The Sun.
London, England, 1856-12-12 00:00:00

i /

ACCIDENT TO TILE ROYAL MAItOTRAM-
SHIP AMR reICA.

LIVERPOOL, Dec. 11.
The Royal Mail steamship America, Lang, coin- y•
mender, which left Liverpool for Boston on, Satur-
day with the usual mails, a large cargo, ateNo9
passengers, has put back this morning, having
received considerable damage in the heavy gale of
Tuesday. Her starboard bulwark, froni: the fore-
castle to the paddlebox, has been carried away by
a heavy sea; which—appears to have broken over_
the forward saloon, reducing it to a mass of chips,
and then to have swept the deck, tearing away the
davits and two boats on the port side. The deck
of the forward saloon was _lifted up. in several
places, and the water poured into the berths below,
and into the engine-room and hold, in large quanti- .
ties. The force with which the sea struck the ship
may be imagined when it is stated that one of the .
forward pumps was wrenched partly from its posi-
tion, the strong bolts having started, while massive
iron stanchions and steadying bars, several inches
in diameter, were snapped asunder. The boat-
swain's house was also stove in. One of the second
cabin passengers states that about 10 minutes to
10 o'clock on Tuesday morning, when off Cape
Clear, the ship, which was then going slowly ahead,
was struck by a very heavy sea. He was at the
time lying in a forward cabin berth, when ho heard
the water gushing through the saloon deck and
down the companion, and rushing forward. Ile
thought at the time the vessel was sinking and
gave himself up for lost. He left hss cabin and
waded up to his middle in water towards the stairs.
At the moment the vessel pitched, and imme-
diately he felt the water up to his armpits. The
bulk of the passengers were sitting in the Saloon
at the time of the accident, and they must have
been inevitably swept overboard had not the main-
mast stayed up the wreck of the saloon (a house
built on deck) and acted in some measure as a
breakwater.. They had reason, be said, to thank
God that the ship was so strong, and that 'she was
manned by such- able officers. Captain Lang
esp-scially displayed the greatest intrepidity and
Coolness, and his orders ware executed by his
officers and men with promptitude and without
the least confusion. The vessel was _immediately
put about, and she arrived in the Mers/rthis
morning without further accident. It is the irn-
pre-salon of some of the hands on board that if
another such' See, had struck her she must have gone
down. The engine room was filled with water, but
the uninjured pumps being got well to work it was
kept under, although considerable difficulty was.
experienced in keeping the bilge from being choked
by the splinters which were washed below. One
of the passengers was in a closet forward at the
time the sea struck the ship, and some of the
diselaced timber falling against the door almost
blocked him in. He, however, succeeded with
some difficulty in forcing his way out.
.31r. Ferguson, chief engineer, and his staff dis-
played the most praiseworthy coolness in the hour
of danger, remaining below when the water was
pouring in with a force that might have terrified
a less brave man. • Their experience, however,
enabled them to perceive that the water was all
from above, and that the ship was all right and
taut. The' shock stopped the engines for a
moment, but they resumed working immediately.
The officers and men with great difficulty closed up
the rents in the saloon deck and elsewhere with
spars and canvass, an operation attended with the
greatest danger, as it continued to blow a hurri-
cane. The chief officer, Mr. Grace, while assisting .
in this perilous work, was nearly washed overboard.
At the time the sea struck her some of the passen-
gers were playing at cards in the fore cabin ; and it
is said that they immediately fell on their knees,
imploring the Almighty to save them. When ex-
tricated they were covered with bruises. It is as-
serted that !la ) America took 100 tons of water on
board in the sea which struck her.

Oa the vessel arriving in the river the passen-.
gers presented an address ,o Capt. Lang, bearing
testimony to his presence of mind and seamanlike
.qualities during the trying moment. It is scarcely
necessary to state that the America is a first-class
steamer, with 1,800 tons register, and 800-horse
power. This is the first instance of any of the
Canard steamers being compelled to return to port
through stress of weather.

Thomails p tssengers, with their luggage,
wore landtd in the course of the day, and to-mor-
row (Friday) they will he despatched for their
destination in the Royal Mail steamship Canada.
The Europa eails on Saturday-ifitit passengers
and mails for New York. •
The following is the report of Lloyd's sur-
veyors :

December 11.

" We, the undersigned, being requested to survey and
report the damage done to the steamship Ameries,
Lang, master, frena being struck by heavy seas ins gale
of wind when at sea on her late intended voyage hence
to Halifax, &c., she havinc returned to repair damages,
ler the particulars of which .soe the master's protest, on
examination this day found the bea'►rails, boards, and
part of the knees broken, the fore deck-house or saloon
stove in, and all the internal arrangements broken or in-
jured, the deck side-houses, paddlebox, and part of the
floats broken, 13 top stanchions, and BO feet of the main
and topgallant nil and bulwarks broken, and part of
the starboard covering-board split or injured, and top
sides partially strained ; part of the topgallant main
rail and captain's cabin on starboard side aft injured ;
four iron boat-davits and part of the topgallant and
main rail and bulwarks on the port side broken ; the
after deck-house, or main saloon, partially injured, and
windows broken ; the brass and iron stanchion's and rails
broken or bent and part lost ; 46 feet of the port main
rail and bulwarks broken, the platform bridge broken,
the f're-yard and fore-trysail mast broken, two boats
and two swinging-booms and gear reported to be lost;
the forward lower cabin seriously injured, the framing,
panelling, staircase, and internal arrangements being
broken or started, and the• upholstery much damaged,
and other cabin stores injured ; the fore rigging par-
tially chafed and injured, and it was feared that part
of the cargo forward might be damaged. We therefore
reclmmended• that the deck-houses, cabin furniture, and
stores should be cleared away for the purpose of repairs
and for further examination, and to give time to meter--
tain if the vessel bad received any injury on the bottom,
although we believe she has not.

" NV. ALEXANDER, Surveyors for the Liverpool
" NV. C. MITCHELL, iluderwriters' Association."

ANOTHER DARING BURGLARY, WITH PERSONAL VIO-
LENCE.—On Tuesday morning another atrocious outrage
was added to the long list which have rendered this dis-
trict of the West Riding notorious during the past few
months. On the above morning the house of Mr. Wm.
Bradley, a wealthy brewer, who resides at the Manor, a
mile and a half from Sheffield, was entered by a gang of
thieves, and the life of its owner has been placed in peril
by their violence. Toe circumstances are as follow :
The house is situated at some distance from any other
ho her
use. invalidshe immediatelym othe r,heard a
got
habitation, and on one side is a large garden, overlooking
which is Bradley's bedroom. Three female servants live
in the premises, but the men servants do not sleep in the
hou
se. Between 2 and 3 o'clock on Tuesday mo ..
ng airs.
Bradley,of footsteps
who was
in
nursingthe
out of bed, and ran to her husband's room, and
uoise
communicated her suspicions that robbers to him
were in the
house. Mr. Bradley got up, but before he could get on
his clothes the door of the bedroom was broken open
and five men entered the room. They all wore masks,
and were armed with life preserve's and bludgeons.
One of the men threw himself upon lA'
desperate struggle ensued, in which
a blow on the head with a life preserver, which broke
one of his fingers ; he was also
struck with great vio-
lence on the head and shoulders. Mrs. Bradley, after
several ineff,ctual attempts, in whichshe great ran
per-
sonal risk, seized her husband's
arm, assisted him
his assailants. to extricate himself from and
n of the
men then presented a O
pistol at Mr. Bradley,
ey, and
threatened to blow his brains out if he stirredtogi_vean
alarm. Two of the menthe
door, whilst the other, having
remainedonnurard Mr.
outside_
Bradley's
, found
keys, proceeded to ransack They entered
the house.
the bedroom in • which the servant' were bleeping,
and ordered them to lie still in bed, or they would mur-
der them.
Mr. Bradley threw up the window of his
room, with the intention of calling for assistance, but be
was deterred by the threats of the men who were on
guard in the garden below, armed with life-preservers or
bludgeons. After having thoroughly ransacked the
house, the robbers decamped, taking plate and money to
the amount of 2601. Immediately after their departure
an alarm was given, and a surgeon was called in to at-
tend Mr. Bradley, whom he found suffering from great
loss of blood. He is considered to be in a dangtraus
state. An examination of the premises showed that the
thieves had broken a pane of glass in the window of the
breakfast-room, slipped the hasp of the window, and
broken open the shutters inside.
THE POOR LAW BOARD AND THE HOLBORN UNION
WORICHOUSE.—An intention on the part of the Poor
Law Board has long been evinced for bringing about
the removal of all pauper children into establishments
separate and :distinct from workhouses, and with this
view they bays addressed a communication to the Board
of Guardians of the Holborn Union, in which they call
their attention to the extreme disadvantageous circum-
stances under which the boys and girls are retained in
the workhouse, and at the same time to the want of
a male
vagrant ward, which leads to paupers of this class being
placed in the recovery ward, in violation of the
provi-
sions of article 99 of the general consolidated orders, and
expressing
a hope that the guardians will lose no time
in adopting such measures as may be calculated to put
the workhouse en a better footing in these tee eds. The
guardians are desirous of retaining the children') in the
workhouse, but they are unable to comply with the
sugges
vv
.tions of the Poor La Board without the erec
tion of additional buildings to the workhouse, and, the
plans for tLese, Mr. L. H. Isaacs
architect, has been
lirected to prepare, but the lessees of the premises ad•
joining the workhouse at. d the trustees of Morton's
Charity, who are the freeholders, object to the erection
of the proposed additional buildings, on the ground that
they will obstruct the light and air to the inhabitants
of the neighbouring houses.

..a_,,g_.s--