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

THE WRECK OF THE "ATLANTIC."

The Hamburg-American steamer ils,n,,ionia arrived
at Plymouth on Tuesday afternoon, bringing New
York papers of Thursday, the 3rd instant, two days
after the wredc of the Athuitie. The captain's state-
ment given is as follows :

We -sailed from Liverpool March 20. Duthie the first
port of the passage had favourable weather awl easterly
winds. On the 240, 2503, red 2olh experienced heavy
wotth-west and westerly gales, which brought toe ship
down to 11S miles • day. On the 31st of March the
engineer's report showed hut about 121 tons of coal
on board. We were then 400 miles east of Sandy Hook,
with Wind south-west and high westerly swell, and falling
barometer, the ship steaming only eight knots per hour.
Considered the risk too great to push on, as we might Mot
ourselves, in the event of a gale, shut out from any port
of supply, and so decided to bear up fur Halifax. At one
p.m. 31st, Sambre Island was distant 170 miles, iship s
speed varying from eight to twelve knots per hour, wind
south with rain, which veered to westward at eight p m. with
clear weather, At midnight I Judged the ship no hove made
. 122 mile., which had placed her in mho south of Sambre,
and t then left the deck arid went into the el:tart-room,
leaving orders about the look-out, and to let me know if they
sew anything, aid call me at three, intending Clem to put
the ship's head to the eoutboard and await daylight. My
first intimation of the catastrophe Was the strlkiug of the
ship on Mars Island, and remaining there fast, the sea Im-
mediately swept away all the port boats. The officers went
to their stations and Connneuced clearing away the weather
boats. Rockets were fired by the second officer. Before the
boats could be cleared, only ten minutes having elapaed, the
ship heeleu heavily to port, rendering the starboard boats
omelet. Seeing that no help could be got from the boats.
I got the passengers ii.to the rigging and outside the rails,
and encouraged then, to go forward, where the ship was
highest, and lens exposed to the water third Officer Mr.
Brady, Quartermasters Owens and Speakman by this time
having established a communication with the outlying
rock, about 40 yards distant, by mearis of a line, got
four other lines to the rock, along which about
200 people passed. Between the rock and the shore was
passage 100 yards wide. A rope wall roccessfully passed
across this. by which means about fifty got to the land,
though many were drowned In the attempt. At a.m.
the first boat appeared from the island, but she was too
small tube et auy a.sistan ce. The. ugh the s xertions of Mr.
Brady, the third officer, the islanders were roused, and by G
ani. three larger boats came to our assistance. By their
efforts all that remained on the side of the ship and on the ,
rock were landed in itafety and cared for by a poor fisherman
named Clanu and his daughter. During the day, the sur-
vivors, So the number of 429, were draughted MI to the ,
various houses scattered about. The reshlent magistrate, •
Mr. Edmund Ryan, muttered valuable assistance. The chief
offioer having mot up the mieini rigging, the sea cut oil his
retreat, lie stood for six hours by a woman who had berm
placed in the rigging. The sea was too high to attempt his
resume. At 3 p.m. a clergynian, the Rev. 51r. An meat, suo.
ceeded In fietling him a hue and getting him off. Many
of the passengers, saloon and steerage, died in the rigglog
from cold, and also the purser of the ship. Before ,
the boats went out I placed two ladles In the Itte-boat, but I
finding the boat useless, carried them to the nude rigging,
where I left them aud went aft to encourage others toga for. I
ward on the side of the ship. At this juncture the boilers
exploded, and the boat rolled over to leward, the ship at this '
time being on her beans-ends. Finding myself useless there
I went to take the Lpils• forward but found them gone, tier
did I see them afterwards. Many passengers at this time
could not be stimulated to any sir ,rt to 119eo themselves, but
lay in the rigging, and died from fright soil spout.. 1
remained on the side encouraging, helping, and directing
until about 15 were lauded, when I found that my hauds and
legs were becoming useless I left the ship, two other boats
being close to and embarked the remainder.

The Chief Officer made the following statement—

My watch ended at twelve o'clock on Monday night. The
second and fourth officers took charge, and I went to my
berth. I was aroused by the shock of the striking. The
second officer came down to my room, and said the ship was
ashore, aid that he was afraid she was gone. I put on a few
artives of clothing, gut my axe, and went on deck to clear
the boats. the HIV had careened over before I reached the
deck. I cleared the two starboard boom. Just then a heavy
ma swept the boats away. I was holding 'fast to the
mixen-mast rigldag, and now climbed hi.ther for
safety. The night was so dark and the spray flew so
thickly that we could not see well what was going on
around us. I saw meson the rocks, but did not know how
they got there. All who were alive on board were in the rig-
ging. When daylight came I counted thlrty•two persons in
the mlzenmest rigging with me, including one woman. When
these saw that there were lines between the ship and the shore
many of them attempted to go forward to the li, ea, and in
doing so were washed overboard and drowned. Many reached
the shore by the aid of the lines, and the fishermen $ boats
rescued many more. At !al all hail either been washed
off or rescued except myself, the woman, and a boy. The
sea had become so rcugh that the boat could not
venture near us. Soon the by was washed off, but
he swam gallantly and reached the boats in safety. I got a
arm hold the woman and secured her in the rigging. I
could see the people on shore and in the boats, and could
hail them, but they were linable to help. At two o'clock
In the afternoon, after I had been in the rigging ten hours,
the Rev. Mr. And-nt. a Church of England clergyman,
whose noble conduct I can never forget while I live, got a
crew of four men to row him out to the wreck. He got into
the main rigging and procured a line, then alvanced as for
as he could towards me and threw it to ine I caught it,
made it font around my body, and then Jumped clear. A sea
swept me off the wreck, but Mr. Ancient held firm to the line,
pulled me back, and got me safely lathe boat. I was then a,
en-
haoeeted and benumbed that I was hardly able to do any thing
for myself, and but for the clergyman s gallant conduct I
must have perished soon. The womao, after bearing up with
remarkable strer gift under her great trial., hail di-d two
hours before Mr. Ancient arrived. Her half-uude body was
gill fast in the rigging her eyes protruding, her month
foami g --a terribly ghastly npectacle, rendered more ghastly
by the contrast with the numerous jewels which sparkled on
her bands. The scene at the wreck was an awful one, such
se I have never before witnessed, and hope never to witness
Mad.

Another report states that of the three hundred
Women and children, a majority were swept out of the
steerage, and, drifting bey..nd toe vessel on immense
waves, were carried seaward and seen no more. The
bodies recovered were to be buried at Prospect village.
A steerage passenger stated that when the ship first
struck he thought it was the anchor let go in Halifax
harbour. She made a second plunge, and then he
exclaimed, "Good God, she's ashore " "With that
we got up." he added, "and dressed. The compani.m.
way was thronged with the lower steerage pessengers.
Seeing that the sea was commencing to break
over the ship and pour down the companion-way,
I got as many as possible to take to the
bunks and hold on by the iron stanchions. There
we remained until daylight. The ship had fallen over,
and the steerage was full of water, one side only being
out of it. thir only chance of escape was the ports,
and a Lumber of the men, probably twenty, got out
through the ports to the side of the vessel. I re-
mained tuatil all who were alive were out. There
were • great many drowned in their bunks, and
others were drowned while trying to reach the ports.
I gut out through a port and held fast to the side
of the ship for about two hours, and then went to
the snore by the life-line.

The New York Herald says that the captain was
serione and composed, yet at intervals, when some par-
ticularly harrowing incident was being mentioned, he
broke down and seemed overwhelmed with sorrow.
Onoe he said to the reporter—" To think that, while
hundreds of men were saved, every woman should hsve
perished. It is horrible! If I had been able to save
even CO. woman, I could bear the disaster, but to lose
all, it is terrible!"
The accounts in the New York papers all state that
Captain Williams, and indeed all the officers, behaved
during the trying scenes with great fortitude and
presence of mind.
Messrs. S. Cunard and Co. provided every comfort
for the rescue 1. The following resolution was passed
by the cabin passengers

" We, the rescued pusetigers of the unfortunate ship
A tiantic, desire to exprese our gratitude and respect for the
noble conduct exhibited by Captain Williams and all his
officer@ during the terrible scene 'shills ensued at the wreck
of the steamer on the coed of Nova Scotia."

Mr. Markwald, a cabin passenger, in his statement,
highly extolled the conduct of three bouts' crews. To
them, he declared, belonged the honour of having
rescued, at the imminent risk of their own lives, over
400 souls, The kindness of the people at Prospect also
is universally acknowl, dged and praised.
Mr. Foxley, the chief engineer, describing the
disaster, explained that the female passengers who
were asleep at the time the ship struck were prevented
from coming on deck by the seas washing over the ship
and filling her. He aside!:
Some of the..paasengers get into the liteboate, the davit
falls being cut away to allow the boats to fi fat clear of the
davits in the expectation of getting clear of the vessel by
these means, but a sea broke on board and washed the greater
portion f the.passengere who were in the boats out. The
boats were stove and those who were in them perished. The
third officer, Mr. Brady, and two quartermaster, swam ashore
with a small line, which enabled a great number of the pas-
sengers and crew to get on shore. A great many of the people
were drowned while coming from the velum' by the rope to
the rock. The cold was so intense that some of them
being benumbed were unable to hold on to the rope
and they let go, and we were unable to render them any
awdeterice. The rock was covered with seaweed, which made
it very dangerous to stapel upon, and Its edges were rewind.
Those on the rock being soaking wet and cold, were unable
to seeder any assistance to those who were in the gr. atmt of
peril. We could perceive people falling from the ship's side
and rigging Several persons, who became f ompletely ex.
heisted, laid down on the deck and died. S.frne of the pas-
smiler. became mardacs, foamed at the mouth, and tottered
&Wilt like children. We were very kindly received and
treated W the people on shore,

Incidents of the most heartrending character oc-
curred. A little fellow, the only child saved from the
wreck, rushed up on deck with the stream of passengers
when the first alarm was given. His parents and cther
members of his family were below. They perished
when the ship filled and fell over on her side. Hustled
about along with that struggling mass of excited
humanity, the piteous screams of the poor little fellow
went to the stoutest heart. He leaped upon the back
of one of the men in the hope of being saved by
him. But the man shook off the wailing boy. His
cries at fast attracted the captain, who, perceiving the
tenacious manner in which he was struggling for life,
called out to the men who were surrounding the lines
that led to the rock and safety, to endeavour, if pO5-
"lisle, to save the boy. The poor little fellow was im-
mediately paned over the beads of the struggling media
of being!, and placed in the boat. The kindly men
who were struggling to save life almost wept for gym..
pathy as they put the lad on chore, safe in body, though
sadly affticted by his parents' bag. It was extremely
harrowing to behold the sufferings of the unfortunate
creatures even after they were rescued. Many of them
became insane, and fell off the rock let° the water and
were drowned. Two lady cabin passengers came on
deck in the excitement and stood near the wheelhouse.
They hesitated a moment as if panic-struck, and re-
turned into the companion-way as if looking for some.
thin:. Presently they came out and endeavoured to
reach the forward part of the ship, from where the
parsengere were being sent ashore by the lines. At
that moment a huge wave swept over the ship's quarter.
The men clinging to the rigging heard two heartrendirg
shrieks, and when they looked again the women had dis-
allowed Young men as well as old became paralysed,
an as they clung to the rigging or to the sides of the
vessel they seemed bereft of all reason, and when
epoken to,by the others to make some effort to reach
this boat and save themselves they would roll their eyes.
then stare fixedly at the speakers, and ask in a will
tone, 'What boat?" Many, again, who were roused
out of their berths had scarcely time to put their clothes
on and rush on deck ere they perished. One cabin pas-
longer, a young man, came up with only a vest on ; he
clang to the ship s side for a time, and finally rolled off
into the sea and was lost.
" Patrick Leahy, • young Irishman hailing from Water-
ford, had been on deck at 3 o'clock, am., and then every-
thing was going on as usual. Its went into the forward
steerage, and had been there only a few seconds when the
cosh came. Its instantly attempted to gain the deck, but
even at that moment the passageways had become blocked.
Stich was the startling natal* oh the shock that it had
parvitigers oat of ear berths said Into pomp' be.

i3l4ked: