The Express.
London, England, 1861-02-12 00:00:00

THE LATE TERRIFIC CALE.

FURTHER LOSS OF LIFE.

It is our melancholy duty to add to the long lint
of losses of life and property which we published yesterday,
melting from the terrific gale that visited the north coast
on Saturday last.

Our Hartlepool correspondent, writing on Sunday night,
t says :—" After the despatch of my parcel yesterday even-
ing the gale continued to blow with unabated violence until
early morning, when it lulled a little, and during today the
wind has not blown so stroagly, though there is a heavy sea
outside the bar. At about 7 o'clock last night the schooner
Eclipse, of Ipswich, went on chore on the rocks near the
new pier ; the crew were taken out by means of the rocket
' =us. About 10 o'clock fine harp ship, the Kelso, of
bound for China, got on to the Langscar Rock and
sank. The crew, owing to some misunderstanding, it is said,
between the Seaton and West Hartlepool lifeboats' crews,
each of whom expected the other to attend to the wreck,
remained in the rigging all night, and were not taken off
' till this morning. There wasa crew of 20, one of whom was
' drowned. A brig, said to be the Spright, of Weymouth,
was said to have foundered with all hands on the same
, rock during the eight. This morning early the brig Royal
William, of London, took the ground, and sank at a short
distance from West Hartlepool pier ; and close alongside,
the brig Welcome, of London, also sank. The brig Mary
Ann gut on the wreck of the Cyrus this morning, and re-
mained on the bar till the afternoon. This morning, on
visiting the scene of yesterday's disaster, we witnessed such
• eight as has never before, we believe, been seen, and
which defies either the tongue or the pen adequately to de-
scribe. The south end of Middleton Sand was covered with
wreck of all descriptions, and can ouly be compared to what
' might be expected in • great shipbreaker's yard, whilst
hundreds of persons were employed either in stopping the
' vessels not quite destroyed, or in carrying away
portions of the wreck of every description, from
small firewood upwards, whilst numerous horses, carts,
men, women, and children, were busily employed in
gathering and loading coals, of which there are large man-
' tities wething about. Many of the wrecked vowels here
received the most damage from their knocking against each
' other yesterday afternoon. Oa the sand and stools to the
southward of West Hartlepool piers the wreck appears to
exceed in quantity that upon Middletoo Sand, the stony
bottom having broken up the wrecks with greater ere.
' Another catastrophe, we regret to say, took place in the
' vicinity of Wells, on the Norfolk coast, near Cromer.
While the gale was at its height on Saturday morning,
about 9 o'clock, • barque, called the Favourite, Cap-
' thin Summers, bound to Tone del Mar from Hartle.
pool, was driven on shore on the Blakeney West
s. The moment the ship was seen a party of eight
' fishermen nobly ventured out to the rosette of the crew of
' the stranded barque. The sea was running very high, and
' on nearing the sand the boat was capsized, and, melancholy
I to relate, the whole of the poor fellows were drowned. They
' were all married, and have left large familia.. Their names
were Michael !Immingham, Jacob Graveleng, John Esther,
John Neal, Samuel Johnston, William Warns, John John-
, sob, and Thomas Johnson. Three of the bodies have been
picked up. The crew of the stranded ship were afterwards
rescued by another party of fisherman who put off from
' Blakeney. The barque will become a wreck. Another
' vessel was lost near the Name place, the schooner Kingston,
from Hartlepool for Plymouth.
The Irish papers of yesterday are filled with the moat
heart-rending accounts of the disasters occasioned on that
' coast by the storm which burst out late on Friday evening,
and continued with the extremest fury up to an early hour
on Sunday morning. The many wrath' which fill the bar.
hour of Kingstown, or the shattered fragments which strew
the angry and foaming waters from the Tu.= Light to
Belfast Lough, furnish but • meagre index of the devasta-
tion. Many ships are said to have unquestionably gone
down, of which no account will ever be given, and of
whose fate nothing will ever be placed on record. In the
city of Dublin itself houses were stripped, and stout; well-
built and well-barred gates were blown down as if they were
so many playthings. At Portobello 21 feet of the wooden
paling bounding the gardens were prostrated, and along strip
of wall at Harrington-at:vet succumbed in the same way.
' but no injury to life is reported. Between eleven and
twelve o'clock on Saturday the Prince (Captain Reynolds)
arrived from Liverpool—she had her starboard paddle-box
stove in, and from her general appearance it required little
explanation to prove that she bad had to encounter the full
brunt of • terrible storm. Her captain reports that off the
Burford hank, inside the Klatt Light, when a fearful Nee
was running, and when he bad as much as he could do
to save his own ship and all confided to his care, be
maw a full-Aped schooner go down with all bands,
without having the remotest chance of being able to
render assistant*. After a fearful voyage Captain Rey-
nolds succeeded in bringing his vessel and all oil board safe
to their destination. The description given by the pea
mongers of the weather which they had to encounter was
appalling, and were it not for the good seagoing properties
of the steamer Prince, in all probability she would have to
be added to the long catalogue of the ships that went down
with all on beard during this desperate gale.
The following particulars relative to the melancholy loss
of Captain Boyd, of her Majesty's ship Ajax, and • boat's
mew, are from • correspondent of the Preewan's /oersted at
Kingetown :—" A strong gale blew all Friday night from the
N.K, changing to N.W. The schooner Clyde was driven
by the violence of the storm from her position on the back
of the east per into the harbour, and thrown with violence
against the rocks between the Irish Yacht Club-house and
the Coal-quay. She is now • perfect wreck. The brig
' Wanderer, bound from Whitehaven to Dublin, with • cargo
of coals, about 300 tons burthen, on coming into harbour
for shelter ran against the pier, near the Revenue stores,
and sunk ; she is rapidly going to Peen. Altogether there
are about fourteen vessels wrecked or otherwise disabled.
' The whole of the south side of the harbour is lined
with the debris of the vessels gone ashore. It is too
true about the fate of poor Captain Boyd, of her
Majesty's ship Ajax, and his gallant companions. They are
gone—lest is their humane efforts to save the lives of their
brother sailors. Captain Boyd was an Irishman —I believe
a Dative of Derry. During his sojourn amongst us he
gained the esteem of all for his many good qualities. A
nobler fellow never trod the deck—beloved by his officer.
sod men. Three large brigs were perceived drifting in to-
wards the rocks at the back of the East Pier, near to • short
breakwater that was run out some time ago. Captain Boyd
at once observed their perilous situation, and, with the true
spirit of a sailor, immediately summoned his men to
man boats for the pier. They landed, and at once pro-
ceeded
to the other side of the pier, where the vessels
were drifting. The vessels came on and were smashed
co the rocks. The shrieks of those on board were heard far
above the tamped. Ropes were thrown towards them, but
they were driven back with the force of the storm. A
matter was used to threw a line, bet it was utterly useless,
the wind being too strong. The poor sailors were then seen
to throw themselves overbomd, and met with instantaneous
death. Some of Capt. Boyd's men promised ropes, lashed them-
selves with them, and plunged into the surf, to endeavour
to get on board either of the ill-fated vessels, but the sea
was too powerful. At this time • large number of people
collected, all willing and able to assist, but their good inten-
tions were powerless. Their fellow-creatures were drowning
before their eyes, at • few yards' distance, and nothingeould be
done to save them. ('apt. Boyd saved • few of his own men
from death by pulling them out of the surf. It was at this time,
12 o'clock noon, blowing fearfully. At last there was a
treacherous lull, and an INDOTDIOUS ware came round the
point of the breakwater on which he and his brave crew
were standing, and as it receded, swept all that were there
into the sea—the gallant captain and his courageous crew
were seen DO more. Others who were standing as spectators
narrowly escaped death ; fortunately they were extricated
in time from their perilous situation by others. A man
named Anderson, who was standing within a few ysids of
Captain Boyd, gut his thumb jammed between the rocks,
and thus was miraculously preserved tehis family. Those
who esca were bruised and otherwise wounded. It
is re some people in civilian gsrh, who were swept
in the same wave that curried the others away,
were seen no more. I am not able to say at pre-
sent whether they were belonging to the town or not.
His Excellency the Lord Lieutenant arrived in the after-
noon and proceeded to the ill-fated spot, where he met
Lieut. Morrell and some sailors engaged in the melancholy
duty of scorching for the remains of his commander and his
volunteer crew. His Excellency expressed his deep sym•
patty at this truly sad occumice, and was much affected
on hearing the sad details. Eight of the bodies have already
been takeu up ; some were finely fastened between the
reeks, and had to be hooked out. Sad was the sight to see
them taken one by one to the receptacle for them at the
revenue stores, until the necessary inquest is held. 'De
pace fellows were in different positions when found. Some
had their arms clasped 'over their heads. and others had them
upraised, as if implode& their Creator to spare them. Their
clothes were torn off by the sharp rocks, and the majority
were found in a complete eate of nudity. It was a truly
pitiable and heartrending sight to see those fine fellows, who
were strong and healthy at ten o'clock, livid corpses at noon.
Among the spectators there were few dry eyes, all were
more or less affected at the sight. Since my report at 11
cm. on yesterday about eight more vessel' have been
wrecked within the harbour. It is utterly impossible to
ascertain the names of all, IA not • vestige of them remains.
Fortunately the crews were saved. One of the vessels that
Captain Boyd was assisting was called the Neptune, and
the only person that was saved out of her by W 2 F, as men-
tioned before, is the master, Fanning. He reports he left
six on board her. Their names are—John Watson, Edward
Fleming, Patrick Dudgeon, Bernard Morris, and Edward
Goodman. All were able bodied sailors, but are sow gone.
I have just heard that there are but five of the Ajax
suitors missing. Their names are—Corry, Johnson,
Russell, Murphy, and Forsyth. The bodies are all re-
covered, with the exception of Forsyth. Rowell was the
only married man amongst them. Captain Boyd's brother
has just arrived from England ; he was telegraphed fur.
The bogy has not yet been found.
The ships that are lost, utterly destroyed in harbour and
vicinity, are the Leven, Clyde, the Clans, Ranger, Royal
Sovereign, Caroline, Hero, King Olive, Mary. Neptune, ,
schooner Wanderer, and brig of the same name, and several •
other craft minus their sails and rigging, and other-
. wife disabled. Oa an average there has been about 3,000
tom nippuig entirely destroyed, and about 2.5 lives lost.
Au aoffleste account of the cessalties cannot be given at
present. lam Certain' from 300 to CO vessels must have
heft Ardrossan, Maryport, Whitehaven, Runcorn. and other
coal-exporting ports, and we shall never hear tidings of '
scene of them.
The brie of railway between Delgany and Kilcoon was