The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1888-06-30 00:00:00

AWFUL SCENE AT SEA.

AN EMIGRANT SHIP AND ALL HANDS LOST.
The steamship Drummond Castle, which arrived
at Plymouth on Monday evening, with the homeward
Cape mails, brought news of a fearful shipwreck off
Cape L'Agulhas, a large vessel, supposed to be an
emigrant ship, being lost with all hands. It appears
that at 9.30 on the night of Sunday, June 3, when
the Drummond Castle was off L'Agulhas, in a most
tempestuous sea and howling storm, those on board
saw a large sailing ship, having painted ports,
throw up signals of distress. Her foremast was
standing with tattered sails, but her mainmast
was gone, and only a stump of her mizen-
mast was remaining. The Drummond Castle ap-
proached as near as possible to the distressed vessel,
which continued showing blue lights, throwing up
rockets, and burning tar barrels as an indication of
her desperate condition. On one occasion the Drum-
mond Castle approached her very closely considering
the state of the weather, and her master, Captain
Winchester, caused her to be hailed, stating that ho
would be prepared to take the crew on board, if it
could possibly be managed. The reply came back
that all the boats were gone, and that the vessel was
in a most disabled state, which rendered her uncontrol-
able. Thereupon Capt. Winchester intimated that he
would stand by until daybreak with a view of render-
ing assistance, and preparations were made to this end.
The distressed ship continued showing blue lights and
rockets, and the Drummond Castle kept as near as
possible to her, going round and round her. The
night was dark, and the sea running mountains high;
so that any attempt to launch a boat must inevitably
have been attended with further loss of life. Suddenly,
at 3.30 on Monday morning, when a high sea was
running, the lights disappeared under circumstances
which leave little doubt that the unfortunate vessel
foundered with all hands on board. The Drummond
Castle at once sailed to and over the place where the
vessel was last seen, but nothing more was to be
perceived. After cruising about until daylight and
finding nothing, the Drummond Castle continued her
voyage. The name of the distressed vessel could not
be ascertained, and up to the present there is nothing
to lead to her identification.
It is considered by one of the crew of the Drum-
mond Castle that the vessel was a large emigrant
ship. She was running before the wind, and there
appeared to be no one on deck but the captain and
two or three men, who were lashed to the wheel. All
the remainder of the crew and passengers appeared
to be battened down, for just as the captain shouted,
"I have lost my boats," a fearful and heart-rending
wail rent the air. The ship was then driven before
the gale ahead of the Drummond Castle. But cries
were heard at intervals. She suddenly dis-
appeared at 3.30 a.m., and when the Drum-
m, nd Castle steamed to the spot nothing
could be seen but one seething mass of foam. It is
&Al that one of the officers of the Drummond Castle
volunteered to put off to the unfortunate vessel, but
Captain Winchester, recognising the almost certainty
of failure and further loss of life from such an attempt,
declined to allow the proceeding.
The following official report as to the circumstances
was furnished by Captain Winchester, commander of
the Royal Mail ship Drummond Castle: "June 3.
During a fresh gale from W.N.W., when L'Agulhas
light bore by N. 13 miles, at 9.40 p.m., we observed
signals of distress to westward. We bore
down to the distressed ship, going as close to her as
practicable. At midnight we passed close by the dis-
tressed ship, when we found her to be a large vessel
with foremast and stump of mizzenmast only stand-
ing, and heavy list to port, the cargo apparently having
shifted when passing to leeward in the hope that she
might get her boats away. She hailed us, but all we
could distinguish was, "I have lost my boats."
I then determined to remain by the ship until day-
light, as owing to the heavy and confused sea it
was impossible to get one of my boats away with
any prospect of success. We remained in close
proximity to the distressed ship, never losing sight of
her, until 3.30 am. on June 4, when suddenly she dis-
appeared. After this we saw a light at intervals for
two hours, so thinking some of the crew might be on
wreckage, we remained in position until 6.30 a.m.,
v hen I went ahead over the course we had drifted,
but failrd to see anything, so we proceeded to the
pl ice where the ship was supposed tO half@ f9tAdered,
L'Apulhas W.S.W. miles."
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