The Sun.
London, England, 1856-04-26 00:00:00

ING, APRIL 26, 1856.

FE.4RFUL SUFFERINGS OF .4 SHIP'S CREW.

By the•arrival of the shiphieroury at Torbay we have
received the following report of. the los, and sub.equent
painful suffering] of the crew, of the bark Blake of
Liverpool :

"The British bark Blake, Captain Edward Rudolf,
sailed from Ship Island harbour, 'Mississippi, with a
cargo of pitch and pine deals, bound to Cork for orders.
She sailed on Bth of February, with a fine, fair wind and
good weather, aad was in good trim and fine order, and
-with every hope' of making a'good and prosperous pas-
sage. The weather continued fine, and she made nice pro-
gress on her way, sighting Bermuda on the 18th after
leaving port, the ship tight and in fine order. -0e the 4th
day of ,March the weather began trrchange ; commenced
with rainy, squally weather. sth. It hauled to S.W.,
blowing a strong gala and a heavy sea running. Finding
the ship making a little water, the pumps werti attended
to every watch. 6th and 7tb.—The gale increasing,
and sea running very high and crossed ; wind blowing
from N.W. to W.N.W., causing the ship to labour
heavily, and kept one puns') constantly going, the ship
running under double-reefed main and close-reefed
foretopsails and foresail, Bth and 9th.—Gale still con-
tinuing, and veeiing -more to northward, with very
heavy squalls and a tremendOus cross sea, causing her
to labour, and straining her awfully. Both pumps were
kept constantly at work, ship running under close reefed
maintopsail and reefed foresail. Tried to forereach her
under the two close-reefed topsails, but., not succeeding,
were ultimately obliged to run her; found the ship mak-
ing water fast and it gaining upon us, there being 3 fiet
water in the hold. 10th and lltb.—Gale still continu-
ing, and squalls more violent, attended with hail and
snow, and -very cold ; the water gaining rapidly on the
pumps, there being nine feet of water in the hold. 12th.—
Blowing a terrific gale from W.N.W., with a very heavy
sea running, 13 feet of water in the hold, and men worn
out, having been at the pumps constantly for 3 days and
nights, without sleepingorrest of any sort. The water was
rising fast, the ship getting heavy and difficult to steer.
At 6 p.m. she broached to and shipped a heavy sea,
which carried away the man at the wheel, the binnacle,
skylights, life and jolly boats, and all the bulwarks.
Took the foresail in and rounded her to under a close-
reefed maintopsail, when the sheet parted, and the sail
blew away. She lay very broad to the sea, which made
a clean breach over her, carrying away the spars on
deck, watercasks, galley, long boat, topgallant fore-
castle, and breaking in the poop, which washed away the
cabin, and everything off deck. Got the main trysail
set, and tried to get forward to cut away the foremast,
but found it impossible for a soul to get there. The
ship was now lying water-logged, it blowing a terrific
gale, with very violent squalls, and the sea making a
clean breach over her, all bands clinging to the weather
rigging and in the maintop, everything being washed
away from the maindeck. 13tb. —Blowing a terrific
hurricane, with heavy squalls of hail, sleet, and snow,
from N.Tr., and fearfully cold. At 11 a.m. were struck
with a terrific squall and a tremendous sea at the same
time, which capsized the ship. washing away seven men,
poop deck, and bursting up the main deck, washed off
all Vile batches, and carrying off every morsel of provi-
sions there was on board the ship. The ship lay in this
state about two hours, while the hurricane blew, the re-
mainder of the crew nearly perishing with the piercing
cold, when she carried away all the three lower masts
at the heads and bowsprit at the stem, and slowly
righted. Having a list, it formed a little shelter from
the cold under the weather-poop bulwarks aft, where we
were obliged to hold on and make ourselves fast, to
prevent being washed away by the sea that was con•
stantly breaking over us. In this sad and miserable
position we were obliged to remain until the 18th, the
gale still continuing and the sea breaking over 113 (lat.
about 43 15 N., long. 38 30 W.), and unable t move
rom our position for fear of being washed away, be.
fog five days without a morsel of food or a drink of
water, without rest, and constantly drenched by the sea.
19th.—Gale and sea more moderate ; at the risk of our
lives we attempted to get forward for water, and suc-
ceeded, but spoiled this ca-k of water in the attempa
This day one of the seamen died from cold, hunger, and
fatigue ; we put him overboard. In the afternoon the
gale began to moderate ; got some pieces of canvass
to lie upon, and all huldled together in a heap to
keep ourselves warm. 20th.—This being the seventh
day without anything to eat, I caught a half-
drowned rat, which I immediately cut up and shared
out to each one; it was a delicious morsel. The weather
was still very rough and cold. 21st.---The eighth
day ; we were able to get forward and get a small cask
of water from the hold, and rolled it aft, and lashed
it to the stauncheon, this being the only thing we
had to depend upon. Ninth Day.—No sail cou!d
yet be discerned upon the horizon, all eyes being daily
and nightly stretched to catch a glimpse of some
friendly sail. Hunger now began to tell heavily upon
us all, and its ravages were plainly discerned. Tenth Day.
—What a joyous sound was heard this morning, as the
watch, at daylight, cried, ho !' and two vessels
were seen, and every heart leaped with joy, but only to
meet a heavier di-appointment. The two vessels passed,
one to windward and the other to leeward without tak-
ing any notice of us. Oh, this disappointment was heart-
breaking ! with starvation staring us in the face, and the
cries and the moans of the men around me calling on
their God to help them ; with their glaring eyes and
emaciated forms looking so pitifully towards me, as if I
could assist them. The scene was awful and horrible,
and cannot be described by my pen ; and in my situa
tion I had to hold up against everything to sustain them,
that they might not give way to it. Mail times I had
to set my heart as hard as iron, to bear up against their
cries and appeals to me, as to what they should do,
when I could have lain down and given way to grief and
sorrow far deeper than themselves. To see those men,
once so strong and robust, and now nothing better than
moving skeletons I To hear them smacking their lips
and dreaming of being at some friendly table eating and
enjoying themselves, as they would fall off into some of
their dozing sleeps from fatigue, only to be awakened
by the wash of a sea to behold their deplorable fate ;
then their cries and moans would be heartwrending.
They by this time began to get flighty, from weakness,
and sores were breaking out all over us, from being con-
stantly wet with salt water, In this way we continued
until the 13th day, when we saw another vessel pass
and take no notice of us. The wailing and moaning
upon this day are too awful to be described. Thirteen
days without a morsel of food of any kind to put to our
lips ! Another seaman died this day of starvation.
We did not put him overboard, but reserved his corpse
for our own use, and in this state we lingered for four
days more, living off the body of our dead companion ;
but I must say very sparingly indeed, for the thoughts
of it were almost as bad as death itself. Through these
four awful days I do not see how we ever lived, not
having a dry place to lie, and the sea continually wash-
ing over us ; and as some of us would drop off in our
dozing state, dreaming of feasting, and be awakened in
a few minutes by the wash of a sea, then, coming to a
sense of their situation, and the dead body of their com-
rade swinging in the pale moonlight, the cries and moans
of the men were appalling. Oa Saturday, the 29th of
March, we bore the heaviest and greatest disappoint-
ment--a large ship passing us about two miles to
windward, and not seeing us, it being too early in the
morning This was the 17th day since we capsized, and
had nothing to eat but the dead- body of our comrade,
none af us hardly able to move from weakness and
fatigue, and all our hopes gone. I laid myself down
when the ship passed us, shut my eyes, and gave up all
hopes of ever seeing land again, and was about resigning
myself to my fate, when about two hours after I heard
cries of joy from all of 'Sail, ho! sail, he!' repeated in
such a strain as will never be erased from my memory
while on this earth. She proved to be the schooner
Pigeon, Captain W. S. Knight, of St. John's, New.
foundland. It blowing a strong gale from W.S.W. at
the time, and a good sea on, they bad some difficulty in
removing us from the wreck, owing to our weak, miser-
able state. Our clothes, on being taken off, were com-
pletely rotten, being so long wet. We could pick them
all off by pieces.
"The following is a list of the crew:—

"Survivors.—Wynne Dugan, mate, of Swansea ;
James Cosgrove, second mate, of Liverpool ; John Geo.
Rudolf, third mate, of Halifax ; John Petersen, seaman,
of Trieste ; Joseph Barber, seaman, of Genoa ; John
Kieren, seaman, of Germany; and William Thomas,
cook, of Halifax.

" Washed Overboard.--John Phillips, carpenter, of
Dundee ; Thomas Leach, seaman, of Dublin ; Henry
Eccleston, seaman, of New York ; Joseph Thompson,
seaman' '
of New York ; John Crimmons, seaman, of
New York • William Brown, seaman, of New York ;
Charles Beck, seaman, of Baltimore; Jonathan Roberts,
steward, of Liverpool.
"Jose Ariva, of Callao, and Richard Foss, of Bide.
ford, Wales, died from fatigue and starvation.

fpwA.u? RUDOLF, Master."

"Ship Mercury, off Start Point, 8 a.m.,
Friday, April 18.
" Monday, April 7.—Lat. 41 59 N. ; long. 41 50 W.,
spoke the schooner Pigeon, Knight, from Lisbon for St.
John's, Newfoundland, short of water, &c., supplied
her ; and from Rudolf obtained the report accompanying
this, which he desired to be forwarded to England."

PROPOSED WIDENING OF STREETS.--The Board of
Works for the Holborn district have agreed to memo-
rialise the Metropolitan Board of Works in favour of the
removal of Middle-row, Holborn, and the widening of
Gray's Inn-lane, the north end of Chancery-lane, and
south end of Leather-lane, leading into Holborn.
LAUNCH OF THE GIEN-BATTERY TERROR.—SHIELDS,
Thur-day Night.—The monster floating battery, built
by Messrs. Palmer Brother, of Jarrow, was launched on
the Tyno this evening, in the presence of a large con-
course of spectators from Newcastle, Gateshead, Shields,
and the neighbouring towns. She is exactly of the same
proportions a 3 her companion ships, launched by Messrs.
R. Napier and Sons, of Glasgow, and Messrs. Samuda
Brothers, of London. She is 2,000 tons burthen, and
though, as her name implies, she is an ugly-looking mon-
ster, as strong as wood and iron can make her. The
loose plates used in her construction have been made in
the Parkgate Works, Yorkshire, and though only com-
menced with in the early part of January last, she has
been launched a week before the time contracted for her
delivery, the Ist of May. About 900 workmen have
been employed in her construction, and she will be ready
to be despatched to Sheerness in a day or two,