The Sun.
London, England, 1864-05-07 00:00:00

Fearful Accident at Sea to a Drogheda

Steamer,

APPREHENDED LOSS OF 60 PASSENGERS.
( From the Freeman's Journal.)
HOLYHEAD, Thursday Evening.
The steamship Leinster Lass, belonging to the
port of Drogheda, and sailing between that port
and Liverpool, between one and two o'clock this
morning, when about four miles to the north of
the Sherries Light, broke her piston rod. No sooner
had the piston smashed than, with irresistible force
and a tremendous crash, it shot through the cylin-
der and broke through the ship's bottom. The
engine-nom and between decks were at once
swamped ; and when I remind you that there were
between 250 and 300 emigrants on board, and the
time the dead dark of the night, you and your
readers can better imagine the scene of confusion,
tumult, and alarm which prevailed than 1 can con-
vey it. It is, however, easy to picture to one's
self what must have occurred. It is feared the men
attending in the engine-room were at once
drowned by the sudden inundation, and that
some of the emigrants were also lost even on
board the vessel. Orders were given to lower the
boats ; but no sooner was the command made than
crowds of the emigrants, actuated by the common
impulse of self-preservation, crowded the boats.
The consequence, of course, was that, being over-
crowded, they were immediately swamped, and it
Is believed that by this accident no less than fifty
emigrants were drowned. I have also been in-
formed that the fastenings of the boats having been
overtaxed by the numbers who flocked into them
gave way, precipitating' those in them into the
water.

Fortunately, for the remaining portion of the
passengers, at this moment the screw steamship
Torch, on her voyage from Liverpool to Dublin,
hove in sight, and having been signalled at once
replied, and bore down to the Leinster Lass, and
without delay got the disabled vessel in tow and
brought her into harbour. It is believed that the
watertight compartments of the Leinster Lass
saved her from becoming an entire wreck.
[We should state that the
,accounts of this
accident which reached Dublin and Drogheda in
the course of last evEning mention the number of
persons lost as five, which we sincerely hope may
prove to be the correct statement.—ED. F. .I.]

THE TREATMENT OF THE POOR IN
BETHNAL-GREEN.

OFFICIAL POOR-LAW INQUIRY.

Yesterday morning Mr Farnall resumed the Poor-law
investigation at the Bethnal-green Workhouse, Waterloo-
road, Victoria-park.
The case of Mary Ann Anfield was proceeded with.
Mrs Klumb was sworn—She was nurse when Mary Ann
Anfield was in the infirmary. Mr Smart had charge of all
the patients in the infirmary. In witness's side of the in-

firmary there were about 240 or 250 persons, male and
female. Mr Smart said that altogether there were about
300. The witness said that quite half of those persons were
aged; the rest were labouring under disease. Mr Smart
came every day; sometimes he came twice or three times a
day. Mrs Anfield was in the house about three weeks, and
the doctor saw her daily. She considered the dietaries to be
on a very liberal scale. Witness as a nurse knew that pa-
tients often were fastidious. They rejected food, but it was
because of the badness of their stomachs, and not because
anything was wrong with the fold. If anything was wrong

witness could always remedy it. The guardians came