The Sun.
London, England, 1854-06-17 00:00:00

THE LOSS OF THE EUROPA

OFFICIAL ACCOUNT.
LOSS OF TWENTY-ONE LIVES.

We have just received the following official despatch
from the Admiralty :
Accounts have been received to-day, announcing the
destruction by fire of the transport Europa, on the night
of the 31st of May, and the loss of two officers, Colonel
Moore, and Veterinary-Surgeon Kelly, four sergeants,
twelve men, and one woman, of the 6th Dragoons. The
following are the despatches that have been received at
the Admiralty :
Admiralty, 16th June, 1851.
Sir—l am commanded by my Lords Commissioners of
the Admiralty to request you will lay before the Duke
of Newcastle the accompanying copies of two reports,
dated the 2d and 3d inst., from tho Commanding Officer of
H.M. ship Tribune, conveying the sad intelligence of the
loss of the Europa transport, on the night of the 31st of
last month, during her passage to the Mediterranean with
a division of the Enniskillen Dragoons ; and' my Lords re-
quest you will state to his Glace, it is with the deepest re-
gret that they have learnt that the catastrophe has been
attended with the loss of so many valuable lives. I am,
sir, your very humble servant,
(Signed) W. A. B. HAMILTON.
The Assistant Under Secretary, Colonial Office.

H.M. steam•frigate Tribune, at_ seutlat. 47.48 N, long,

7.43 W. Jane 2, 1854.
Sir—l have the honour to acquaint you, for the infor.
mo.tion of the Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty, of
the total destruction of the Europa, horse transport, by
fire, on the morning of the Ist of June, in lat. 48.1 N. and
long. 7.30 W.
About 7.30 a.m. on that day, smoke was discovered in
the N.W., from the mast-heads of H.M.S. Tribune,
which, upon closer inspection, was perceived to arise
from a vessel on fire. The ship's course was immediately
altered, and all sail made to close, and at 9.15 a.m. we had
approached sufficiently near to make out the vessel in
distress to be a large ship burnt down to the water's edge
abaft, with her bows only remaining above water. At
9 40 a.m. she suddenly went down, and shortly after 10
a.m. our boats were hoisted out and lowered, and com-
menced a minute search amongst the floating spars and
wreck, which was continued until 5 a.m. without finding
any vestiges of crew or passengers. The weather was fine,
the sun bright, and the horizon clear in every direction
for raa/IY miles, but no boat was Tiiible from the malt-
_

head before or after the vessel went down. The sea was
covered with charred timbers, hen-coops, floating hay,
casks, and iron tanks containing biscuit. The contents of
the latter remained on fire for some hours after the ship
had disappeared.
The presence of a cavalry detachment was manifested
by picking up a trooper's stirrup, and a pair of fatigue
trowsers, in the pocket of which was found a purse con-
taining some English money, and a receipt addressed to
a farrier major, a copy of which I enclose. The stern
of the ship appeared to have been blown out ; and the
fire must have raged most fiercely in the after part ;
for the rnizenmast was.burnt to a cinder, whilst the fore-
mast was comparatively uninjured by fire. The masts had
gone overboard at 80'.110 distance from each other, with the
yards and sails hoisted up and sheeted home ; some small
spars lashed to the head of the' Mizenmast indicated pre-
parations for making a raft. Finding no appearance of
any human being, and no relics of the boats, I felt dis-
posed to think that the crew had— made their escape in
them, or had found their way on board some other vessel,
and after having stood for two hours in the direction which
it was assumed the boats would have steered, we fell in
with one adrift and abandoned, but quite new• and sea-
worthy adl. unscathed by fire, containing a few oars and
some vegetables.
As a boat of 'this description would never have been
abandoned unless the parties in her had found refuge in
better quarters, I am of opinion that a portion, if not the
whole of the crew and passengers of this unfortunate ves-
sel have escaped; •and this opinion is strengthened by the
fineness of the weather, the smooth water, and the num-
ber of ships that were passing in all directions during the
previous day, both from and towards the scene of this
melancholy disaster.—l have the honour to be, Sir, your
most obedient and humble servant,

(Signed)

S. T.' CABNZGIB, Captain.

H. M. steam frigate Tribune. At sea, lat. 42. deg 20 N.
lon. 10 55 W. sth Tune, 1854.
Sir,—ln continuation of my letter of the 2nd instant,
reporting the loss of the Europa by fire—
I have now the honour to acquaint .you that on the
morning of the 4th, when about 120 miles north-west
from Cape Finhterre, we had the pleasure of receiving
from the British brig Clemanthe, Lieutenant Black, Ad-
miralty agent ; the master, two of the crew, and eight
privates of the Ist Dragoons, in the Europa, and later in
the day, from the Prussian schooner Kennett Kingsford,
and the British barque Maranan, three officers, thirty-
five non-commissioned officers and privates, one servant
and two women, with four officers and twenty-eight sea-
men, belonging to the Europa ; in all eighty-five, of whom
sevety-seven are on board this ship, and eight on board
the Sir Robert Sale transport.
I regret to add, that of the number originally embarked
in the Europa, twenty-one have doubtlessly perished ;
two officers (Lieutenant-Colonel Moore and Veterinary
Surgeon Kelly) are amorist the missing, and six non-com-
missioned officers, ten privates, two of the ship's com-
pany, and one woman, have shared the same fate.
The greater number of these were washed away
from the wreck of the masts, to which they had clung,
but Lieutenant Colonel Moore remained at his post to
the last ; and having repeatedly declined to leave the
burning vessel until all his men had been safely re-
moved, was at last driven into the mizen channels by
the violence of the flames, and there unfortunately perished
From the concurrent testimony of those left on the
burning wreck from 11.30 p.m. of the 31st ult., to 2.30
a.m. of the Ist, it would appear that the conduct of the
master (Mr. Gardner) was marked by great coolness and
intrepidity throughout these trying hours; he was the last
man to quit the wreck, and had his zealous endeavours to
_maintain order and save life been as ably seconded by his
ship's company, there can be little doubt that the list of
casualties would have been reduced.
It is my intention to disembark the crew and passengers
at Gibraltar, provided the Governor sees no objection.
The soldiers are in want of many military necessaries,
with which we are unable to provide them, and the Master
is desirous of setting his crew at liberty as soon as possible.
This ship is also so inconveniently crowded, that it is in all
respects desirable to land our passengers without delay.
Some of the soldiers are suffering from burns and
bruises, but none beyond the reach of ordinary medical
treatment.
T enclose lists of those who perished, and those who sur-
vived the destruction of the Europa.
I have the honour to be, Sir,
Your most obedient humble servant,
(Signed) S. T. CARNEGIE, Captain.
Ralph Osborne, Esq., M.P., Secretary
of the Admiralty.
Names of officers and men of the 6th Dragoons saved from
the ship Europa.
Archibald Weir, Lieut.-Adj. John Jackson, private
Alex, /11`Gregor, Surgeon ' George Haines, ditto
Henry Timpson, Cornet Robert Jennings, ditto
John K. Mountain, Reg. David Knight, ditto
Serg. Major . George Lemmon, ditto
And. Morton, Lance-Serg. Charles Maguire, ditto
David Gooding, Corporal William Madgwick, ditto
Robert Cotton, Corporal Robert Nairn, ditto
Win. Ainsworth, private George Nugent, •ditto
Charles Burnett, ditto John Patton, ditto
Peter Butter, ditto William Parsons, ditto
William Corps, ditto Alex. Russell, ditto
Charles Clarke, ditto Robert Renton, ditto
Thomas Caughie, ditto Michael Rourke, ditto
John Curry, ditto Joseph Ross, ditto
Benjamin De Carle, ditto Gavin Shephard, ditto
Charles Delany, ditto Henry -selling, ditto
Robert Easy, ditto George Seymour, ditto
John Billies, ditto John Tooth, ditto
Samuel Forsyth, ditto Robert Turner, ditto
Andrew Ferguson, ditto William White, ditto
Charles Goble, ditto John Walsh, ditto
James Guilleace, ditto Mrs. Mahen, woman
Robert Hunter, ditto 'Mrs. Currie, woman
Thomas Hastier, ditto Thos. Bishop, private ser vt.

Names of officers, men, and one woman, belonging to the
6th Dragoons, who were drowned from the wreck of the
ship. Europa.
Lieut.-Col. Moore
- Kelly, vet. surgeon
An. M'Clelland, far. major
Chas. Montray, qr. in. serg.
Will. Johnson, hosp. serg.
Thos. W. Gore, hosp. serg.
John Watson, Lance-serg.
Robt. Wilson, Lance-Corp.
Joan Coleman, Private
John Evans, Private
Two of the crew of the Europa, who were drowned
-- Oakley (ship's cook), and a foreigner (name un
known), who jumped overboard.
Names of the master, officers, and crow saved from the

James Killonder, Private
Denis Mahon, ditto
Patrick Maguire, ditto
Philip McCaffrey, ditto
Will. Strong. ditto
Abel Walters, ditto
John Watson, ditto
Hoult Waning, ditto
Mrs. Parsons, woman

ship Europa..
Lieut. L. A. Black, R.N.-, John Davis, A.B.
Admiralty Agent John McFee, ditto
-- - Gardner, Master James Fountain, ditto
Joseph Ginder, Ist Mate John Roe, ditto
James L. Adams, 2d Mate John Lee, boatswain
John Robt. Stokes, 3d Mate James Blake, carpenter
Richard Noble, Clerk Thomas Roberts, steward
George Archbold, A.B. Fras. Eaglestrom, steward
Thos. J. Redshaw, A.B. Philip Wore, cook
William Hurst, A.B. Michael Gore, ordinary
Robert Evans, ditto Henry Watts, ditto
William Ritchie, ditto Thomas Wray, ditto
Richard Curl, ditto Andrew Strickers, ditto
James Jenkins, ditto Patrick Welsh, ditto
Richard Tucker, ditto Walter Kerr, ditto
Peter Belcher, ditto Edward Dokins, boy
Thomas Jones, ditto Henry Jones, ditto
Andrew Johnson, ditto John Gibbins, ditto
John Evans, ditto
(Signed)

S. T. CARNEGIE, Captain.

LETTER FROM THE CAPTAIN OF THE
EUROPA.

The following letter from Captain Gardner, the com-
mander of the destroyed transport ship, was received
yesterday by the owners, Messrs. Somes, of Black.
wall :

Her Majesty's Ship Tribune, at Sea,
June 7, 1854.
Gentlemen,—lt is my painful duty to communicate the
total loss by fire of the Europa on the night of the 31st of
May, and what is more distressing, the melancholy death of
no fewer than 21 who were on board, namely, the lieutenant-
colonel of the regiment, the regimental surgeon, 16 of the
troops, one woman and two seamen.
As you may naturally suppose, all due precaution was taken
to guard against fire. Such is always asserted when an acci-
dent of the sort takes place ; but I trust satisfactory proof
will be shown from a court inquiry, held on board this ship
yesterday, into the cause and origin of the fire, that strict
orders were given to all on board. As yet nothing has been
traced to show where the neglect has been.

I will only state in this report, that on the day in question,
viz., the 31st of May, the military officers were all suffering
from sea sickness, with the exception of Colonel Moore, who
with myself had visited the 'tween decks and lower hold se-
veral times that day, and at 9 p.m. we went and inspected
every portion that could bo examined in the lower hold.
There was no appearance of fire, and we returned to the cabin
with the conviction on our minds that the ship was perfectly
safe, but scarcely an hour had elapsed before we were startled
by the alarm of fire. I immediately ran below, and discovered
the fire burning fiercely in the fore peak, where we had stowed
a quantity of hawsers, rope, tar, pitch, oakum, varnish, and
sails. The officers, seamen, and soldiers were on the spot
almost simultaneously with myself, and every one exerted
every effort in their power to extinguish the fire. The force
pumps, which had been fitted by orders of the Government
to supply the troops with water from the tanks and butts
in the hold had hose attached to them, and with those be-
longing to the ship's pumps, were taken below, and the
jets directed in and upon the burning mass. The troops also
worked vigorously in passing buckets of water to those
below to check the progress of the flames, but to no purpose.
The tar, pitch, and other combustibles on igniting sent forth
an overwhelming blase into the fore hold, and firing the bulk
of tow which was on board for padding the horse stalls. The
heat and smoke now became so great that all hands were
forced to quit the lower hold ; many were almost suffocated.
On reaching between decks we found flames ascending the
fore hatchway in huge volumes, cutting off all communica-
tion with the fore part of the ship.
As hope of saving the Europa from destruction was then
past, and this, at the furthermost, was at half-past ton
o'clock, just half an hour from the moment that the alarm
of fire was raised; this will show the rapidity the fire
gained. The volumes of smoke that rolled up the main
and after hatchway overhung the main deck like a cloud ;
it was most suffocating, and the flames from both hatches
chased us on to the poop. I have omitted to inform you
that on my first coming on deck I ran the ship away before
the wind, in order to near a barque and a brig that was to
the leeward of us. The boats were lowered and filled with
men. All were got clear except the longboat, which, from
the beginning, I saw it was impossible to get ou m
t.
wherewe
The last
boat was taken off the skidds on to the poop, fro
were compelled to launch it to save it from being burnt. It
was then about half-past 11 o'clock ; the main deck was then
in an ignited state, and the masts and rigging aloft were in
flames. I still kept the ship before the wind, to near the
vessels to leeward and to keep tho fire forward.
Nearly all on board had left the vessel by this time.
Among them were all the (Alice's of the ship, the adjutant,
surgeon, and cornet of the troop, leaving Lieut.-Col. Moore,
with the veteaer7 fiwge9p, and about 28 soldier* ea I>oaxd
_ _

besides myself, carpenter, one ordinary seaman, and the cook,
on the burning wreck.
Mr. Black (the Admiralty agent) and the second mate
were in the last boat that quitted the ship. She was
pulled away at half-past 11 o'clock. The mainmast went
at two o'clock, then the foremast, and the ship rounded
immediately afterwards. It was blowing very hard at the
time, with a very heavy short sea on, raining heavily. I will
not further dwell upon this painful moment than to add that
as the ship rounded with head to wind, the fire spread over
to where we were, and burnt us out, compelling us to seek
shelter in any way we could. A number of men took to the
wreck of the mainmast, sonic were lost iu attempting to make
it. I, with the carpentei, got over to leeward, and found
very great difficulty in getting under the weather channel,
and making along the bands, to see if there was more unburut
wood to hold on by, but we were driven into the fore chains,
the half of which were still uuburnt. Suffice it to say that at
three o'clock the boat of the brin. Clementina, Captain Pike,
came up, and took us out of the fore chains. The boat also
picked up 10 men from off the spars of the wreck. One man
died in the boat. The noble old lieutenant-colonel, I regret
to say, perished in the wreck. Several troopers implored him
to leave the ship in the boats, but he would nut leave his men,
and shared their terrible fate.
The men iu the boats were picked up by the barque Mara-
non of Dundee, and a Prussian schooner. Her Majesty's
steamer, Tribune, took us off the brig on Sunday, the 4th
inst., and on the circumstance being reported that the re-
mainder of the survivors were on board another vessel, she
overhauled the barque and schooner and took all hands on
board.
I have no doubt numbers will be ready to attach blame to
me, both as regards the fire and loss of life. As to the
latter, the lieut.-colonel is not saved. I alone am the only
officer that lived to see the last. When all the facts are
gathered and sent home, I will leave it to you to judge what
amount of blame may be attached to,
Your obedient servant,
WILLIAM GARDNER, late Captain of Europa.
To Messrs. Somes, Brothers.