The Sun.
London, England, 1864-12-31 00:00:00

Steamboat Collision and Loss of Four Lives

It is our painful duty to record another fatal
steamboat collision, which occurred at an early hour
on Thursday morning, resulting in a sacrifice of four
lives, and the foundering of a small steamboat. The
circumstances are as follows :—The screw steamer
Guy Fawkes, 34 tons, A. Campbell, master, left the
tail of the bank about 6, on Thursday morning
bounefor the Karnes Gunpowder Works, situated in
Kyles of Bute, having on board a quantity of nitrate
of soda, about 1,200 empty kegs, and other general
cargo. The morning was comparatively clear, and
the Guy Fawkes had all her lights out according to
Government instructions. When rounding Kempoch
Point, to the westward of Gourock, the lights of a
large steamer coming up the river were observed. The
Guy Fawkes was rounding the point close in shore,
the tide at the time being about low water. When

the lights of the steamer were observed, the man
at the wheel on board the Guy Fawkes got orders

to port the helm, which was at once done. The
bow of the steamer was thus pointed for the Dunoon
shore. The Earl of Carlisle continued her proper
course, but the master, fearing his vessel might take
the ground, gave orders to starboard the helm,
which was done. Both vessels consequently were
thus steering for mid channel. The result was that
the Guy Fawkes was struck by the Earl of Carlisle,
o❑ the starboard quarter, close to the mainmast,
receiving such injuries as to cause her to founder in
about ten minutes after the collision. The small
boat of the Guy Fawkes was stove in, and the crew
wsre thus left without any means of escape. An
attempt was made to tint the Guy Fawkes ashore,
but the water rushed in so sptelily us to put out

the fires, and the vessel sank immediately thereafter.
The hands at once made provision for saving their
lives, each man laying hold of some buoyant sub•
stance is order to float until assistance could reach
him. The steanatr.mniie longsitcuit before lower-
ing a boat, and upon a small boat being sent only
one of the crew of the Guy Fawkes could be disco-
vered. This man, named Dancin M'Farlane, was
at once taken on board the Earl of Carlisle in a very
exhausted state. The narocs of those drowned are :
—Archibald master, aged about 28 years,
married, and one chi,u ; Hugh ll'Ktnzie, engineer,
married, and five children ; llawald M.liellur, deck
hand, unmarried; Alexander Thomson, aged about
19 years, unmarried.
The unfortunate men all resided in Karnes. None
of the bodi have been found. The coastguards
men stationed at Kempoch Point put off in their
heat, but none t,f the immersed men could be seen.
Other boats were also put off from Gourock, but
unfortunately too late to render any assistance.
Duncan M'Farlane, the man who was saved, states
that all the crew clung to pieces of floating wreck
until, becoming exhausted, one after another sank
and was drowned. M'Farlane believes he was about
three quarters of an hour in the water ere he was
picked up. All hands were on deck on board the
Guy Fawkes at the time of the collision. The sea
was comparatively calm and the morning clear.
The Guy Fawkes is supposed to have sunk in about
15 fathoms. An attempt, we believe, will be made
to raise her. The Earl of Carlisle wets uninjured.—
Glasgow Herald.

STATE OF TRADE.

111aNcHEsTEn, Dec. 30 —The war news from America on
Wednesday caused an unexpected dulness in this market,
and the intelligence flashed, by telegraph from Liverpool
in the first report 9f the cotton market this morning, that
there was an exoeis in stock beyond what daily and weakly
reports had led us to expect of no less than 114,090 bales, or
£3,000,000 worth of cotton, at the close of the year, has
taken spinners somewhat by surprico. The annual s',ock-
taking at Liverpool has caused a sensation before, but eel..
tainly not to the extent of three millions sterling, There has
hardly been time up to the present writing for its effect to be
fully appreciated here; but buyers of yarns have held aloof
and no offers of any moment have been made in shipping
yarns. The stagnation in business caused by the com-
bined effect of the excess in the stock of cotton and of the
American news is great, but business people are of late LO
much accustomed to sensation effects that they are not so
easily moved as they would have been a few years ago. The
advices from Liverpool to-day that prices had fallen id to
id per lb on cotton (equal to about £4OO, in the whole
stock) has only tended to confirm buyers in the wisdom of
inaction. Of co urse, as the excess of stock at Liverpool is
a good deal in low qualities of cotton, the lower qualities of
yarn are most affected here. In home-trade yarns there
has not been much change in prices. No doubt manufac-
turers might have bougbt more cheaply, but they were not
disposed to make offers, and very little business has been
done. The cloth market has also been flat and dull. The
business done has been at prices a shade in favour of buyers,
but there has been exceedingly little purchasing on the one
hand, and no great desire to sell on the other.
LEEDS.—The following is the trade report of the Leeds
Chamber of Commerce for December December is sel-
dom a very active month in the woollen cloth halls, and
the past month has been no exception to the rule. Consi-
dering the season, however, there is no great reason to co.ma
plain. The merchants are generally busy stocktaking.
Some considerable quantities of low goods have changed
hands, and altogether the prospect looks better than at the
date of last month's report. The mills are very fairly em-
ployed. The woollen cap manufacturers are ,
busier. The
last series of public wool sales closed on the 15th inst. The
unusually large proportion of short and faulty wools, both
Australian and Cape, depressed the prices of these descrip-
tions, while good stapled Port Philip and Van Diemen
wools fully maintained their price. A slight improvement
in Cape wools occurred towards the close, and since then the
home demand has been good, and prices are firmer. There
has been a moderate business in English wools, and prices
are better. As to the floc and linen yarn trades, the busi-
ness done has been limited, and quotations are nominal. In
other markets fl ties of all descriptions have been sold at
lower rates. There has been a fair demand for better tows,
but conunon and lower sorts ore little sought for. The
spinners are not so well supplied with orders as sonic months
ago, but there has on the whole been a better feeling than
was the case in October. Threads are without change. The
demand for the better sorts ot iron continues good, and the
makers aro well supplied with orders. For lower sorts and
merchants' iron the demand is not so good, and some of the
makers have difficulty in placing their productions. The
machine trade is without change, still continuing exceed-
ingly good, as is also the case with the engineer tool trade.
The cut nail trade continues rether dull. Rapeseed still
supports the price of the previous month, and in some cases
higher prices have been paid ; the demand is active, and
holders are very firm. Oil is the same price as last month,
and there is a good consumptive demand. Linseed is very
firmly held by the importers, who are looking Or better