John
Way, W. Seward, R. D. Mann, and J. Richards, and
was about to go off in spite of the fearful surf which
boiled on the Beach. The chaste swede, however, let go
her anchor about 400 yards from the shore, in about
seven fathoms, and finding good holding ground hauled
down her distress flag. On this the lerret's launching
was deferrpd and indeed the official life-saving aPPa-
rates, the line-rocket's, being ready, they could not
well act together, and the gallium; oarsmen gave way.
Crowds gathered on the beech, and the onset-guard,
under Commander Eforrett, chief officers Bexhill, Jeett,
Merida. Id and Couch, were in strong force. Very
quickly off hissed a rocket with a life-line at the end of
it, towards the chasm-war& but the wind won un-
certain, and the distance WU great. One rocket fell
seed, another WU blown to le .ward, and another
was too far to windward, and all failed to reach
the Frenchmen. although aimed with the greatest
precision possible. A still more exciting scene
was then enacted. A barque also • Frenchman
was beating about the Bill, and she also sou d not get
round, and became erobayed. Hersignals were answered
with • couple of rockets, and she too ran for Chesil Cove.
, But she anchored only about 3:10 or :10) yards from tbe
beach, on a rocky bottem, in about seven fathoms.
The wind increased, and the barque which was evidently
rather light, dragged her anchor, and began to drift on
the million sharks' teeth of the Chesil Beach. Must
she be lost in sight of all onshore? Thank Providence!
Another anchor drops, her drift is checked for a time,
and rush goes a line rocket. In vain, it deeps to lee-
ward ! Another trial ! Ah 1 that went beautifully
between the main topmast and Milan mast and
over the main to' gal'n braces! Hurrah I shouted
all, and expected the men would soon be on land. But
they are French, and don't know what to do with the
I lines, nr else, are they afraid their masts will go by the
beard ? A block with Filleted directions in Engli-h and
French Is sent to the ship, and the crew soon get a
warp on board on board and make it fast to the mixen
mast. The end is held firmly by hundreds of strong
hands on shore, while a cradle is slung on the warp and
passes to the ship. In about • minute and a half it
returns to the shore with • cabin boy in it,
and the hurrahs are deafening. Backwards and
forwards works the cradle till eight are safely on
the beach; but it had got so dark that the last
time the spectators could not tell if any one was in the
cradle. As it was landed, however, out stepped the
csptain calmly, and was hail-ti with shouts of applause.
His steedine-s and courage had nerved hie crew in the
midst of danger, for he cave his • rders in the height if
the excitement as coolly as if he were in port. The
breve msn's name was Captain Bonnet. and his ill-fated
ship was the Flora.:lso tons French register, and last from
Cherboug in ballast, bound to Cardiff or Swansea for coal.
to be conveyed to Sierra Leone. The crew numbered nine
in all, and came on shore in a most orderly manner.
One of them had in his possession two or three medals
which he had received for sailing Hiles on other occa-
eions. The whole of the crew were token to the Cove
Inn and their wants attended to. So well had the
people who held the rope on shore maim:tett it by nine.
lug backwards as the vessel relied, that it was kept
quite taut, and the only olio at all wet, and that wee
very little, was the captain. The poor fellows soon told
that their vessel had left Cherbourg Wednesday after-
noon, and experienced treusendous weather all night,
the whole of the hands being almost unremitt!ngly
engaged. On Thursday morning they lost their main-
topssil, and afterwards became embeyed. as before des-
cribed. The chases-maths also It. gan to drift a little,
and was tossing fearfully, as could he seen by means of
lights she exhibited fore and aft. Every new and then
she wool I plunge PO much that her lights were lost
sight of soil people began to fear she was swamped; but
then the lights would re-appear. Four rocket, were
fired towards her; but they all failed and the attempt
was most reluctantly given up.
During the dark the barque most have drifted some
distance to the westward, and about seven o'clock went
on the Chesil Beach nearly opposite the Cove Inn, where
the grinding pebbles soon broke her apt and about three
o'clock she was gone to pieces, very little of her being
left but • part of her side, sonic spars, and a portion
of her rigging. The chasse-ntarree rode out sst.ly only
drifting a very little. The coastguard remained on the
shore all night in readiness for whatever could be
attempted. At daylight the sea and wind were con•
siderably lower, and they fired a rocket towards the
veriest, but it burst halfway. The attempt was repeated
and was fortunately successful, the rocket Sew over the
vessels, and the coastguard expected the Frenchmen to
makeit fut. They did not seem however to underrand
how tosecureit,aeltasse-nuarecaffordingsearcelyanyplacie
by which • man could support himself, after ascending
the masts, and they would be obliged to hold on with
one hand and make fast the warp with the other. This
method of rescuing the new was, therefore, given up,
and • Portland seine-boat, which bad been waiting to
see how the coastguerd and the Frenchmen would
manage, took the matter into their bands. Theit boat
had been hove to the shore early in the morning all
all ready to put off; but they did not get in the way.
until it was plain that the rocket apparatus could not
be turned to accouote Seven brave Portlanders manned
the seine-boat, which WWI appropriately named the
Charity, and she pot off, bearing Robert Pearce, Wither&
Flans, William Flans, jun , Lewis White, Joseph
Chaddook, Frederick Mitchell. and Joseph RusselL It
was between nine and ten when they dared the sea, and
once through the surf, had not much difficulty in
reaching the dame untie, although they shipped • sea
on their way In five minutes they were alongside,
and two of the boat.' crew got into the
chute mar& amidships, sad the rest pulled the
Charity under the stern, and soon took out
all the crew, consisting of the captain, two Olen,
and boy, besides a small terrier dog. The sea
continuing moderated they were able to save their kite,
and an enormous loaf. Oa their journey back, they
encountered no difficulty, and were soon on the edge
of the surf, when the spectators seised • line thrown
from the boat to the shore, and hundreds of willing
hands hauled the Charity high up on the beach, amidst
the
.joy of those assembled.

Tge'saved men were at once taken to the Cove Inn,
where sympathising hearts and bands relieved their
immediate wants. The Acme-wearies name was the
Deux Julie., 69 tons, Captain Mullin, of L'Orient, with
a general cargo, meetly coosisting of wine, pig iron,
and resin and pitch, from Bordeaux fer Dunkerque.
None of the orew were able to 'speak English, and they
seemed very much jaded by the trouble they had gone
through. The chaste-mule continued to ride beautifully
at anchor, and there eeemel every likelihood of her
riding out the storm. On Friday morning the COM-
modore steam tug, Captain W. Catena, put out of Wey-
mouth, and proceeded round the Bill towards Chesil
Cove. The saucy little lugger, though abandoned by
every one, was riding like a feather on the waves, The
Commodore's people soon got a rope on board of
her, and towed her away from her perilous position,
and after a rough passage, the steamer and the salved
chasse-maree arrived safely in Portland Roads.