The Sun.
London, England, 1846-11-25 00:00:00

THE LATE GALES.

The storm on Friday and Saturday last, on many parts
of the coast, was the most destructive that has been ex-
perienced for a considerable period. Many of the
casualties were of the most appalling character.
The American ship Allen, Captain IL ighton, laden
with cotton and other goods, from New York, in beating
up channel, encountered the • gale on Friday, and was
driven on the French coast between Etsples and Bou-
logne. It was four o'clock in the afternoon when she
struck. The men took to the rigging, in the hopes of
obtaining assistance from the shore. Ere, however,
many hours had elapsed, the heavy sea beat her so vio-
lently on the sands that she became a total wreck. Un-
fortunately, the captain, Mr. Heighten, and ten of his
crew were washed overboard and drowned. The re-
mainder, consisting of the mate and five seamen, preserved
themselves by swimming ashore, and were necessarily in
a very exhausted condition. The amount of her loss is
very heavy. Two other vessels, named the Devon and
Plymouth, and a Prussian ship, were driven ashore about
a mile to the eastward, where they remained with every
probability of becoming a loss.
In the north sea, off Yarmouth, the Humber, Whitby,
and other ports, many colliers are reported as lost, and
much excitement prevails as to the fate of the crews.
Our columns of Monday described several melancholy
wrecks under Tynemouth Castle. In the Leith roads a
sloop called the Carr Rock sunk, and the whole of her
crew went down with her. Off Hartlepool a large num-
ber of vessels were dismasted, and were knocking about
in a very disabled condition. Near the Hasborough
lights much damage was sustained. The Hasborough
sands were the scene of several shipwrecks, but the loss
of life was comparatively very trifling.
The destruction among the shipping of Milford was
enormous. It commenced to blow most fearfully on the

19th from S.S.W., and so continues, varying one or two
points, until Saturday. The damage to property on
shore has also been very great. More than twenty
vessels during the storm were driven into the harbour so
disabled as to render many of them almost perfect
wrecks. The coast for miles bears evidence of the
awful character of the gales, spars and pieces of wreck
are continually being washed up. In other parts of the
Welsh coast the losses were very heavy. At the
entrance to Llanolly harbour, two schooners, named the
Trader, of Milford, and the Dolphin, of Penzance, struck
upon the bar, and almost immediately foundered, every
' one of their crews perishing with them. None of their
bodies have as yet been cast up. In the vicinity of
Padstow the gales occasioned much damage, and not-
withstanding every precaution, much of the scaffolding
attached to the Trevose lighthouse was blown away. Off
Penzance similar effects were sustained. The pier of
this port suffered severely. A Bergen ketch from Irica,
laden with salt, was hurled on to the sands at Gunwalloe,
and in less than half an hour was completely lost. By
means of ropes thrown by the Coast Guard of Prussia
Cove station, the master and three of his crew were
preserved, the remainder (four), however, were washed
overboard and drowned.

A distressing wreck occurred under the rocks about a
mile westward of the Isle of Whisthorn, near the Mull
of Galloway ; the barque Helen and Elizabeth, of Bel-
fast, about midnight on Friday, was driven ashore,
where she totally broke up, every soul belonging to her,
amounting, it is supposed, to fourteen persons, meeting
with a watery grave. The Coast Guard, when apprised
of the occurrence, hastened to the spot, but the sea ran
so high that to render any assistance was impossible, and
by daybreak she had gone to pieces. None of the bodies
are as yet washed ashore.
PLYMOUTH, Nov. 21.—Tho storm continues with very
little abatement. A flag of distress has been exhibited
all day on the Eddystone Lighthouse, and in consequence

of the severity of the storm, Mr. Ditcham, the agent,
has not been able to hold communication with the light
keepers. An attempt to approach was made this after-
noon, in the Diligent tender, but the heavy Atlantic sea
and rising tide forced that vessel to put back as night
approached. Intelligence has reached here of the loss
of the sloop Ellen, Captain Beach, belonging to Mr.
Clark, of Fareham, Portsmouth. She was consigned
from Perros, on the coast of France, to Mr. Attril, of
this port, with about 35 head of cattle and some poultry,
and unhappily went ashore on Friday morning, in Big-
bury Bay, a little to the west of Mothecombe. The ill-
fated vessel was quickly dashed to pieces, and all her
crew perished. One of the bullocks swam ashore, and
the body of one of the crew has been washed on the
beach. The Ellen was not above 50 tons burden, and
was consequently small for this description of trade at
the present season of the year. Nov. 22.—This morning
Mr. Ditcbans, the agent for lights, made a more suc-
cessful attempt to visit the Eddystone. There is a
tremendous sea in the Channel, and the wind is
blowing strong from the southward. After approach-
ing the lighthouse as near as the boisterous state of
the weather would pertnit, the light keepers were sig-
nalled to throw out a letter in a sealed bottle; from this
it was ascertained that the distress flag had been kept
hoisted in consequence of the damaged state of the
lower part of the door of the basement entrance, caused
by the great weight of the water, which had forced itself
into the lighthouse at the upper doorway during the
storm. Measures are to be immediately taken to repair
the damage.
LEITH.—On Friday, the 20th inst., about six P.M.,
the wind suddenly veered round from E.S.E. to W.N.W.,
and blew a storm. At midnight a small sloop was seen
sinking almost instantaneously. She has been a vessel
of from 25 to 35 tons, but whether laden or light is as
yet unknown. At low water her mast is four or five
feet above the surface of the water, but at high water
it will be invisible, and consequently very dangerous for
boats and ships, especially the former. This wreck lies
in the eastern part of the Leith Roads, Nelson's Mo-
nument, about half a cable's length open to the west-
ward of North Leith Steeple, and the south end of
Cramond Island, on a line with Dalmeny House.
Nothing has yet transpired regarding the preserva-
tion of the crew, but we fear the worst.—Caledonian
Mercury.
At Newcastle, the Sceptre, Captain Ruddeck, in taking
the bar, got on the point of the rocks, and came in
contact with the stern of the Britain, which was entirely
knocked in, and the Sceptre went to pieces in a very
short time. The crew were enabled to get on board the
Britain, but Captain Ruddock, in endeavouring to follow,
fell between the two vessels and was drowned. His
body was found within a few hours of the occurrence.
Scarcely a vestige of the Sceptre remains.
A large three-mast ship, with Indian corn, was wrecked
at Ballycotton, on Friday morning; name unknown;
crew saved.
On Thursday night the town of Clonakilty was visited
by the storm. Several houses had their roofs stripped
of slates. All the streets were completely flooded, with
few exceptions, and the houses had three or four feet of
water in their basement stories, causing much injury to
the property of the inhabitants.
It is reported that four turf boats were swamped in
the Shannon, and all hands on board perished.