The Sun.
London, England, 1862-04-24 00:00:00

LOSS OF 21-1 E STEAMER EUP.H.ROSY NE

A letter from a passenger had been r2eeived in
Liverpool, which gives some information with refe-
rence to the loss of this steamer, and we make the
following extract from the communin.vion :—" We
left Gibraltar on the 9th, with the wind ahead. On
Sunday morning, the 13th, at 4 o'clock, we were off
Cape Finisterre, with a strong head wind and heavy
sea, and for the next four hours we did notmake any
progress, but rather went backwards, and about 11
o'clock the captain resolved to make for Vigo, and
take in some coal and start for Liverpool as soon as
the weather should moderate. We arrived at Vigo
in the evening, and having taken on board some
coal, on Tuesday we left Vigo at noon. When we
had got out to sea the wind began to increase, and
the ship pitched a good deal. Abont 4 p.m., we were
25 or 30 miles from Vigo, and 10 miles from land,
when the ship struck on a sunken rock. She struck
three times, and the last time very heavily. After
striking the first time she rose with the sea, and it
is supposed that, had the sea been smoother, we
should have passed over without feeling the rocks.
She was now filling fast, and when the chief engi-
neer sprung out of his bed to stop the engine he was
up to his knees in water. The captain gave orders to
lower the boats as soon as possible; all was confu-
sion and excitement ; there was no time to be lost.
We succeeded in launching the gig, pinnace, and
jolly boat, which got away all right. There were
still 24 of us left on board, and our endeavours were
to lower the starboard lifeboat ; but this was a very
difficult task, as the pulleys would not work, and
the carpenter having gone off in another boat, we
could not get the tools that were needed. At last,
having found an axe, by great perseverance we
knocked away one of the chocks, and succeeded in
getting her into the water; and when all remain-
ing on the vessel had got into her, there was no
room to spare. When we left the sea covered the
decks, and swept over with great force. In three
minutes after we saw the Euphrosyne go down
head foremost, and not a vestige of her was to be
seen. By keeping our holt right she rode the sea
well. In about half-an-hour we saw a fishing-boat
put off from the shore and pick up the pinnace,
containing the captain and some of the passengers;
and shortly after she picked up the lifeboat. The
two boats:were for some time towed astern, with a
man in each, but every now and then they rushed
past us from the top of the wave and were in great
danger of being knocked in. One broke her line
and got adrift, with a man in her, and we had to
put about and pick him up. After this it was
thought better to let them both go. The wind was
in our favour, and we arrived safe at Vigo about
12 at night. The rest of the crew and passengers,
who had been picked up by another fishing-boat,
arrived a short time before us, and we were all;glad
to find that there was no one missing. The ship
went down in 13 or 20 minutes after she struck,
and no one except two or three of the sailors had
saved anything except the clothes they had on.
Some of the passengers were without shoes, or
caps, or coats. We called upon the British con-
sul, and he succeeded in getting us all comfor-
tably housed for the night. He has been very
kind in furnishing the crew with what clothes
they needed. A screw steamer that had got
half-way across the Bay of Biscay had to put
back with her propeller broken, and ' arrived
here yesterday. She is from Lisbon, and is to
start for London on Saturday. There are 50 of us,
including the crew and passengers, and it will be
some time before we can all get away to England.
We had on board five of the crew of the screw-
steamer Queen Victoria, which was wrecked about
90 miles from Alexandria, seven weeks ago. The
chief officer, Mr. Carr, commanded the lifeboat.
He had a very narrow escape, as he endeavoured to
swim to one of the boats, which he found too far
off. He managed to reach the ship again, which
was fortunate both for him and us."