The Sun.
London, England, 1855-10-30 00:00:00

EXTRACTS FROM THE HARBOURMASTER'S JOURNAL.
" Royal Harbour, Ramsgate„ Oct. 26.
"Daybreak.—During the past night a continual and
heavy gale from south-west, and wind and sea increas-
ing. The steam-packet Queen of the French, with pas.
sengers from Calais, came in, w;th one engine disabled,
but took the harbour well, and those on board imme.
diately disembarked without difficulty.
"At half flood prepared the lifeboat, manned the
second boat, ordered steamer Aid to prepare for service.
At 10 a.m. a storm of wind, with very heavy sea in the
harbour entrance and at the back of the piers ; stationed
an extra man with the coxswain at the Pier-end, and
another by myself, with the signal staves, to wave the
vessels in, as they kept too far to leeward and were en-
tering very badly, without sufficient canvas to give them
proper steerage way through the sea and tide ; and
ordered steamer Aid to tow the arrivals to the weather
side of the harbour, if possible to clear the others run-
ning in.

f‘ Sent gangs of labourers to both basin gateways to
assist the coxswains there to get the crippled vessels
and those Without anchors passed through into safety.
At 10.50 a.m. a small oyster cutter, belonging to Col-
chester, came for the harbour, with only small head
sails, and improperly across the tide. Waved and hailed
to no purpose to induce her to keep more in, but having
no after sail she fell athwart the pier, and one of her
crew was snatched ashore from the rigging as she fell
into the sea, and immediately swamped in the terrific
sea outside and its rebound from the walls. One poor
fellow was too much injured by the broken bowsprit to
ascend the rigging, and was soon gone. All hands now
endeavoured to throw lines on to the wreck as she fell
over to seaward about 30 feet from the parapet wall,
but the wind was so heavy that the lead lines, which
are kept for that purpose, could not be thrown success-
fully from the strongest arms. The life cranes, with
their baskets, were already over, but would not reach.
Ordered the steamer Aid immediately to attempt the sea
with the lifeboat ; the heavy sea between the piers ren-
dered it doubtful, and the Ramsgate mariners being gene-
rally, with all my disposable force, engaged in assisting
distressed vessels inside the harbour, some detention
took place in manning the lifeboat ; but in about 20
minutes both vessels passed out clear through a sea
which repeatedly filled the lifeboat, but left her as
quickly through the relieving valves. As she cleared
the pier-head I hailed them to cut the tow-rope, and
take to their oars, to let go their anchor, and veer
away down to the wreck, which was fast breaking up.

"We had succeeded in castingtwo of Cartes' liftbuoys
into the tideway with lines attached and streamed them
to the wreck, but they became fouled among the spars,
and the poor fellows could not reach them. The steamer
Aid could not place the lifeboat in consequence of the
vessels running for the harbour entrance, and at this
moment the French gun-brig St. Barbe struck the pier,
went behind it also, and drove down athwart the wrock,
and as her stern passed the mast one of the poor smacks-
men jumped into her rigging and was saved.
" The brig then drove clear of the walls and let go
her anchor. Two of the smack's crew now remained
clinging to the rigging, and it was evident that the life-
boat must take the risk of rowing right on to the wreck
if these men were to be saved, and I continued bailing
and waving them to do so. They then rowed right at
her, threw a line across one of the men, which be
fastened around him, and they hauled lnin on board,
but the lifeboat began to subside rapidly, and it was
very clear that they bad stove her in so doing. They
backed her out olear of the Raffle, throwing at the same
time a Cartes' lifebuoy to the remaining smacksman,
into which he succeeded in placing himself, and the life-
boat's crew endeavoured to haul him out clear, but,
strange fatality, his legs were so fixedly entangled in the
ropes and rigging that they were obliged to desist. He,
with great apparent presence of mind, released one arm
from the lifebuoy and endeavoured to extricate his legs,
but the cause which held him fast (as a heavy sea broke
over him) drew him out of the lifebuoy, and he disap-
peared, and thus three only of, the smack's crew, out of
qv-Ave, were saved. 'The water being now -nissilY up to
'-'1"71.6 thwarts of the lifeboat, the crew made sail upon her,
ran her into Broadstairs, and landed the rescued man,
and had him put to bed and attended to. Our attention
had also been directed to the French gun-brig. Her en-
gine was disabled by striking on the ground. James
Hogden, my coxswain of lifeboat, had been left on
shore in the haste of getting her to sea, and, as we
have a smaller lifeboat suspended tl a davit from
the parapet wall, he with three others had
jumped into her, and got on board the French brig, and
advised the commander to cast her to seaward, and he
would take her clear of the shoals. They had done so,
and the French consul came to me for steam assistance,
and I pointed him to our steamer Aid already on her
way after her, in consequence of a signal which I had
made to those on board to do so. In about an hour I
had the satisfaction of seeing the brig towed in, the
French crew cheering as she entered. I then despatched
the Aid to Broadstairs after the lifeboat, in case she
should bear towing back ; and about 4.30 p.m. had the
gratification to receive her again into harbour, but she
was supported entirely by the air chambers. Her gar-
board (or keel strake) was stove in its whole length, and
a few more blows upon the wreck would have sent her
adrift in fragments ; and any other lugger (not a life-
boat) would have gone down and all hands with hsr.
Ordered her on shore for immediate repair, and retired
after eight hours of anxious exertion and drenching upon
the piers. About 40 sail had entered for shelter, more
or less distressed. One brig broke all her ropes, drove
across the sluice guides and bilged ; the rest were safely
moored in the basin and kept afloat.
" K. B. MARTIN, Harbourmaster."

(Copy of a letter addressed to the Commander of French
gun•brig Arquebuse, lying in Ramsgate Harbour.)
" Oct. 27.
" Dear Sir,—Allow me to thank you for the prompt
manner in which you sent your boats to assist the dis-
tressed vessels running into this harbour during the
storm of yesterday, and under the trying circumstances
which took place.
"It is not, I assure you, the first time in which I have
received assistance from the French Marine in the exe.
cution of my official duties.
" I have the honour to remain your obliged servant,
"K. B. MARTIN, Harbourmaster.
"The Commander, Arquebuse, F.N."