The Sun.
London, England, 1847-05-06 00:00:00

THE LATE WRECK OF AN EMI

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more extensive
the statement of the mthree sailors, the sole
Isaacf the wreck, and who arrived in Glasgow on
Exmouth,
even
33' e2sot e rt do
tons,
ay.
Booth, of Sunderland, master, sailed from London-
derry for Quebec between three and four o'clock on the
morning of Sunday, the 25th ult., with a light south-
west breeze. She had a crew of eleven men (inclusive
of the captain), and about 240 emigrants, consisting
principally of small farmers and tradesmen with their
families, who had turned their little all into money for
the purpose of escaping the famine, and earning for
themselves a home in the western wold. Many were
females and children going out to join their fathers
and protectors, who had already settled in Canada.
There were also three cabin passengers, young unmarried
ladies of the middle classes, two of them being sisters,
on their way to join their relatives at St. John, New
Brunswick. The vessel was registered for 1651 passen-
gers, but as two children count as one adult, and as a
very large proportion were under age—there being only
about 60 men amongst the passengers—the survivors 01
the wreck, who are our intbrinists, think that the total
number of these ill-fated emigrants must have amounted
to the total stated, viz., 240.
The ship lost sight of land about four o'clock on
Sunday afternoon. The breeze, which had been light
in the morning,-increased to a gale during the day, and
about eleven P.N. it came in terrific squalls, accom-
panied by heavy torn nts of rain. They then furled
.the -fore and' main sails: The wind; which had
been to the westward at first, veered northerly, and
the storm increased in violence, which blew the
two top-sails from the bolt-ropes. The crew then
commenced to bend other topsails, which they furled ;
but about three in the morning they were blown from
the gaskets. The ship was now driving to the south •
ward and eastward. The reason of the master not
standing to the westward, where he woald have ample
sea room, was for the purpose of attaining some har-
bour .of refuge, where he might repair damages, and re-
place the sails.
On Monday forenoon the long-boat was unshipped
by the force of the seas, which broke over the vessel,
and in the course of the same forenoon the bulwarks
The gale
continued with the same violence during the who,
were stove in, and the life-boat washed away.
, and the trysail-mast
of Monday night and Tuesday ; and an indication of
the force of the hurricane may be learned from
the fact, that on the latter day the mainsail, after
being furled, was tornfrom the gaskets by the storm
blast. While the crew were setting the foresail it
and the main gaff carried away, which
rpeaseinnstmofensteaof
rendered them unable to carry the spanker. During this
dreary time, the vessel pitched dreadfully—now on the
crest of a mountain wave, and in two seconds afterwards
wwaass
unshipped,
nppfordo7 the bolt ropes
reeling .in the trough of the sea ; the passengers were
sickness,d isaste. Cooking,
all below under hatches, many of them insensible to ex-
but some
of course, was out of the question ; but the grown-up
people had no heart to be hungrL
, and moreover, the
from o
cooked provisions brought_. udonderry were not
yet entirely exhausted_
on
About eleven o'clock _ Tuesday night land and a
ex-
ternal nthael
mdahnagdera fromfoa fearful
ihpe
light were seen on the starboard quarter, which Captain
Booth at first took to be the light on the Island-of Tory,
off the north-west coast of Ireland, and" in the belief
that he thus had ample sea-room in the course he was
steering he bore along. As he drifted near the
land,
however, and observed that the light was a
flashing, instead of a stationary one, he became con-
scious of his error and dangerous position, and made
every effort to repair it, by bringing the ship farther to
the northward and westward ; and with the vie ,v of
" clawing" her off the land, the maintopsail and the
foretopmast stay sail were set, and the jib half hoisted.