The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1880-05-29 00:00:00

THE LOSS OF THE STEAMSHIPS

" AMERICAN " AND "SENEGAL"

On Saturday morning the Union Company's mail
steamship Nyanza arrived in Plymouth Sound. She
had among her passengers Captain Wait, of the Union
steamship American, which founded on the 23rd of
April on her voyage from Plymouth to Cape Town.
There were also on board the Nyanza Mr. Dunn,
fourth officer of the ill-fated steamer, and some of the
passengers from the American and from the British
and African Steam Navigation Company steamer
Senegal.
Captain Wait appeared in excellent health, notwith-
standing the trying time through which he has gone.
He can give no reason for the sudden collapse of the
screw propeller, and states that the damage inflicted
on the stern of his vessel was BO serious and the
water poured in so heavily that he had little hope
of saving her from the first. Any attempt at matting
or plugging the aperture would not only have been
useless but utterly impracticable, owing to the
formation and fittings of the hull where the
damage was occasioned, and though he set the pumps
to work he was of opinion that they were useless, and,
under the circumstances, he considered his duty was
in providing for the safety of the passengers by
launching and provisioning the boats. Regarding the
missing boats, he thinks there need be no apprehen-
sion. His belief is that they have been picked up by
some outward-bound ship and carried to a remote
port, from whence no tidings may reach this country
for many days.
The chief engineer of the American' in describing
the mishap to that vessel, states that he was awoke
by a terrific noise and the engines stopping. On going
below he found the water rushing in through the
tunnel, the propeller shaft having parted in the stern
doing great damage. All efforts to stop the flow
of water failed, and she sank rapidly. At midday
she reared right up upon end, showing about 160 feet
of her keel, her funnel being level with the water,
and in fifteen seconds she sank. The captain's
boat, in which the narrator was, first fell in with,
the American barque, and on their informing her cap-
tain of the accident he hove to, and before midnight
succeeded in picking up the second and fourth officers'
boats' crews. The s.s. Coanco, to which they were
transferred, landed them at Grand Bassar, in Liberia,
where the black population treated them with every
kindness. On Saturday, May Ist, they embarked in
the Senegal, which left the coast, and steered for
Vera Cruz. When within twelve or fourteen
miles of that place they struck on a sunken rock,
and the captain, finding the ship sinking, deter-
mined to IDeach her. The passengers made a
rush for the boats, and although the steamer's
speed had been increased in order to make the land
before sinking, they commenced to lower away.
Directly the first boat touched the water, she swung
around under the propellor, and immediately turned
over, drowning Mr. Paterson, a member of the Legis-
lative Council, Algoa Bay (one of the American's
passengers), the rest of the boat's crew being saved
with great difficulty. Mr. Paterson was not cut in
two by the blade of the propellor, but was struck by
it, and seemed to be partially paralysed by the stroke.
He swam about wildly for a few moments, and then
sank. Finally the ship was beached and the passen-
gers landed. (There were four captains on board at the
time of the accident—the captains of the Senegal and.
American and two others belonging to steamers run-
ning on the African coast.)
'The captain and crew remained on board to try and
save th? cargo. The following day the Union Com-
pany's steamship Teuton, which had been sent in
search of the American's boats, and was on the look-
out for the Senegal, sighted her close in shore. Learn-
ing what had happened she proceeded to Vera Cruz
and waited until the American's crew arrived. The
next day the passengers of the two wrecked ships were
transferred to the Teuton together with the crew of
the American, and were safely landed at Madeira.

Captain Wait brought with him a copy of a testi-
monial signed by a large number of the passengers of
the American, including the unfortunate Mr. Pater,
KT, and presented to him when on board the Senegal-
pncF to the second mishap. In it the passengers
testify "their thorough appreciation of the presence
cif mind and noble conduct of Captian A. Ma'clean

Wait, the officers and engineer, of the ill-fated vessel,
under the trying and painful circumstanoes in which
they were so suddenly situated. No pains were spared
by Captain Wait to do all in his power to save the
ship, and were it not for the discipline with which the
provisioning and preparing the boats, and subsequent
embarking of passengers therein, was carried out
under his personal command, a panic would have
ensued which must have involved considerable danger
to the lives of all on board."

In alluding to the death of Mr. Paterson, the Court
Journal says :—" The case of the Hon. Mr. Paterson,
lost on board the American, seems to be especially
cruel. He had just reached, as he imagined, the term
of a life of great activity. Returning from the Cape,
where he had gained distinction in business and in
politics he made arrangements for resting henceforth
in England. But he had to make one voyage more to
wind up his affairs. He took it in the American, and
it proves in every sense his last."

A telegram from Madeira to Lloyd's, dated May 20,
reports that the Senegal was still ashore at Grand
Canary. Four hundred tons of cargo saved were sent to
ris Palmas by May 16,and 227 casks of palm oil and 263
bags of kernels have been transhipped per Nubia.
The surveyors believe that with the help of divers the
vessel may be got off. There are four holes forward,
the principal one being 4ft. long by 18in.