The Sun.
London, England, 1849-12-25 00:00:00

TUESDAY EVENING,

one or two others of the crew, having placed two
compasses and some provisions and water in the stern
boat, got into her, lowered her, and remained in her
astern of the vessel, to which they did not return for
several days. As soon as the force pump and buckets
were regularly at work most of the sail was taken in,
and the ship hove aback. By this time it was about
midnight, and quite calm, and hail the vessel had a
gun on board it ought to have been fired all the night
through, bat, strange to say, she was totally unpro-
vided with cannon, nor do I think she had rockets
or blue lights either —at least none were
burnt. There were two large tanks of
water on the main deck, each containing 1,100
gallons. These the passengers stove in, in spite
of the captain's exertions to prevent them. They said
the fire must be put out at any cost. About two
o'clock in the morning of Monday the 12th, as the
smoke was not observed to increase, the first alarm
subsided and the crying ceased, the people for the
most part falling asleep. In the course of the night
the starboard quarter boat was got down and veered
astern, with three of the crew in her the stern boat
was already lowered, and the other quarter boat,
. which had been swamped was baled out by the first
mate and one or two of the crew ; she was also passed
astern, and three men placed in her, while all the
boats were provided with oars, provisions and water
having also been placed in each. Dawn disclosed a
scene of confusion—the quarter deck covered with
filth, in which were lying women and children in all
directions, while up the forehatch the smoke still
continued to ascend, and it was penetrating slowly into
the cabin. Some of the crew now prepared to launch
the long-boat, whilst others commenced making a
raft, and the smoke being observed stealing aft the
pumps near the mainfast were. set to work. The
long boat was launched about nine, A.M., and passed
astern ; the captain's wile and child were lowered
first, out of his state room window, through which
were also passed some compasses, charts, &o, and
then the cabin passengers were lowered over the stern
of the vessel. While this was going on tke scene
became painful in the extreme ; some rushed to tha
captain's state room, beseeching him to save them :
numhere crowded round the stern, where the
second mate was employed lowering the ladies int,
the long heat; others were to be seen at their prayers,
while mothers and children, husbands and wives,
embraced each other and mingled their tears toge-
ther. At this trying period the conduct of English
and Irish contrasted strongly. While the English
generally seemed to await their fate in silent resige
nation, the Irish were loud in their lamentations,
notwithstanding that a priest had been employed
giving them absolution all the night and morning.
a. remarkable instance of their extreme love of life
was exhibited by two girls, who lowered themselves
by a rope hanging over the stern, although they were
told that they would not be admitted into the boat;
they were, however, taken in, after being left hanging
in the water until they were nearly exhausted. Four
of the second cabin passengers, too, got in, and two
Irishmen forced themselves on board, having basely
deserted their wives in the burning vessel. When
the writer left the ship for the longboat the cabin
floor was quite warm, and smoke was coming up
through the seams of the deck, so that the fire wes
evidently extending to the after part of the vessel. In
he afternoon the captain came off, and was put on
hoard the longboat. On his leaving the vessel's side
she poor creatures on
,board set up a general cry,
" Oh, captajo dear, save us ! save us !" He told
them he was not going to leave them, and that he
would stay by the vessel to the last. Why he dirt
not stay in the vessel remains to be explained. Be-
fore he left the crew had made two more rafts; one
of these was launched, and about thirty persons got
on it, when, fearing it would be overcrowded, they
cut themselves adrift, and. soon after hoisted a small
sail and went off to the eastward before the wind. It
is most probable they all perished in a day or two, as,
although they had a barrel of beef and one of pork,
they had very little water, and I believe no bread.
All Monday night and all Tuesday and Tuesday
night the ship lay to with the boats astern. On
Tuesday morning the chief mate came off in one of
the boats and brought some provisions and a small
tin vessel of water for the long boat. They had
passed a terrible night on board. No sooner had the
captain left than the steerage passengers rushed into
the cabin, cut and broke open all the trunks and
boxes they could lay hands on, and rifled them of
their contents. They found two cases of brandy and
a fe w bottles of wine, after having consumed which
they became very riotous, attacking the first mate
and some of the crew, who had great difficulty in
preserving their lives. They succeeded in taking two
guns from them, and threw them overboard, and,
having armed themselves with pistols and knives,
kept iese infuriated savages at bay until the effects
of the brandy wore off, when they became quiet
enough. In the course of the day the boats brought
us off a few mattresses, blankets, and leaves of the
cabin table, which were laid along the bottom of the
boat, and which were very welcome, as she was leaky,
and shipped so much water over her sides that two men
were kept constantly bailing her out. Ore Wednes-
day morning, the 14th, a cask of bread was brought
us; the crew had found a cask of fl )ur the evening
before, and the cook was employed baking it the
whole night. This was very acceptable, as we had
no bread in the long boat, and had been subsisting on
a little cake and cheese, with a few pickles. About
nine A.M. the ship was squared away before the wind,
and ran all the day about north by west, towing the
boats after her. Why they did not run her for the
A zores the day before, when the wind was favourable,
seems very strange. She had now nine feet of water
in her hold, but still the smoke ascended from the
hatches, though they had been covered down again to
smother the fire as much as possible. We observed a
good deal of smoke also issuing from the cabin windows
and from the ventilators in the stern. On Wednesday
night she lay to, the captain considering it unsafe to
carry on during the night as the long boat was
shipping seas over her bows and sides, being much
too heavily laden. She had 25 or 26 persons in her,
and a good deal of useless lumber besides, which
might have been thrown overboard. In the evening
they nailed an old cover of a sale along the gunwale,
and drew it over the boat, covering her like a tent;
this kept off a good many heavy seas, and doubtless
saved us from being swamped several times in the
course of the night. As it was being quite wet
through by the rain, which poured down in torrents,
and by the sea continually washing over us, we spent
a miserable night. On Thursday morning, the sth,
the wind being favourable, the mates and crew begged
of the captain to put the ship about and steer for the
Azores. This he at last consented to do, and this
day we made a run of some 80 or 90 miles. At
noon we were in latitude 41 deg. 33 min. N., longi-
tude 36 deg. 45 min. W.; as it was blowing rather
hard, we lay to again during the night.
Friday, the 16th.—We made sail again this morning
at dawn, but by nine A.M. it fell nearly calm. Early
this morning some of us went back to the vessel,
• preferring anything to remaining in the long boat,
where we had lain four days and nights side by side,
without being able to change our position, and com-
pletely wet through. In the course of the forenoon
the rest of the passengers were taken out of her, the
captain still remaining with his wife and child, the
doctor, steward, and stewardess, and the crew of the
boat. While in the boat all bore their sufferings without
a murmur, with the exception of the captain's wife ;
she, poor woman, never ceased to complain for four
long days and nights, thus rendering the position of
the others still more unpleasant than it otherwise would
have been. Between nine and ten A.M. the man on the
lookout saw a sail ; the ship was immediately put about
and stood after her, but there being very little wind,
the second mate with five hands went off in one of
the boats to try and overtake her. In about two
hours we made her out a barque, standing west by
north. We followed her until nearly 2 r.si., when,
thinking she meant to avoid us, the ship was put
about again on her former course. In a few minutes
we observed the barque coming round after us. The
fact was, she had not seen our flag of distress, which
was in the mizen rigging, until we had turned our
stern to her. She now bore down on us, while we
lay to, waiting her approach. She came up to us at
3 o'clock r as., and proved to be the British barque
Sarah, Captain Cook, from London, for Yarmouth,
Nova Scotia, a timber vessel, in ballast. Being in-
formed of our situation, and as it was too rough to
take off any persons that night, Captain Cook di-
rected us to keep him company, both vessels showing
lights. At dusk he picked up the second mate and
crew of the boat which had gone after him in the
morning; also those in the long boat (who had a
narrow escape while getting on board), and those in
one of the quarter boats. These three boats were
lost that night—the stern was dragged out of one and
the others were swamped. As darkness set in the
wind increased to a gale, and our situation in the Caleb
,Grimshaw was perilous in the extreme. Every mo-
ment we expected to go down ; the vessel rolled in a
fearful manner, dipping her studding sail booms
quite under water, while nearly every roll the seasernia
in on the quarter deck, and sometimes even les**
wheel-house. To add to our despair, abouthgsfee'
o'clock in the morning we lost sight of the Sari s
light, and were thus left to ourselves, without sextant,
chronometer, chart, or anything to guide us. At
length morning broke, when to our great joy we
discovered the Sarah five or six miles ahead of us. We
carried on after her for several hours, afraid she was
going to leave us, when about two o'clock P.M. the
shorted sail, and in an hour we came up with her.
The sea having gone down a little she lowered two
boats, and by dusk had taken off the burning vessel
133 persons, including most of the women. It was
not judged safe to attempt the transfer of any more
Muting the night, so the boats were taken up and we
shaped our course for the island of Flores, showing a
light at cur mizen crosstrees. On Sunday morning,
the 18th, the Caleb Gritnshaw was far astern of us.
We kept on our course all day, and lost sight of her
iin the afternoon; we, therefore, lay to during the