The Sun.
London, England, 1848-08-26 00:00:00

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No. 17)447.] T •i•
LONDON , SATURDAN
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EXTENSIVE PROPERTY and ROYALTIES on the River Wear,
with LAN!) at Herrington, and MANSION HOUSES and LAND
in Bishopwearmouth, all in the county of Durham, for Sale.
MR. WEATHERELL has been favoured with
instructions from the Trustees under the Will of the late
Addison Fenwick, Esq., to OFFER, for SALE, by PUBLIC AUC-
TION, on 'fFIURSDAY, the 31st day of August next, at the house of
Mr. Donkin, the br,dge Inn, in the borough of i=underland, at Three
o'clock in the Afternoon, the following very valuable Properties,
which will be put up in the following or such other Lots as may be
agreed on at the time of Sale.

ELIZA COOK'S POEMS,

14 EL A lA, and other Poems, beautifully
Illustrated. Price 10s. 6d., cloth.

Also, the " Second Series,"
With a correct Portrait of the Author. Price ss. cloth.

........ —.— - -........-. ...- —...-.. -..--
" Eliza Cook's poetry appeals at once to the soul by its simple
truthfulness. Many a roof has rung with her beautiful ballads."—

Literary Gazette.
" Eliza Cook has the daring which belongs to genius alone. There
is health in her poetry ; and it is likely to make her readers happier
and better." - Sunday Times.
" Some of the poems are so exceedingly beautiful as to strike us
with a kind of wonder."—Bell's Weekly Messenger.
London : Simpkin, Marshall, and Co. Orders received by all Book-
sellers.

DESTRUCTION OF THE OCEAN
MONARCH YACIiET•SHIP BY FIRE.

LOSS OF 173 LIVES.
(From the Liverpool Mercury of yesterday.)
It is our painful duty to lay before our readers the
particulars, so far as we have been able to ascertain
them, of one of the most melancholy casualties which
ever occurred within the limits of the port of Liverpool.
The splendid American ship Ocean Monarch, of 1,300
tons burden, belonging to Train's line of Boston packets,
which left the Mersey early yesterday morning, in splen-
did trim, with about 360 persons on board, including the
crew and emigrants, is now a floating hulk, burnt to the
water's edge, and, it is melancholy to add, that, as near
as can be calculated, about 100 of the passengers, who,
but a few hours before, were buoyed up by bright anti-
cipations of the future, have met with a watery grave.
Children have been snatched from their parents, wives
from their husbands, and husbands from their wives.
In a few minutes the tenderest ties were severed for ever,
end gloom, desolation, and despair filled many a breast.
As we have before stated, the Ocean Monarch left
this port yesterday morning at an early hour, the tide
flowing about seven o'clock. As she passed through the
channel, her progress was reported by the telegraph,
but at length the sad news arrived that she was in
flames. When the announcement was made in the
Exchange News-room, great consternation prevailed,
it being well known that she had a large number of
passengers on board. Great was the anxiety to learn
any tidings whatever of the vessel, but it was not till the
arrival, about half-past five, of the Queen of the Ocean
yacht, belonging to Thos. Littledale, Esq., of this town,
that the extent of the calamity was known.
Mr. Littledale, who is the commodore of the Royal
Mersey Yacht _Club, had been at Bgaumaris regatta,
which took place on Monday last, and' she was return-
ing in his yacht to Liverpool with a party of friends.
About twelve o'clock, when near the Great Orrashead,
they observed the Ocean Monarch about five or six
miles to the eastward of the Ormshead, in Abergele
Bay, between the Ormshead and Abergele. Mr. Little-
dale and his friends were admiring the beauty of the
splendid ship as she was pursuing her course to the,
Atlantic. On a sudden the Ocean Monarch was ob•
served to put up her helm as if returning to Liver-
pool. A flag of distress was immediately hoisted, and
in a few seconds flames were observed to burst out,
abaft. The ship was lying right in the course of
the yacht, and Mr. Littledale immediately bore
away for her. On nearing her, although there was a
stiff breeze blowing, with a heavy swell, the boat of the
yacht was lowered, and proceeded to the ship for the
purpose of rendering what assistance ske could. Of
course, with the swell on, it would have been next to
certain destruction to the yacht had she been run along-
side the ship, but the exertions of Mr. Littledale were
of the noblest description, and he has the satisfaction of
knowing that he has been the means of rescuing thirty-
two persons from a watery grave.
The scene which presented itself to Mr. Littledale on
nearing the vessel was of the most appalling and harrow-
ing description. That gentleman truly describes it
as awful, and such as he hopes never to witness
again. The flames were bursting with immense
fury from the stern and centre of the vessel. So
great was the heat in these parts that the pas-
sengers, male and female, men, women, and children
crowded to the fore part of the vessel. Their
piercing heartrending shrieks for aid were carried by
the breeze across the blue waters. In their maddened
despair women jumped overboard with their offspring
in their arms, and sunk to rise no more. Men
followed their wives in frenzy and were lost. Groups
of men, women, and children also precipitated
themselves into the water, in the vain hope of self-
preservation,
but the waters closed over many of
them for ever. No pen can describe this awful
scene. The flames continued to rage with increased
fury. In a few minutes the wizen mast went over-
board—a few minutes more, and the main mast
shared the same fate. There yet remained the fore-
mast. As the fire was making its way to the fore
part of the vessel, the passengers and crew, of
course, crowded still further forward. To the jib-
boom they clung in clusters as thick as they could
pack—even one lying over another. At length the fore-
mast went overboard, snapping the fastenings of the
jibboom, which, with its load of human beings, dropped
into the water, amidst the most heartrending screams,
both of those on board and those who were falling into
the water. Some of the poor creatures were enabled
again to reach the vessel, others floated away on spars,
but many met with a watery grave.
It appears that the fire broke out about twele o'clock.
Captain Murdock received the first intimation from the
steward, who came to him and said there was a great
deal of heat coming up the ventilator. He added (what
afterwards proved to be the fact) that he bellowed one of
the passengers had made a fire in a wooden ventilator on
the third deck, which ran through the captain's state room.
The man had mistaken the ventilator for a chimney.
The captain immediately gave orders for the extin-
guishing of the fire, but it was, alas I too late. The
flames had begun to spread. Those who have seen
the fittings up of the passengers' berths of an emi-
grant ship, are aware that they are of thin deals and
spars, easily ignited, and fire having once gained the
mastery, there is little chance of extinguishing it.
The captain attempted to put the ship up to the
wind, so as to keep, if possible, the fire abaft, but he
found he could not accomplish this, and he imme-
mediately let go the two anchors. From the great
consternation in which all the passengers were, of
course, all control over them was gone. They ran
about as long as they could, in all directions, and
some of the scenes which followed have already been
described. The captain threw overboard to the poor
fellows in the water, all the moveable spars, &c.,
he could find, and afterwards flung a spar into the
water and followed it. Several persons followed him,
and seized hold of the same spar. He entreated some
of them to let go, or all would perish, and he showed
them the example by swimming to a plank, by which
he was enabled to sustain himself for about twenty
minutes in the water, when he was picked up by the
yacht.
In about an hour and a half after the yacht reached
the vessel, the Brazilian steam-frigate Affonso, which
was out, we believe, on a trial trip, came up. She anchored
immediately to windward, and close to the burning vessel.
She got a rope made fast to the Ocean Monarch, and by
the use of the said rope, her boats were enabled to go
backwards and forwards to the burning vessel with great
facility, and by this means a large number of persons
were saved. The Prince of Wales steamer, which was
on her passage hence to Bangor, came up shortly after-
wards, and with the New World packet-ship, bound for
New York, sent boats to the rescue of the passengers,
and were the means of saving a large number.
The Queen of the Ocean remained alongside till three
o'clock. At that time the vessel was burnt near to the
water's edge, and there were only a few of the passengers
take them off. The following are the names of the per-
on board, several boats being alongside endeayouring to
sons rescued by the Queen of the Ocean:--
I Seamen—Captain Murdock, William James Moore,
carpenter ; George Vane, William Blodget, Jonathan
Sweet, Richard Brannon, John M'Loughlin,
Christian
Christian, Thomas Hiler, Christopher J. Austin, Adam
Stockwell, Charles Nason, John Keeler, W. H. Pratt,
Jones, Charles D. Locke, William R. Neland, Isaac
Samuel Moray, Henry Colver, and Henry Jones.
Passengers—Whiston H. Bristow, London ; Patrick
M'Manas, John Horridge, Patrick Oregan, Patrick
M'llahon, Patrick Griffin, John Kelly, Dennis Coch-
rane, Peter Smith, Anna Roper, Bilston, Birmingham ;
Mary Maguire, county Cavan ; Mary Carey, 'Merles.
Amongst the latter was one poor woman, who, with
her three children, was proceeding to America to join
her husband. She was in a state of great distress at the
tate of her poor children, who were all lost. On reaching
the Mersey, Mr. Littledale immediately communicated
with Mr. Dowling, and arrangements were made for
accommodating those who were friendless and pennyless
at the Workhouse for the night.
They were, got into the
We understand that as soon as the; alarm was !given,
the two boats belonging to the ship were lowered. The
mate, with some of the crew and passengers, got into
other,one . Aa pd otrht ivoyn s ofe
toff
the crewfo r
how-
ever, picked up by a smack. Had they made to Mr. Lit-
tledale's yacht, placed their living freight on board of
her, and returned again to the vessel, the loss of life
would probably have been much less.
The stewardess lost her life in courageously attempt-
ing to get the powder out of the cabin. There were
Liverpool. and
passengers
about twenty-five pounds weight on board, and when
she went below to get it, it is supposed she was suffo-
cated. The powder exploded with a report like that of
a cannon, but not being confined, and there being no per-
son at that part of the vessel, no damage, it is supposed,
was done by the explosion.
At the time orders were given to let go the anchors, a
number of women and children were seated in some way
near the cable, and were drawn by it into the water.
Sixteen persons arrived last eight at Seacombe, having
been picked up by a fishing boat. Messrs. Parry, of
the hotel, treated them in a very hospitable manner.
They crossed to Liverpool by the eight o'clock boat.
Mr. Baker, the celebrated comedian, was on board,
and a collection was made amongst the passengers for
the relief of the poor sufferers, who had lost their all,
and 2/. 45., or ''s. 9d. for each of the sixteen, were col-
lected and divided amongst them. Amongst these were
six seamen. One poor Irishman and his sister were also
amongst the number. The sister was rescued by the
brother seizing her by the hair of the head just as she
was sinking.
When they landed at the pierhead, some of their mess-
mates, who had arrived in the yacht, greeted the new
comers in the most tender terms. and the meeting of
these hardy sons of Neptune, after their " hair-breadth
'scape," is described as one of the most affecting. The
men actually hugged each in a rough, but honest em-
brace, and tears were drawn from many of the spec-
tators who witnessed the touching scene. The men in•
quired eagerly after others of their comrades, and tears,
both of joy and sorrow, ran down their cheeks.
The Brazilian frigate Affonso was out on a pleasure
excursion. She was commanded by the Marquis &Lisboa.
There was also on board the Prince de Joinville, his lady,
and suite, the Duke and Duchess d'Auwale, the Bra-
zilian Minister, the Chevalier de Lisboa, Admiral Gren-
fell and daughters, and other distinguished individuals.
When the' Affonso discovered the Ocean Monarch, no
time was lost in bearing down to her, and it was intended