The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1873-04-19 00:00:00

fore they Imew or even thought of what was the matter.
When Leahy had reached the deck the ship had commenced
to rock (mom side to aide: nut then there were few
but the ofikers Mkt crew visible. lie saw several men

Jump averboaid and emit. Some of the-m,Tild not make an
attempt to swim, but, as In all cues of shipwreck, became
dazed mid ventured oh the first chance of getting out of the
vessel that presented Itself. There were six lifeboats swung
to the deck , theme were taken possession of by men and
several cut off others the waves swept away. All, save
one, succumbed immediately to the I dry of the waves, and
the occupants were drowned When the water commenced
to come in the steerage the passengers made for the hurri-
cane deck. The captain oh ,uted for any men who haul life-
belts or buoys to rush into the sea or mount the rigging, as
those were the only chances of life. Leahy immediately
ascended the rigging, after much trouble, and thence had a
good view of what was going on. Ile said
- • - • • .

'Then I saw the first and awful sight. It was Just
gleaming day : a large rues, of something drifted past the
ship on the top of the waves, and then was lost to view in
the trough of the sea. As it passed by, a moan—it must have
been a shriek, nut the tempest dulled the sound—seemed to
surge up from the ma,s, which extended over 50 yards of
water it was the women. The sea swept them out of the
eteerage, and with their children, to the number of 200 or
3.0, they drifted thus to eternity.'

-
Leahy was in the rigging seven hour., moving up and down
t kn, p his blood in circulation. fie saw men on both sides
.4 him fall from exhaustion, mostly able-bodied Germans
The only chance of escape was by mans of a rope to the shore,
wirch Mr. Brady, Third Officer, swam on shore with. Nearly
half the number of those who ran the risk of crossing on this
lost their lives. One man had just secured a flour barrel on
deck when he was washed overboard, but not before he
had obtained • hold, grasping either end, the bottom he4nit
out. the barrel, from its build, would be precipitated by
the sea some distance above the waves, and then fail back,
line more than usually heavy sea sent barrel and man at
least Mt high, fie had lost hts hold before he came down,
falling in the trough of the sea, but, though on the top of a
wave which rose a little further on the barrel rode buoy-
antly, the man did not come to light.
"Another Bays :

.• We saw very little of the women and children. Every-
thing happened so quickly that, before even those who
were strongest had got out of the choked passageways, the
females were either so bewildered or the water had so Im-
peded tilde progrees that very few came on deck. Those
who did were swept away before they could fasten them-
selves or be secured by others. I saw one woman In the
water with three children, just as they were washed over-
board—two in her arms (me infant) and the ether with lie
arms about her neck. They went down almost instantly."

The steamer is total wreck, and is broken. Two
divers are on the spot for tie purpose of recovering as
much of the cargo as can be saved.