The Sun.
London, England, 1853-04-04 00:00:00

We are indebted for the following interesting account
of this disaster to the kindness of Dr. Sutherland, a
gentleman well known to the public in connexion with
the recent Arctic expeditions :
At halfst four in the evening I left my lodgings in
Union-terrace, in company with a friend who intended
to take a passage to Wick by the Duke of Richmond
steamer at five o'clock. Oh arrivingatthewharfof
we
Leith and Clyde Shipping Company's steamers,
found that the expected steamer had not arrived, and
despite the wind and rain we took a walk to the point
of the pier, to witness the Duke of Sutherland crossing
the bar. She had then hove into sight off the Girdleness
Light, having left London on the Wednesday ; and as
the flag was not hoisted at the point of the pier, the corn.
mander found it expedient to make a short circuit off the
harbour mouth, The sea was running very cross at the
time, and the ship appeared to roll much, and to take a
good deal of water on board, which we often saw issuing
in white streams through the scuppers and over the cover-
ing boards. About 4-past five the signal for enough water
on the bar was hoisted, and presently the steamer, at
a comfortable offing, was observed to be standing in for
the haibour. Rising majestically on the waves as she
came along, we expected a noble scene, as she would
enter the narrow harbour mouth, and steer slowly but
steadily up to her destination, and consequently we
quickened our pace until we reached the flag station,
having met the harbour-master, Mr. Morrison, walking
up the pier, and apparently anticipating no danger. It
now rained very hard, and blew so fiercely that the two
or three persons who remained at the flag station could
scarce keep on their hats. Among thesepersons I observed
two gentlemen who evidently had more than ordinary in-
terest in the steamer, from theanxietythey were evincing,
as she appeared to be getting out of the fair way of the
harbour, owing, probably, to the leewardly fetch of the
waves. A third person was Mr. Rathay, the chemist,
and he was accompanied by a fourth, who, with my
own friend, made up half-a-dozen persons. As the ship
approached the pier-head, and was about to enter, a
single sea carried her so far to the leeward that with the
succeeding one she struck upon the pier about the fore-
mast ; and after one or more thumps her bow stuck fast
upon the rocks, and the sea began to move her stern to
leeward, into the deep water. Previous to her striking,
I observed that the engines were reversed, with the view
of backing out, and this seemed to me to be an act pro-
ceeding from the captain's own impulses, and not in obe-
dience to the signals and shouts of the individuals stand-
ing at the chains on the slope of the pier. By this time
our numbers at the point of the pier had increased to
about ten persons, and in spite of the high sea that was
sweeping clean over it, several unsuccessful attempts
were made to seize a rope which the seamen on the
ship's forecastle were endeavouring to send within our
reach, in obedience to their commander's orders. In
these attempts one poor fellow lost kis footing on the
slippery rocks and his hold of the chain, and was swept
away; but fortunately he had the end of a small line, by
which he was saved. It was now about six o'clock, the
sea was rising with increased rage, and the waves were
making a clean breach over the ship about midships.
The seamen were on the forecastle, and the passengers
were congregating on the poop and clinging to the net-
tings of the rails and the stanchions as the ship rolled
from side to side, and often threatened to go completely
over to seaward, ins which case not a soul, I believe,
would have been saved. About this time the first crash,
caused by the breaking of the foremast, was heard, and
bars of soap were washed ashore, having escaped through
the most seriously injured part of the bottom, at the
step of the mast which had just given way. The com-
mander was standing on the bridge coolly giving orders
for getting out the starboard waist lifeboat, and the men
were as faithfully and coolly performing this duty.
While watching the poor fellows lowering the boat into
the water we heard a tremendous crash, and in a mo-
ment the forepart of the ship had parted from the other
about the foremast ; but fortunately the seamen had all
previously withdrawn from this part, owing to the
violence of the sea and the awfully destructive swinging
about of the foremast spars and rigging. The stern
began so settle down into the deep water it occupied.
And now a scene was beheld too sickening and
too appalling to describe. The ladies were clinging to
the crashing timbers and spars, and almost every sea
was carrying them out of the arms of their more hardy
protectors. Several of them were observed to leap in a
frantic state from the high poop into the boat, which by
this time the seamen had succeeded in getting into the
water, and in these attempts they were severely hurt,
and not a few perished by falling into the sea. The
boat struggled long to get a rope from the ship to the
pier, but in this her daring crew did not succeed, and
f pum."B- too leeward .he put in at the back of the
pier, where her small share of the survivors, I think six
or eight persons, effected a lauding. Between six and
seven o'clock, I think about the half-hour, Manby's
apparatus arrived, and a concourse of people, all willing
to assist, but rather incommoding considerably the
handful who were attempting to send off the rocket. Of
these few, I must say our harbour-master, Mr. Mor-
rison, took
the first place. Owing to the heavy rain
and the surf that often swept over us, and perhaps also
to inexperience in the use of this invaluable agent of
humanity, at least twenty attempts to " fire" the
rocket were unsuccessful. A little presence of mind,
however, revealed the cause of this failure, which was
owing to the powder having escaped by some accident
out of the lower part of the rocket. A shout of joy and
gratitude to Heaven conveyed to the vast crowds the
glad news that the rocket, blazing in mid-air, had car-
ried the line right across the ship, about the funnel.
Our attention was again drawn to the wreck. The life-
boat had succeeded in pushing off from the shore, and
she was now taking in the passengers from the poop.
Many of them leapt into the water, some with others
without life-buoys, but whichever way they did a large
number must have perished, while their frantic relations
recognised them as the sea was closing over them. The
life-boat was as full as it could hold—so full, indeed, that
there was not room to use the oars, and those who
had time to look at her were often appalled as she rose
on the white foam with her precious cargo, and again
sank out of sight in the yawning trough, as if it
were to be swallowed up in an instant. How she
effected a landing I am not prepared to state ; she never
succeeded in returning to the wreck, although I believe
she made the attempt. Two or three persons, salmon
fishermen, I think, started from my side at the Manby's
apparatus, resolving hurriedly to get off with a coble ;
and at about seven o'clock were at the quarter of the
ship—the life-boat from the shore had just left. Their
object was to effect a communication with the pier by
means of a line. In this they failed ; and after picking
up two or three, persons whom a single wave had swept
from the poop, they were carried to leeward, and, as a
person at my side informed me, one awful sea passed
over them, after which not a soul of them, except, I be-
lieve, two were again seen. The quarter-deck of the
ship was now completely deserted, with the exception
of one female, who clung tenaciously to a fragment of
the rail. My heart sickens when I contemplate her
lifeless form entangled in the stanchions, while the waves
often hid her from our eyes, which we dared not but
turn away. One of the seamen ran aft to rescue her,
but he was too late, for a wave took her away, and
buried him so much that we feared he had perished in
this bold and praiseworthy attempt. The attention of
all was now directed to the warp we had succeeded in
sending on board by means of the line. The commander
was, up to this time, on the bridges ; but as he had to
take an active part in securing the warp, he got in
among the seamen and passengers who were assembled
at the after part of the starboard paddle-box, and after
this I lost sight of him; subsequently, however, a per-
son at my side exclaimed, "Oh the captain is gone.
After the warp was secured, some of the seamen at-
tempted to come ashore on it without the assistance of a
sling, and in this way two or three perished, after coming
to the pier. How truly awful I For a
life,
but moments the brawny arms cling to dear
but not a second longer, when they must yield, and
the exhausted frame drops into the sea to perish in
an instant. At the time that the warp was fairly
secured, and we had begun to work the lines, the ship
parted by aft the funnel, which was still standing—the
two aftermost masts having both gone some time pre-
viously. The parting of the ship here was rather a
favourable occurrence ; for the midship part, containing
the engines, we expected might hold out longer, and
from this we might hope to get off all the survivors,
although sometimes we had reason to fear that the awful
destruction which this part of the wreck was suffering
in front, would annihilate the whole of it before the last
person came off. Seven or eight females, and at least
fourteen men, were taken off in this way, but of the
exact number I am not certain, although each person
passed me as we released them from the ropes by which
fotrehis,thheomw,evbeurt,
they were suspended on the warp. The females were
not the first to comeinoffbe;
to the men steping
some of theme vinced in putting the men into the slings,
Wtoasthneohteorwoiisnmg
and in adjusting the ropes around their bodies. Three
females were taken off at one time, and now. only as
many men remained. One of the small lines became
entangled while the females were but half-way in, and,
owing to this accident, it was feared for a moment that
the line would break, and that consequently the re-
maining three men would perish. Happily, however,
this suspense was only momentary, the females, al-
though much exhausted and severely injured by being
so long confined in the hard ropes which suspended
them to the warp, were safely landed and conveyed
away. In a few minutes, the three men arranged the
ropes, and one of them, the chief steward of the ship,
who was the last to leave the wreck, and to whose pre-
sence of mind in working the lines on board the ship,
the lives of upwards of twenty of his fellow-creatures is
due, gave the signal to " haul away," and in two or