The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1874-04-07 00:00:00

STEAMER IN DNII4ESS ; Tait uncBoAT
TOWED OFF.

On Thursday night a rue opportunity clued for
proving the vslue et our lifeboat. There was e reagh
storm of rain and wind from the 8 W., and about eight
a messenger on horseback came pelting through the
wind •nd rain from the eastward, to say that a large
steamer was in distreet near Lialworth. It seems she
had made the usonl signals of distress, and was at
anchor off a lee shore, and it woo feared she would
drift. The gong was beaten for the lifeboat's crew,
and *son 12 men of various degrees of seamanship, eons
irregular volunteers, mustered, with Pilot Smith
coxswain, oh tbter heed, The boat was launched, and
meantime C•pt. Wm. Cosecs had oosled and got up
steam in the Commodore, and he was &eked to tow the
Webers,. down. With his usual readiness to do • good
deed, he oonaorithrd, *ad they Lwest off, the steamer
towing the peat boat throush a terrible sea, sad the
lifeboat ore. sitting in her, oars in their handa, and
their sorb Isekets on. Rot they found an ebb tide
running strong, the sea very rough ; and between wind
and sea and towing the lifeboat the stpuner had an
awk weed time of it, end the lifeboat searriely lees so.
Infest, when they had got as for aa between psraington
end Whirenoise, it became • question •Ilfsthor they
should proceed. The boat indeed, bad she been a
common one, would any one of a dozen time' have
been swamped ; and although ae she wee she rOll3 to
the sea, yet she pitched so fearfully up and down, that
at times she could not be seen between the sees,
The Staawar went lhalferpeed, for there was
danger of snapping the sieinch rope, and leaving
her adrift in that sea, when it would have
been most difficult to pick her up again. At last Capt.
William reluctantly gave up the attemot, ihod they put
over under shelter of Portland Breakwater, and
remained there till about four nest morn:ng. Mean.
time the Weymouth and Channel Wendt' itcampacket
Aquila, Capt. Fslle, diet:barged her cargo, waled, got
up steam, and *bout halfpast two in the morning went
off for Lula orth. The wind bad gone round from SW.
th W.N W. Abut halfrest three the A rila arrived,
and found the Brea lieu mad steamer Medeira, Capt.
Poore, from London for Rio Jaoeiro, riding with two
anchors off the dhngerous nollt to the eaht if Lulworth
Cove. She immediately made oreparatkins to tow off
the meld in &Ares', nod three times got a warp
between ; three tiursi the att,o2pl wee whence:want,
two ropes breaking with Oh straio, but at last lei, got
a firm bold of the Madeira, and •wey they woo.
Before this, the liscomodure h..d arrived with the ids-
boat from Portland Ro,de, and they toe, proffered
awdetanoe. Tale w.o not acierpted, exeept that they
were asked to He by for a time. The Avail. got the
Madeira well in too, the hate, slipped her sables, and
away they went to Portend Roads, where they arrived
&hint eight o'elock, tbe Commedoto and lifeboat
tollowlna In their web.. The Weymouth steamers and
boat elierwards returned to Weymouth Harbour. It
&pelmet that the Madeira had boa running for
Portland Roads, and she hessian partly dimbled, from
ea scaliest to one of her eoglaw.