The Express.
London, England, 1866-01-18 00:00:00

THE LOSS

OF
THE STEAMSHIP LONDON.

FULL PARTICULARS.
LIST OF PASSENGERS AND CREW.

A profound sensation prevailed among all circles
is the City yesterday morning upon receipt of the sad
istelligence that Meant Money Wigram and Sons' =mol-
diest auxiliary screw steamship, the London, had foun-
dered in the Bay of Biscay, with upwards of 200 souls on
board. The fame this fine vessel had acquired as a pas-
s/sager ship—partly owing to the fact of her last outward
wage luaus( been made in u 9 days—was in itself calcu•
/Med to dispel all anxiety on her behalf even during the
gate tempestuous weather, and it is believed that
her owners and the underwriters concerned were
least of all prepared for the terrible disaster that
has happened to her. It is a remarkable fact,
'moreover, that the London is the first ship belonging
to the famous house of Money Wigram and Sons to which
any serious casualty has occurred. In a century's emit.
stenos Masers. Warm have enjoyed a perfect immunity
tram loss, with the single exception of the True Briton.
which belonged to a former generation of the firm, and
which foundered early in the present century in the some
fatal bay.

Tee London, which has been commanded ever slime she
was launched from Blackwall yard, in 1864, by Captain
Ifattin, en Australian navigator of great experience,
left the East India Docks on Thursday, the 28th
Si December, and dropping down to Gravesend, sailed
theme on Saturday afternoon, under charge of Mr.
Thompson, a river pilot. As the night was wild and the
wind deal ahead, the ship brought up at the Note, and
lay there during the whole of the following day. There
were two clergymen on board, the Rev. Dr. Woolley,
Bishop of Sydney, and the Rev. Mr. Draper, and both of
them took part in the usual Sunday service.. At daybreak
on Monday, the Ist of January, the anchor was weighed,
and the ship steamed down channel, still against a head
wind, bct making fair way. While passing outside the
Isle of Wight the wind increased to half • gale, and
Captain Martin deemed it prudent to put ,back and
lay to Um the night in St. Helen's Roads. On
the morning of the 2nd instant, the London
proceeded uut through the Needles into the
open channel, the wind being still ahead, but light. As
the ship ran down channel the wind rose and the sea
increuel, and a couple of hours after passing the Needles
the wiu•l blew a gale right ahead, with a heavy sea rolling,
which continued all the way to Plymouth, where the ship
arrived about noon on Thursday, the 4th instant. A sad
casualty occurred here. A pilot cutter put oaf a small boat,
laving on board the pilot and his assistant, to bring the
London inside the breakwater. When the boat was about
100 yards from the London a ma capsized her,
son both the pilot and his assistant were thrown
into the water. Captain Martin instantly ordered
one of his lifeboats to be lowered, and with great difficulty
the moistest pilot was rescued, but the pilot was drowned,
The Lemke came to en anchorage inside the breakwater at
1 p.m. on the 9th inst., and during the afternoon took on
board Ulm* of her first and second class passengers who had
stringed to join the ship at Plymouth. At midnight on
Friday she proceeded on her voyage, the weather being at
this time calm with a light wind ahead. She bad fall
steam on during the whole of Saturday, and the voyage
promise,: to progress very satisfactorily until Sunday
morning, when the wind increased and • head sea
gradually rose. During the day the London passed
I ships, and nothing occurred to create the
smallest uneasiness in the minds of any of the
officers e! the ship. During Sunday night the wind ie. I
creased to a gale, and the sea rose considerably. On the
mornin.i of Monday, the Bth instant, the ship was well
clear of the land, and Captain Martin having ordered the
engines to be stopped set his topsails, and so ende►voured
to keep the ship moving slowly ahead. At noon on this
day, the wind having somewhat lulled, the engines were
again set 111 motion and kept steaming slowly ahead through
the night. At 8 LOCI. on Tuesday, the 9th inst., while the
captain was still endeavouring to keep the ship in her course
by meats of the screw, the violence of the gale carried away
at one sweep the jib-boom, the foretopmsst, the gallant
mast, act the royal mast. These large spars were not
wholly datached from the ship, but hanging fast by the
stays sa t.ng to and fro 141'11 such violence that the crew
were wholly unable to secure them. About two hours
later the main royal mast was blown completely out of its
socket, and added to the general wreck.

Captain Martin, who had not been in bed since the pre- I
wiou Sunday night, was not at all disheartened up to this
moment, but as the gale coutintred to increase during the I
morning, with a sea already running mountains high, the
position c the ship was undoubtedly felt to be one of come
peril. SO., as the wind had somewhat veered round, the
engines were kept steaming easy ahead ; indeed
it is believed that at this moment no person on board
felt any satiety for the ultimate safety of the ship. About
3 p.m. on Tuesday, a tremendous sea struck the ship, and
carried Cie port lifeboat clean away from the davits. All
that evet.og, and through the succeeding night, the wind
blew a very heavy gale, and the sea ran very high, but
the screw was still kept steaming easy a-head. At 3 a.m.
on Wed:a: iday, the 10th lastest, Captain Martin sent for
Mr. Greenhill, the chief engioeer, and informed him of his
intention, to put the ship about and rno for Plymouth. end
be desired that full speed should be got up directly. This
was immediately done. In half an hour after the ship's
course had beau altered she was again struck by a tremen-
&AU Lou which carried away the starboard life boats, and
the same sea stove in the starboard cutter. At noon on this
day the ship's position was in ht. 44.48 N., long. 8.7 W.
A very heavy cross sea was running with the wind now dead
astern of the slip, which caused her to roll heavily and
much impeded her progress. But no danger was even now
anticipated, and all through the evening of Wednesday
and long after nightfall the ship continued to steam
slowly ahead, the captain and his officers re-
maining steadily at their poets, and the passengers
appearing to have full reliance upon the skill of
Captain Martin to bring them safely to port. At 10.I'0 I
p.m. ou Wednesday, the ship still rolling deeply in a heavy
cross sea, and the wind blowing a whole gale from the
south-we-t, a mountain of water fell heavily °vet the waist
of the ship, and spent its destructive force upon the main
hatchway over the engine-room, completely demolishing
this massive structure, measuring 12 feet by 8 feet, and
flooding with tons of water this portion of the ship.
Instant endeavours to repair the hatchway were made with
a promptitude and vigour commensurate with the
imminent crisis. Every spare sail that could be
got a', and even blankets and mattresses from all
parts of the ship, were thrown over the aperture, but
each succeeding sea shipped by the vessel tore away
the frail resources of the momeot, and not more than ten
minutes after the hatchway had been destroyed, the water
bad risen above the furnaces and up to the waists of the
engineers and firemen employed in this port of the ship.
The lower decks were also now flooded with the rush of
waters the ship was continually taking in. The chief
engineer remained at his post until the water had risen
shove his waist, when be west on deck and reported that
his fires were out and his engines rendered useless. Captain
Martin, with calm conviction, remarked that he was
not surprised ; on the contrary, he had expected
such a result. Finding his noble ship at length little
7/10111 than r. log ou the water, Captain Martin immediately
ordered his maintopsail to be set, in the hope of keeping her
before the wind. This difficult work had scarcely been
accomplished when the force of the wind tore the sail into
sibands, with the exception of one corner, under which the
ship lay to throughout the remainder of the night. The
donkey engine, supplied with steam by a boiler upon deck,
and all the deck pumps were kept going throughout the
might, and the passengers of all clams, sow aroused to a
cease of their imminent danger, shared with the crow
their arduous labours. Notwithstanding every effort the
water still gained upon the pumps, and the gale
eestinuiag at its height, cross seas with tremen-
dous force were constantly breaking over the vessel,
which at length succumbed to the unequal mad,
Nom this moment the motion of the ship was low and
heavy, and she refused to rise to the action of the waves.
At a quarter after four o'clock on Thursday morning she
wee struck by a stern see, which carried away four of her
esem posts, and admitted a flood of water through the
breech.

From this time all efforts were useless, and at day-
break Captain htartia, whose cool intrepidity had never
far • element forsakes him, entered the caddy where all
does of the passengers had now taking refuge, and, re-
spindle; to an universal appeal, calmly announeed the
emnation of all human hope. It is a remarkable fact that
Ibis Ws= adrainiss was as matalanly aaosived—s ay.