The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1872-11-30 00:00:00

WRECK OF THE "ROYAL ADELAIDE.'

The full-rigged passenger ship the Royal Adelaide,
frets. Lend,... for Sydney, ran ashore on Monday even-
ing, shout a mile from Portland. The wind was blow-
ing a fierce gale from the South-west, and the breakers
and surf on the beach were appalling. The Weymouth
coast guard were fortunately on the alert. Two
rockets were passed over the ship as quickly as pas-
sible, and the life-saving apparatus got in working
order. The vessel had thirty passengers, and a crew of
thirty two. is soon as the rope was made fast, the first '
man jumped over and sank. He was hauled up but his
strength was gone, and he fell into the breakers and
was lost. Tyr, cradles were soon passing to and fro,
and the passengers and crew were got ashore rapidly.
One poor woman fell, anti was drowse 1, and it was
said a sacond also was lost, but this could not be
ascertained in the confusion The poor fellows came
ashoge in a most wretched plight, with only the clothes
they wore, and one was in a nude state. The -cone on
shore was Nery painful. 'Hie saved were taken, some
to Portland and others to Weymouth hailers' Home.

A correopmdent of Tic Timex, writing from Port-
land, on Tuesday, has cent the following pezticulars of
tie disaster :
"The Coastguardsmen in charge of the rocket apparatus
were on the spot, but before the rocket could be fired
some brave Portland fishermen rushed into the boiling surf,
and ultimately succeeded in throwing a line to the vessel
This they did at the very great danger of losing their own
lives, and how they succeeded in doing what they did was
little short of a miracle. Their line was fastened to the
stern of the ship, and while an impromptu cradle IVY being
got in readiness to run along it, the Coastguardmen fired
their rocket, which carried a rope right across the centre of
the ship. What the MOw should then have done was to draw
in the llne till they reached the rope upon which the cradle
would work, hut in their excitement they paid no attention
to the second line, and risked everything upon the rope which
had first been sent to them. The scene was now most
terrible. The ship was rolling very heavily, and every now
and then a wave wonld strike her broadside and o.mpletely
cover her with foam and spray. Before the fishermen could
send a cradle along their line two men were aeen clinging
from the side of the vessel by means of a rope. Their
Intention was to wait for a favourable opportu-
nity, and then to drop and make for the shore.
But, poor follows! the attempt cost them their Wits They
hail been clinging for two or three minutes when the vessel
made a tremendous roll towards the sea. Not being able to
bear the strain which this caused upon their hands they
dropped into the water, and before they could make for the
shore the vessel lurched over, as it seemed, upon then, and
they were seen no more. By this time the crsdle waste real-
ness, and then a man, next a woman, and then the captain
were brought to land. him then ascertained that the vessel
e• 4 bia—wmtheliomai +WAWA ollaTervool, givt. Mulus,

fired


10114 r ; that She sailed I rotn- London oil Saturday Week:—
crew, she had between 3fi and 41 passengers,
and was bound for. Sydney, Australia. To make matters ,
worse, it wee forth, ascertained that, in addition to her
many of whom
were womenand children The cradle was ngain set to
work; and, one after another, the crew or psseengers were
landed in taety. in one case • man who had got into it with
&little boy arrived sue, titt the child was dtowned A woman,
too, was also carried away by the I idenes of the surf before
she could be rescued. Several little children, flie after the
other, were safely landed having Come ashore without adY
strong arm to protect them. During the whole of this time the
sea woe dashing with the wildest fury against the vessel,
threatening to sweep oil the remainder of the peoi to who
' were seen anxiously waiting their turn to Come in the cradle,
but afraid to venture. (foe by opt the =est,' fell with a
terrific crash, while the stabP can te I..ur through the aides
of the ship, and it w...s evident she was breaking up
All seemed to have been got on shore with the ex.
caption of four er five, and there wauld net leave the
ship Shortly after the masts had gone by the board,
the vessel's back was broken with a noise resembling
the report oi a 701,1 of musketry, and the beach bite
ate, no with bales and ben::: of all descriptions Still the
stern remained firm, and two or three people were saved,
one brave fellow coming In the cradle with • little boy, who
was almost frightened to ileatb. Ths man wanted to return
to the ship to render aid, but the Cos stguard would
n t allow hire The last to leave were two men and a
litle child, who all got into the cradle together but, un-
fortunately, they were caught by an Immense wave, Is hieh
/mapped the rope asunder, and all three were drowned.
There was still one human being left on board, an aged
woman, whe had refused to trust her life in the cradle; but
as the rope had broken, and there was now nothing to hold
another line, she hail to be left to her fate—that of death.
As the passengers and crew were landed they were taken
some to Weymouth, some to Portland, and others to ti.e
Ferry-bridge Inn, where their necessities were attended to.
One negro, who, it appears, had acted very bravely In assist-
ing the people to the cradle, was in his turn landed, but so ,
severely injured that for some time Ms life was despaired of.
The owners of the Royal Adelaide are said to be Messrs.
Oreffell, Taylor, and Roberts, of Liverpool.
At the date this was written, it was impossible to ascer-
tain the number of persons who were drowned in the Royal
Adelaide, but these are estimated at from to to 14. Large
quantities of spirits were washed on shore, and as the
barrels floated in they were broached by the crowds who were
assembled on the beach. In &short time scores of people were
lying about in all directions dead drunk; indeed, they had
drank so much that medical assistance had to be obtained, and
even now one man is in such a dangerous state that beta not
expected to recover. There was a strong patrol of the 77th
Regiment and Coastguardmen on the beach to protect
the property as it nun washed on shore, but their efforts
were useless, a great quantity of valuables being made away
with.