The Express.
London, England, 1866-08-21 00:00:00

THE FATAL COLLISION OPP THE SUFFOLK

COAST.

Mr. Joseph Fry, bookseller, Chelmsford, who was a pas-
senger on board the Bruiser, gives the following account of
this catastrophe :—I had gone to bed in the saloon part of
the cabin about 11 o'clock on the previous evening, the
weather being calm and the sea smooth. I went to sleep
soon after, and remember nothing more until I was sud-
denly awoke in the morning about 3 o'clock. The noise
which awoke me was a strong loud crash, and when I
looked out I s►w a gentleman who slept in the adjoining
berth already on the cabin floor. I hurriedly asked what
was the matter, but received only as a reply that &swa-
thing had happened to the ship. I then put some articles
of dress on, and at once hurried on deck, where I found
the greater portion of the passengers in a state of semi-
nudity. Everything was in the greatest confusion. The
captain told the passengers to take to the rigging, as the
ship was sinking. A great number of people obeyed the
order, but I was so unnerved by the sight which pre-
sented itself that I was unable to mount into the shrouds.
The boats which were responded to the davits amid_
ships were both stove in, and there was only a small boat
on the quarter deck that could be launched. In the
meantime the ship that bad run into us was entangled in
the rigging. Her bowsprit extended right across our
vessel, and all her crew were in the bows. They lowered
ropes to bring the people on board, and by this
means some were hauled up, while others managed to
scramble on board by the bowsprit or any other means
that they could command. In the meantime the captain
gave orders that the only remaining boat should be lowered,
and the women and children were ordered to be ready to
get in. The sea was perfectly calm at the time, and there
appeared no difficulty about getting all the passengers
transferred from the one vessel to the other. The
boat was let down, and all was ready, but some
of the women in the dim twilight of the morn-
ing hesitated about being lowered down the side
of the ship into such a small boat, and after
endeavouring to persuade a young girl to go in after two
sailors, who had taken charge of the boat, and finding
that she would not go in, I descended by a rope, and was
the third person in the boat. I think there were nine or
ten of us in when we pushed off. We reached the side of
the other ship and got on board, but not too soon. The
vessel that we bad left had been gradually settling down,
and although in the hurry which distracted every one
except the captain, we could not see exactly what injury
our own ship had received, we disc crewed after we were
safe that she was almost cut in two. She was now going
rapidly, and half-naked figures of helpless women, with
streaming hair and despairing looks, were seen clinging to
the shrouds. Just then a schooner hove in sight,
and seeing what had occurred she bore down upon us.
She arrived in time to be of service, for she succeeded in
taking off several of the unfortunate persons who were
left on the wreck. I was conveyed in the other steamer
to London. I never shall forget the awfulness of the
scene that presented itself on the occasion of the ship
going down. As I have said, there were a great num-
ber of persons clinging to the shrouds, and their wailing,
for help were heard above the beetle and hurry which
possessed every one. Orders were given for all manner of

things to be done, and everything was done to save life
which it was possible to do under the circumstances. Bat
above all this the shrieking of terrified women was heard,
and bslf-franticmen rushed in every direction with the
hope of rendering assistance to those who were yet on the
wreck. The ship into which I had got had steamed
astern, so as to clear herself from the sinking vessel ; but
we had not gone further away than was absolutely mos-
airy for safety. I have said that I got into the small boat
and reached the other ship, but my time in relating it
far exceeds the time in which the occurrences took place.
Indeed, so rapidly did one matter succeed another that it
is with difficulty I can recollect the order of events. One

thing I do remember, however, and I am sure I shall never
forget it, and that is the awful sight of the sinking ship
taking with her some twenty human beings. All of •
sudden the ship seemed to heel, and then plunging head-
foremost beneath the waves, a boiling surge succeeded,
and for ever drowned the cries of the unfortunate ore&
tures who had been unavoidably left on the wreck. I
afterwards inquired of the captains of the two vessels how
the accident occurred, but they replied they were unable
to say. Both ships showed lights, and both had men
stationed on the look-out ; but no signal was given to the
helmsman until the collision took place.
Our Great Yarmouth correspondent writes : The

collision took place about 1 in the morning. All the
meow= were in bed at the time ; the usual watch we,
being kept ; the weather was very fine ; there was little or
no wind, and the sea was calm. Between Aldborough and
Suutliwold, near the Wirewell Bank of the coast of Suf-
folk, the collier dashed into the Bruiser, striking her
right in the centre. The water rushed into the engine-
room and put out the fires. A fearful scene ensued, the
assengers running up on deck in their night clothes. The
Bruiser sunk rapidly, but a ladder was placed from the
one steamer to the other, and a number of the passengers
succeeded in scrambling on board the Oswald. Others,
however, in attempting to do so were drowned, while others
were sucked down. When the Bruiser foundered, provi-
dentially the schooner Perseverance, Captain Gaines, of
London, came up and picked up three passengers a man
named Stout, a woman and her nephew, who were brougLt
to Yarmouth and landed at the Sailors' Home. They
were in their night clothe* when rescued, and in a very
exhausted state.

Lola OF THI BIM LADY STZWART.—The nap- '
tain and crew of the brig Lady Stewart, of South Shields,
arrived in Shields on Saturday morning from London,
The muter, Captain William Talley, gives the following
account of his marvellous escape :—" We left Shields har-
bour on Sunday, the sth inst., and all went well till the
7th, when the wind came away from S.W., with a strong
sea. At 9 a.m. we took in our topgallantmast sails and
double reefed topsails. The ship on being sounded was
found to be making a little water. About 8 o'clock there
was a heavy squall of wind with a Kish sea running. We
took in foresails and jib. The ship laboured heavily,
and began to make much water. At 9 o'clock we
were overtaken with a destructive squall, carrying
away :our foremast and maintopmaat. At midnight got
the wreck cleared away. Sounded pumps and found
24 inches water in the hold. All hands attended to the
pump, the ship labouring heavily, and making much
water. On the Bth, about 7.30 a.m., found water gaining
on the ship, and at 2.25 p.m. saw a clipper supposed to be
the Bremen pilot cutter. Bore down on her and urged
on the captain to take us in tow, but he would not, and
went away and left us in a sinking state. At 3 p.m. there
was no possibility of saving the vessel, the men at the
pumps being completely exhausted. We then made up
our minds to leave at the risk of losing our lives. At 4 p.m.
we left the vessel without any prospect of being picked up
that night, and at 5 p.m. lost sight of the vessel. She
mart have gone down shortly after leaving, as we had
only drifted about a mile when she disappeared. There
was a fearful sea rolling, and we were obliged to pull the
bead of the boat to sea. She rolled heavily, and at 9 p.m.
it being very dark, we threw a bucket overboard with a
line attached for the purpose of steadying her. The boat
drifted at the rate of two miles an hour. At midnight a
strong breeze came away, with a high sea, and there was
little hope of being saved. The boat was cleverly managed,
and rose beautifully with the billows. On the morning of
the 9th, at 4 p.m., one of the men saw what appeared to be
the mast of a vessel to the eastward of our boat. This was
gladsome intelligence. Every man then began to awake
from the desponding mood he had sank into in consequence
of the danger he was exposed to. We made towards the
vessel, and at 7.45 the captain made us out to be a boat in
distress. The captain of the ship hauled his main yard
' abaft, and very kindly took us on board. The vessel was
the brig Noraken, Captain Peterson, of Sundsburg, for
Nieu Dieppe, whilh port he landed us at on the 13th. We
• left Nieu Dieppe for London in the Diana (s.), and arrived
there yesterday morning."
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