The Express.
London, England, 1867-12-10 00:00:00

THE LATE DISASTERS AT SEA.

PADSTOW, CORNWALL, MONDAY.

•
During a fresh gale from the N., with heavy
squalls last night (states the Rev. It. Tyacke), the chief
officer of coast guard discovered a vessel stranded on the
Doom bar. He gave the intelligence to the coxswain of
the Albert Edward lifeboat of the National Lifeboat Insti-
tution. He at once summoned his crew, and as soon as a
sufficient number of them were assembled the lifeboat was
launched, and proceeded to the bar. They arrived there
after being driven beck three times by the tide and heavy
seas, and dropped down to the vessel, when a oommunica-
tion was effected between her and the boat, but the line
unfortunately parted, and some difficulty was experienced
in effecting • second communication owing to the heavy
seas. Ultimately, however, this was effected, and the
crew of three men were rescued and brought safely ashore,
the boat having been absent two hours and • half. In
leaving the vessel the cable of the boat had to be slipped.
The lifeboat shipped several seas, and once the whole of
the starboard oars were knocked out of the men's hands,
and would have been lost but for the lanyards attaching
them to the boat. The lifeboat behaved very well, and
the crew acted with perfect discipline and coolness.
Great credit is due to the brave crew of the Padatow life-
boat, as some of the men who were afloat in her on the
occasion went through that fearful ordeal of being upset
from the boat on the Gth of February last. They were
then three-quarters of a mile from the land, but they suc-
ceeded, having their lifebelts on, in reaching the beach
under great difficulties sad dangers. It is also a proof of
the unabated confidence they have in their valuable life-
boat, which they have positively declined to exchange for
any other that could be given to them.
DONNA NOOK, LINCOLNSHIRE, DEC. 7.
Henry Pye, Esq., transmits the following report from the
coxswain of the lifeboat North Briton, stationed at this
place. It is one of the most remarkable instances on
record of the determination of these lifeboat men to do
their duty under the most trying circumstances, and appa-
rently insurmountable difficulties. On Sunday last, the
weather being very stormy, I, with six others and two
horses, at 12 o'clock at night, walked the coast for upwards
of four miles in the direction of Greinithorpe Haven, when
we discovered a schooner on the sands, which the crew
(consisting of three men) were about to leave. Her name
was the Mary Ant, of Whitby, in ballast. The men being
strangers and much fatigued, we took them back to Donna
Nook on the horses, where I put them to bed,
and at 2.30 the same night we again left the
Nook, and went back to the schooner, and moored
her, and while there discovered another schooner throwing
up signals
, of distress, and burning tar hernia between
Mr. e's house and the station, when we immediately re-
turned, it then being about b o'clock a.m., and sent mes-
sengers for the crew and the launching men, and at day-
light, about 7 am., hoisted my flag to expedite the crew,
which signal was also seen by the crew of the schooner.
We got the boat off about lam., but the heavy gale
holding up the tide, the horses had to go a mile and a
quarter belly deep before reaching the outer bank of sand,
and so as to get to the windward of the schooner; but the
tide running so rapidly, backed up by the wind, the
launching men, being up to their armpits in water,
could not stand to pull the boat off the truck,
and were obliged to get into the boat, when we
shoved her off the truck, and over the bank with
our oars, and with great difficulty reached the schooner,
which proved to be the Esk, from Montrose, in ballast,
and, after fastening the boat by anchor and ropes, we suc-
ceeded in getting six bands aboard the boat, and brought
them hack as far as the above bank, where she grounded,
and all hands (except the crew of the schooner) got out,
and, up to their middle in water, dragged the boat as far
as they could ; but not being able to get clear, all got out.
except myself, and waded, up to their middles upwards of
a rnile, to the station-house, which they reached about
12.30, but all so frozen and starved, that it was necessary
to send for a medical man, who restored most of
them before he left—one coastinardman being still under
treatment, though better, this morning. I remained with
my boat and truck to secure them from loss or damage, and
did not get up till late at night, when I found that none of
the farmers would let their horses go out again, they being
so perished as to peril their lives. I then waded back to
my boat, with another cossiguardman when we discovered
• third schooner at 6 am., with signals of distress flying,
nearly eight miles away. When I got back to the station
again I sent for the crew and lsunchmen, but none
of the neighbouring farmers would allow their horses
to go out again ; indeed, they could scarcely keep
them alive from their first exposure to the cold,
so that I was obliged to abandon the effort
to get to the vessel, and it was not till the eve m& of the
day that I could get any horses to bring back the boat to
the station. The gale having then considerably mode-
rated we got her up without sustaining any injury. I
never experienc.Kl a more trying time for men and horses.
I never had my clothes off from the Saturday night to
Tuesday night, or any rest, being soaked through all Mon-
day and Tuesday. The crew of the third schooner referred
to were eared by Heedless riding into the water and bring-
ing them off.
.._ . .

It should be added that many parts of the Lincolnshire
coast are very flat, and often shallower at some distance
from the land.
(Signed) THOMAS Dome;
Coxswain of the Lifeboat.
DROGHEDA, IRELAND, DEC. 7.

The schooner Mountaineer, of this place, bound here
from Ardroasan with coals, in running for the bar in a
fresh gale from N.E. and heavy sea, was driven on shore
on the South Bull (reports Mr. Fackrell, the officer of
coastguardl. As soon as this was known at the lifeboat
station of the National Lifeboat Institution, the boat was
launched, but on reaching the spot found that the crew
were determined to remain by the vessel as she did not
appear to have sustained much damage and the tide was
bbing.

THE 19TH MIDDLESEX. —Last evening the annual
regimental dinner of the 19th Middlesex (the "Tom
Browns"), one of the smartest corps in the metropolis,
well held at Radley's Hotel, under the presidency of Lieu-
tenant. Colonel Hughes, M.P. The occasion was one of
more than ordinary interest from the fact that an address
of congratulation was presented to Colonel Williams, who,
in the early days of the volunteer movement, did great
service to rifle shooting, and attained no little distinction
as the first captain of the English Twenty in the Inter.
national Match. The congratulation was on his attaining
the prosrotion to the important command of the Finsbury
Rifle Corps (the ;i9th Middlesex). a regiment which is as
prowl of the distinction thus conferred upon it as its com-
mander is of the positi 41. Among the officers present were
Major Bailey, Captains Sheen, Read, M'Donnell, and
Thompson, Lieutenants Sutton, Preeton,G reene (of the 29th
Middlesex), Fowler, Phelan, and Moore, and other officers.
Colonel Hughes, in proposing the toast of the evening,
and in presenting the address, said the 19th, six years ago,
were happy to obtain the services of Captain Williams,
who, besides being a soldier who wore on his brevet a
distinguishing medal for the part he took in one of them
gallant actions which had raised the English name in
India—namely, for the battle of Sobraon—had been twice,
as a rifleman, within a shade of winning the Queen's Price
itself. The speaker referred to the great success which
had attended Colonel Williams's efforts to make the 19th a
shooting corps, and mentioned that as commandant he had
already challenged his old corps to a match with his new
one. The address was then presented, and Colonel
Williams made a reply amid the continued cheers of the
company. In the course of his observations he urged upon
the volunteers the necessity for keeping well to their drill;
for, he said, if the war clouds on the Continent did not
disperse, the defence body of these shores would have to
be increased fourfold, and then the present volunteers
would have to be the nucleus, the instructors, and officers
of the larger body. The health of Colonel Hughes was
afterwards proposed and received with enthusiaans.