Northern Times.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1857-07-02 00:00:00

DREADFUL LOSS OF THE SHIP OOEA.N QUEEN.

We regret to have to announce a most distressing
shipwreck, that of the total loss of the British
ship Ocean Queen, of London, on her homeward
voyage from Bombay, and the sacrifice, it is feared,
( of. most of her crew;who were left on an uninhabited
island ih "the Wiatiabique Channel, and met with
horrible deaths from starvation. The sad tidings
'of the loss was made known. to Lloyd's yesterday by
-the•owners, Messrs, Towse, who had, in the morning
received a letter from the commander, Captain
Reed, who, with his son, and a young midship-
man named Hoyle, appear to be the only survivors
of the ship's company. The Ocean Queen,
,by
Lloyd's register, is 'described as a barque 450 tons,
and claimed A for nine years, having been built at
.Sunderland, in 1851.. She sailed from England in
the month of April, 1855. for Bombay, having a
crew of 22 hands, and three apprentices. Since
then she seems to have made voyages between
Bombay, Calcutta, and China, and was last on the
passage to England from Bombay, when she met
with the accident which resulted in her total loss,
and the sad fate of her helpless crew We have
'been favoured with the letter of Captain Rees to
-Messrs. Towse, the owners, of which the following
is a copy :

Mozambique, April 16, 1857.
Gentlemen,---I have a most painful duty to perform, that-
of informing you of the sad disaster which befel the Ocean
Queen, on the night of the 3rd of last March, when she
Was totally lost _upon a shod, extending about eight i miles
to the southern of the Island of Bazaruta, in the Mozam-
bique Channel. The ship struck between ten and eleven
°Clock, and although all sail, was put aback, and -every
effort was used to get her off, she remained, and, soon
showed symptoms of breaking up. Lost no time in
Preparing the boats, but it was impossible to launch them ;
4 terrific sea was breaking right over the.ship. The next
-day got the long boat over, and many things in it—water,
provisions, &c.—in the hopes of being able to get
to the shore. The- sea, however, which still kept
rolling in heavily, carried away the stern, and the boat
filled and went down alongside the ship. We then pre-
pared a raft of spars, &c., on which they lashed water
casks and provisions, a puncheon of water, and some chests
of clothes. It was completed, and got clear, but through
some mismanagement of those who were in the skiff, the
raft was capsized, and a similar fate occurred to the skiff,
and the crew were thrown into the sea. There remained
on the wreck seven hands, including myself. We got
the gig out and managed to clear the ship, and after
pulling for half an hour, heard a " cry," and on making
for the spot, found G. Farwell, a midshipman, floatit;',
on -some spars. We took him into the beat, and searched
about for the others. Came up with the skiff, bottom up,
which was taken in tow, and shortly afterwards saw the
raft, and took another midshipman off it, and left two
apprentices with others of the crew on it, to make for the
land. We saw a place in a narrow inlet between the
islands, which the gig succeeded in getting in ;
smooth water and a sandy shore. We then put
off and towed the raft into the narrow, and succeeded
in .hauling it up on the beach. Two men were
drowned out of the skiff. We got a little rest that night,
and next morning at daybreak started over to where the
Wreck laid off, in the hopes of picking up Many of the
articles that had been thrown overboard, for they had
thrown out a great quantity after she struck; but little or
nothing could be found. We then had a consoltation
*hat was best to be done when it was determined that I
should take' the boat' with some of the able hands, and
make every' 'effort to send assistance to the island. At
eleven o'clock a.m., I left in the boat, taking with me my
lane Alfred Hoyle (1, midshipman), the cook, and four
Thew; leaving the second mate and the remainder of the
erevicon the island. We Sat sail with a southerly wind,
and kept close along the coast; but for days saw nothing
approaching an inhabitable spot. At length, after
frightful suffering, for our stock of water and
provisions had become exhausted, we sighted Sofala,
and reached the port near the mouth of the river, hut
could not heed that night. We attempted and nearly
lost our lives in the mud. At daylight next morning
finding the entrance clear, we pulled up,it and safely
landed. The • commandant, on being 'apprised of our
position, took as to his residence, and gave us refreshment
and clothes, and everything that could alleviate our wants,
as far as his means admitted. On hearing of the situation
•of the remainder of the ship's crew, he immediately set
about preparing an expedition to go in search of the men,
and the next morning the only bats in the river started
on their mission. They. were unsuited for. the purpose,
and were absent thirteen days, without being_ able to
reach the island. Those who had volunteered seemed to
have suff..red very much; .menY of them were in a'most
exhausted condition, their stock of water and provision.
having been exhausted several 'der. No further attempt
was made to make a second search ; no one it seemed would
go. So we were compelled to abandon our poor fellows to
their fate. A chance craft coming in from Mohler,
(a Camero Island), bound' for Mozambique the
commandant obtained a passage for us on board this ves-
eel. We bad a long passage, and suffered intensely from
hunger and thirst, for there was nothing to eat or drink
on board. George Farwell, midshipman (whom I omitted
to say was one of our party), died on board four days after
leaving Sofala. Poor fellow, he died in my son's arms.
Reaching Mozambique, found to our great surprise little
or an commiseration for our miserable condition. The
governor certainly lodged the men, but their accommo-
dation was far from being comfortable. He has promised
them a' passage in a ship going to Lisbon in about a fort•
night's time. I cannot describe the suffering we have
endured. All I know to be living to a_perteinty are three
in numbeir--myself, son, and Hoyle. The cook an I one
seaman were 'left at SJfala with fever.--Signed, Parrett
REES,. late master of the Ocean Queen.—To Moisrs,
Towse, London.
The island where the miserable men were aban-
doned is the largest of a group to the northward
of Cape .St. Sebastian (on the eastern coast of
Africa), and is in lat. 21.37. S., long. 35 28. E.
Sofala is 100 miles to the northward of Bazaruta.
The ship and •freight were insured at Lloyd's.