The Press.
London, England, 1854-11-04 00:00:00

NOVEMBER 4, 1854.

water. I succeeded in getting him on the top of the paddle-
box, in company with eleven others.
We stood in water at a temperature of forty-five •legrees
up to our knees, and frequently the sea broke entirely over
us. We soon seemed to separate from our friends on other
parts of the wreck, and passed the dreary night, each one of
us expecting every hour would be our last. At last the
wished-for morning came, dreary and cold, with a dense
fog, not a living soul to be seen but our own party, seven
now being left. In the course of the morning we saw some
water-casks and other things belonging to our ship, but
nothing that we could get could afford us any relief.
Our raft was steadily settling as it absorbed more and
more water. The day continued foggy, except just at
noon. We had a clear horizon for about half an hour, and
nothing could be seen but water and sky.
Night came on thick and dreary, with our minds made
up that neither of us would live to see the light of another
day, and very soon three more of our suffering party were
relieved by death, leaving Mr. Allen, a young German, and
myself. Feeling myself getting exhausted, I now sstdown
fur the first time, about eight o'clock in the evening, on a
trunk, which providentially had been found on the wreck.
In this way I slept a little through the night, and became
somewhat refreshed. About an hour before daylight, now
Friday, we saw a vessel's light near to us, and all three
exerted ourselves to the utmost of our strength in hailing,
until we became quite exhausted. In about a quarter of
an hour the light disappeared.
Soon after daylight a barque hove insight, steering appa-
rently for us, but in a short time she changed her course,
and again we were doomed to disappointment. Shortly
after we had given up all hopes of being rescued by the
barque, a ship was discovered to the east of us, steering
directly for us.

After relating how the crew of this ship succeeded
in rescuing him from his fearful position, Captaiu
Luce concludes :

Saturday Morning, 14th.—We have safely arrived in
Quebec, and I am left without a penny in the world to
help myself with, or anything but sincere gratitude to
repay those from whom I have received such unbounded
kindness since I have been so providentially thrown among
them, and with whom I am now about to separate to go
to my home of sorrow.

Another of the survivors, Peter M'Cabe, who alone
escaped out of more than seventy persons who endea
voured to save themselves upon the raft, has given a
harrowing account of his sufferings. For twenty-six
hours he remained clinging, half immersed, to the
spars, and saw all his companions washed away one
by one, or forced to let go their grasp from utter ex-
haustion. He describes the collision and subsequent
scenes of confusion and agony until the vessel sank.
Then he continues :

I remained on the vessel till she sank, when I went
down with her, and in an instant was engulfed in the
surging waters, which closed over our heads. Down, down
we sank with our noble vessel into the bosom of the ocean.
I retained my consciousness, however, all the time I was
under the water, and it was with a feeling of intense joy
that I found, after about half a minute, that I was rapidly
rising towards the surface, and in a few seconds I was on
the top of the water struggling for life. Being a good
swimmer, and having, besides, the support of a life-pre-
server, I succeeded in reaching a door, which was floating
a few feet from where I rose. I looked around me, but there
was no trace of the vessel except a few loose timbers and
the rafts which were floating about, some with and others
without passengers. Finding I could not retain my hold
of the door with safety, I left it, and swam to a barrel which
lay a few feet from me ; from this again I swam to the
large raft which had about seventy persons clinging to it.
The sea, though not strong, was rough, and the waves, as
they dashed over it, washed away a portion of its living
freight. I shall never forget the awful scene. There we
were, in the midst of the ocean, without the slightest hope
of assistance. while every minute one on more of our un-
fortunate fellow-passengers were dropping into their watery
give from sheer exhaustion. Those who had lift•preservers
did not sink, but floated with their ghastly faces upwards,
reminding thosz who still remained alive of the fate which
awaited them. .

In the midst of all this, thank Heaven, I never lost hope,
but retained my courage to the last. One by one I saw
my unfortunate companions drop off; some of them floated
off, and were eaten and gnawed by fishes. while others were
washed under the raft, and remained with me till I was
rescued. I could see their faces in the openings as they
were swayed to and fro by the waves, which threatened
every moment to wash me off. The raft at one time was
so crowded that many had to hold on by one hand. Very
few words were spoken by any, and the only sound that we
heard was the splash of the waters or the heavy breathing
of the poor sufferers as they tried to recover their breath
after a wave had passed over them. Nearly all were sub.
merged to their armp ts. while a few could with great diffi-
culty keep their heads above the surface. The women were
the first to go; they were unable to stand the exposure
more than three or four hours. They all fell off the raft
without a word, except one poor girl, who cried out, in in-
tense agony, " Oh, my poor mother and sisters."
When I was about eighteen hours on the raft there
were not more than three or four left. One of these
gave me what appeared to be a small map. but which I
understood him to say was a sort of title-deed to his pro-
perty. In a few minutes after I took it he, too, unloosed
his hold, and was added to the number that floated about
the raft.
I endeavoured to get the paper into my pocket, but
found this impossible, on account of my cramped position,
so I placed it between my teeth, and held it, there till I was
overwhelmed by a wave, when I lost my hold of it, and it
was washed away. Another, who had an oiled silk coat
on, called on me, for Heaven's sake, to assist him, as his