The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1868-10-31 00:00:00

A PASSENGER SHIP RUN DOWN BY A
STEAMER. .

- --
Attest a quarter to seven on Friday evening, the night
remarkably this and clear, with Might moonlight, a full-
rigged ship, the Lrochhardt, 7ou tons, outward hotted IRMA
London for Nov Zealand, with ikesengers and a general
cargo, was ruii tiOWII at the entrance Of the Thames, Shout
two adlea bolow the Sore, by the North Star screw steamer,
also outward hmond, under somewhat extraordinary eireum-
stinwes :
The Lciehharlt was owned by Mr. Prowse, of
London, anti was classed A 1 for nine years. Her
crew numlwred about twenty-one 11.111(6, under the
command of Captain Phillips, and she had on board
twenty-six saloon and second cabin passengers. She
left the London docks on Wednesday, and brought
up below the Nore at nine o'clock on Priday morning,
in order to make everything secure and the ship in
trim for starting on the voyage the next morning, as
well as to allow the passengers time to complete their
arrangements in their berths. At sunset the masthead
light was hoisted, as also alight placed over her chains
forward to show, in accordance with the rules, that the
ship was anchored. Shortly after six o'clock is large
%trainer was seen coming out of the river. She was
then several miles distant, and did not attract any
particular attention till nearly three-quattere of an
hour afterwards, though some of the passengers had
been watching her all along, and remarked to eath
other that site appeared to be making direct for
the ship. The chief mate of the Leichhacdt was with
some of the crew on the forecastle, and perceiving
that the steamer nnist run the chip down if she
continued her course, they hailed her several times,
the remainder of the crew and passengers joining
in the ahout, but no notice was taken of their
cries. The steamer came on full speed, and with tre-
mendous force struck the ship on the port side, the
whole of which was forced in with forecastle and deck,
as far as her windlass, and cut down below her water-
line. By the force of the COUCUS:11001 the Leichhardt
heeled over; the steamer forced her con pletely round,
when she got clear, and went some distance before she
brought up. Captain Phillips was in the cabin, when
bearing his people hailing, he instantly ran upon deck
and saw the steamer, which proved to be the North
Star, 720 tons register, Captain Wallace, master.
hound for Norway, in close proximity, and in a few
seconds the collision occurred. On going forward to
ascertain the extent of damage, he discovered that the
ship was inevitably lost ; she was fast filling, anti in a
few minutes must founder. On rallying his crew to
get the lifeboat out he found that his chief mate and
most of the men had got on board the North Star,
leaving hint in a fearful position. He called all the
passengers, and implored them to work at the pumps
with all their strength, which they did cheerfully, and
fortunately all the pumps were ready rigged, so that
there was no loss of time. Finding the .North Star
showed no aympto sus of rendering help he ordered the
signal guns to be fired, as also rockets and blue
and in the meanwhile, with, the assist-
ance of a few hands, he managed to launch
the lifeboat safely. Collecting all the women
and children tc.gteher he at once got them into the
boat and despatched it directly to the North Star.
At this niontent another steamer, outward bound,
which proved to be the Spanish steamer Beatrice,
pissed between the ship and the A'orth Star. The
pilot, hearing the shrieks and screams from the
Leiraharitt —" We are sinking, for God sake save us!"
instantly put his helm down and brought the steamer
close up, and also put out two of his boats, which, with
two boats from the North Star, pulled with all speed to
the t•escue ..f the remainder of the passengers and crew.
The ship wasgoirg down fast, and those on board had
barely time to get into the boats before she foundered.
The boats succeeded in getting safely to the North
Star. The passengers were in a miserable plight, some
in their night clothes, others but lightly clothed. No
one saved anything beyond the dress he wore. One of
the pagasengers,a 'Mrs. Tone, had contrived to snatch up
• leather reticule of hers containing El2O in bank-notes,
and jewellery and plate to the value of £lOO, and got it
into the 1 fe-boat with her, but in getting on board the
It or/ti Star she lost it. She hail also on board the
Leichhartit property to the value of kliefl, which her
friends h.d urged her to insure before going on board,
but she neglected to act on this advice.
The North Star did not sustain the least injury by
the CO lision. After a short delay she put back to
Gravesend, where she landed the shipwrecked people
on Saturday forenoon. The agents of 'Messrs. Shaw,
and Co., the brokers, were in attendance to
receivethem when they landed, and saw that they were
temporarily provided for till they could communicate
with their friends. They all spoke in the highest terms
of Captain Phillips and his second mate.
The explanation given by Captain Wallace of the
North Stor as to the collision was that the steamer was
in charge it his chief officer, Mr. Henry, who is also a
pilot. Captain Wallace said Ile saw the ship at anchor
some ten minut.e before the collision, and the course
of the steamer then would have taken her clear to the
starboaTd of the ship. He then went into his cabin to
consult his charts, and whilst so engaged heard a com-
motion on deck. On getting there he found that the
couww, had been altered, and instantly the collision oc-
inti.ed. NO doubt the collision will fortn a subject of
strict inquiry by the Board of Trade._

Further particulars say
In order to prevent the boatmen who frequent the coast
near the Nora taking forcible possession of We wreck of the
Leiehhard,, which was stud:, the Admiralty wan applied to on
Saturday morning to ilopatch an armed vessel to the spot
frcm S'ieerness. The application was at once acceded to,
alit about two o'clock in the afternoon a war steamer reached
the scene if the wreck, and found a large flotilla of boats
already at work On the sunken vessel. They were instantly
ordered ~If. and the steamer kept charge of the wreck until
the arrival of Captain noulton, the surveyor of Llyml's
Salvage Asauciation, who had been sent dawn by the muter- ;
writers.
During the greater portion of Saturday and Sunday it
blew a strong gale from the south, all 11 heavy rain. Not- ;
withstanding, riggers were at once employed in dismantling
the ship, and divers went down, who in the curse of the ;
day sent up a large quantity of goods and packages from the ;
main hold. The 0 nit tilat they will be enabled ,
to get lip the grea ..1 ter c .11 which is valued at
£3nooo. 'This in all probability may not occupy moue titan ,
three or four days, when steps will be taken to raise the ship,
which lies in about eight fathoms oi water. It may be oat- ;
sidered providential that she received the force of the
collision in the strongest part of the ship—the stem. Had
the North Star struck her in ally other position she would
have tilt her almost in two, and none of those on board
would I ,I,hably have been saved.
The :'orth Star steamer, alter landing the shipwrecked ,
people ~t Gravesend On Saturday attenuant, had orders to
immediately proceed on her voyage, hut while getting under
weigh she was stopped, and seized by a warrant from the '
Admiralty.
'lke position of most of the passengers excites much sym-
pathy Many of them are almost destitute, and as the
North Star is not liable for damages beyond her own value,
att 106. perton her register tonnage Ind being more than 7011,
the prospect ad the passengers recovering anything approach-
ing the value of property lost to very small. Mrs. 'tone appears
to tie one of the chief sufferers. she is a witless, and hail with
her three children, two ilanghters and 1,110 eon, all under
Of men years of age. One of the girls hail not even Lintel° seize
her clothes all she had on were hes night-clothes, a piece of
idanket, and a patrols:Aloes boots, which one d the crew hail
lent her. Altogether Mrs. Tone's loss is estimated at about
s:Stio. At present nothing hot/teen heard of her black leather
bag. containing 41Di in hank notes. She distinctly recollects
having it in het baud up to the time of the lifeboat coming
Alongside the Seth Star, and she was the last person to
leave the boat; and fearing that the sailors would not lie
able to lift her on board with the bag in her possession, she
laid it in the bottom of the boat, and on reaching the deck
of the North Star asked for the bag ts be handed up ; but
the only reply she god was, "Olt never mind your bag, you
have got your life!" Whether it remained in the boat or
was thrown overboard, as some one on board the North Star
states, Ills impossible to conjecture.
Alter the collision a stowaway, about seventeen years of
age, rushed upon deck, and was just in time to be taken off
by one of the last boats his name, however, and where he
cams from he would not divulge. lie was landed with the
other pas-miners at Gravesend, where he a-as lost sight of.
The Lriehhartit hail on deck a floe bull and cow, consigned
to hew Zealand. Efforts were made to cult them adrift by
one of the crew, but they were so securely housed that it
was found impossible, and they went down in the ship. Sloth
animals were insureds