The Sun.
London, England, 1851-01-18 00:00:00

DREADFUL SHIPWRECK.

GALLANT CONDUCT OF THE COAST GUARD
AND FISHERMEN NEAR THE LAND'S END.
Early oa Saturday morning, the 11th inst., the brig
New Commercial, of Whitby, 250 tons burden, Sander-
son master, bound from Liverpool to the Spanish main,
in a thick fog and strong gale from the S.S.W., struck
upon a ledge of rocks between the Great and Little Bris-
son, two high rocks rising between 60 and 70 feet above
high water mark, about one mile off the bluff headland of
Cape Cornwall, and four miles northward from the
Land's End. The sea running very high the vessel im-
mediately went to pieces, and the crew, nine men with
one woman, the wife of the master, got on the ledge.
They were discovered from the shore as soon as day
broke, but no assistance could then be possibly rendered
them.
In this perilous condition the poor creatures remained
until about nine o'clock, when they were all washed off
together by one tremendous wave and hurled into the
boiling deep. Seven out of the ten sank at once into a
watery grave.
Of the remaining three, one, a mulatto, contrived to
get on a portion of the floating wreck, and after having
teen beaten about for some hours in imminent peril of
being every instant swallowed up by the breakers, he
managed with a remarkable coolness and presence of
mind, by means of a plank which be used as a paddle,
and a piece of canvass which served him for a sail, with
the assistance of the strong tides, to keep clear of the
broken waters.
. Whilst this poor fellow was thus struggling for life,
with all the resources which his ingenuity could suggest
to him, amid the anxious expectations of the people who
witnessed his attempt from the shore, whose lofty cliffs
were now crowded by upwards of 2,000 spectators, five
fishermen belonging to Sennen, a small fishing cove close
to the Land's Eud, after much debate among themseves,
determined, with that bold and resolute spirit for which
these men are distinguished, to launch their boat (the
Grace) through the breakers, in which they happily
succeeded, and eventually, after encountering great
difficulty and risk, they rescued the poor mulatto from
his perilous situation.
The other two, the master and his wife, when they
were carried off the ledge, were washed upon the Little
Brisson 11,,ck, which rises in a peaked head, and is the
resort of numerous sea fowl. The master first gained a
footing upon the rock, and upon looking around him saw
his wife struggling in the waves, but sufficiently near to
enable him to stretch out his hand and pull her in.
While the Sennen fishermen were occupied in rescuing
the mulatto, her Majesty's revenue cutter Sylvia, com-
manded by Mr. Forward, was seen gallantly working
round the Land's End, having been ordered to the spot
by Captain Davies, R.N., the late and still acting in•
specting-commander of the coast-guard of this district.
Captain Davies himself and several of his officers took
up their stations upon the lofty promontory of Cape
Cornwall, overlooking the Brissone. On reaching the
point Mr. Forward hunched his boat, and attempted,
with a crew of four men, to get near the rock; but
the attempt was fruitless, anu it was only with great
difficulty that ho regained the cutter, to the great relief
of Captain Davies and the numerous spectators upon the
cliffs, who rejoiced to perceive that though success did
not attend his daring exploit, still he himself and his
gallant crew at least were safe. It was now growing late,
and nothing more could be attempted in the way of
rescue for the day, so Mr. Forward hoisted his colours
and hove-to his craft, to encourage the poor sufferers,
who were now to be left to spend the wretched night
without food or shelter, exposed to the winds and rain
upon this desolate rock, amid the wide waste of waters,
and to assure them that they had still a friend, who,
with God's blessing, would stand by and not forsake
them.

On Sunday morning the wind happily drew a little to
the south-east, which cawel the sea to abate; all hands
were immediately on the alert, and it great excitement
prevailed among the people along the coast on Saturday,
it was not at all lessened on this day. Hundreds began
to assemble as soon as it was light, and the number
greatly increased es the day were on. Towards the
middle of the day the sun shone ont, and, by light-
ing up the magnificent scenery of the coast all
round, added greatly to the feverish interest of the
scene. At one o'clock four boats were seen approaching
from the Sennen Cove—three manned by fishermen and
one by the coast-guard ; at the same time Captain
Davies arrived, having embarked in a preventive boat
at a small cove named Pendeen, about three miles N.E.
of the spot, with four preventive men and one miner,
taking rockets with him. The cutter's boat also was
manned by Mr. Forward, so that six boats were speedily
on the spot. By this time the scene had become one of
the most exciting description, and the crowds of people
upon the cliffs could not have numbered less than 5,000
or 6,000 ; and, as each boat arrived at the spot, the
cheers of this vast multitude, awakening all the echoes
of this cavernous coast, added not a little to the ex-
citement.
The sea still ran so high that no boat could venture
within 100 yaTds of the rock. The rockets which
Captain Davies had taken with him in the preventive
boat had never been tried here before, even from the
shore, and we believe never elsewhere from a boat. By
the printed instructions the persons firing should be at
least fifty feet in the rear to be free from danger.
One of the men, a gunner, volunteered to fire them,
although he had never seen one used before; but Cap-
tain Davies, with a generous and disinterested consider-
ation, would not suffer any of his crew to incur a risk
which he himself did not share ; so, alter making his
arrangements, and having placed his crew in one of the
Sennen boats, he remained alone, and with his own hand
discharged the rocket. He was inveloped in an instant
in a sheet of flame from the back fire. Happily, how-
ever he sustained no injury, but unfortunately the line
which reached the reek fell upon a sharp ledge, which
cut the rope so that the end of it slipped off into the sea.
It is impossible to describe the disappointment expe-
rienced by the people upon the cliffs and in the boats at
this unfavourable result of such a daring experiment.
After a short delay, however, another rocket was
prepared, which Captain Davies again himself dis-
charged, and this time the cord fell on the rock close
by the man, to the great joy and delight of the as-
sembled multitude, whose minds had been so long oscil-
lating between hope and fear. As the cord fell on the
rock the woman was observed to raise her clasped hands
in apparent thankfulness.
At this critical moment the sun, which had again
hidden himself behind the damp dark clouds, shone
forth once more with increased brilliancy, and whilst it
seemed to speak hope to the bosoms of the anxious
spectators, the man on the rock was seen to fasten the
line around the waist of bis wile, and to encourage her
to take the fearful leap, whilst she lingered and hesi-
tated to jump into the foaming waters. After some little
time, however, his persuasions prevailed. They took an
affecting leave of each other, and, amid the breathless
expectutions of all, she made the awful plunge from a
height of about twelve feet. At this moment three im-
mense waves broke in rapid succession, perilling the
safety of all. For a time, indeed, the boats were en-
tirely hidden from the view of the spectators, and the
loud cry broke forth from thousands of voices, " They
are gone!" The females in wirticular among the crowd
were so horror-stricken that they actually turned away
their beads from the fearful spectacle before them, and
shrieked aloud.
But soon again the boats were seen above the swelling
waves, and the lofty cliffs once more rung with approv-
ing cheers. The cord was drawn with great judgment,
and after about three minutes the poor woman was taken
into one of the beats; but the blows from the waves were
more than her Exhaust ai frame could bear. No atten-
tion that could be shown her was spared. The men
took off their own clothes to cover her, and used every
effort to restore her. She breathed, but by the time the
boat reached the cove life had fled. After the master
had persuaded his wife to leave him he fastenvl the cord

around his own waist, and was Irawn, greatly exhausted,
into cne of the other boat. We are often domed to
wiluess fearful shipwrecks on this expo,ed coast; but no
disaster of the kind has excited such intense interest or
sympathy in the neighbourhood, as the one we have now
been relating, for a long time. The peculiarly trying
situa ion of the surviving sufferers themselves, and the
bold attempts made for their rescue have thrown an in-
t,,res: around the Brissor,s which will not soon die away.
Captain Davies had been promoted to tf,e rank of
post captain only a few days before this shipwreck took
place. lie has seen a great deal of service, and mani-
festel no ordinary zeal on several occasions during the
time he has held the appointment of inspecting com-
manier here. Ho has also received six medals from the
Royal Humane Society and Shipwrecked Mariners'
Society for services of a similar kind performed else-
where. The writer of this has not the pleasure of being
persmally acquainted with him, but he should rejoice to
hear that so brave and able an officer has not been lost
sight, of by the Admiralty, in the retirement into
which he is now withdrawing with the good wishes of
all Lis friends.

As to Mr. Forward, whose conduct is spoken of by his
commander as beyond all praise, something might and
ought to be dote for him by the service, as well as for
the intrepid crew who shared the danger; and there ex-
ists a strong fe,iling here that the parties, more especi-
ally/the fishermen who risked their property ai well as
their lives on this intensely interesting occasion, should
not be allowed to go unrewarded.
It is impossible to speak too highly of the conduct of
those who were employed on this occasion All who
wiaiessed it agreed in declaring that a more gallant,
humane, and praiseworthy act has seldom been recorded.
And every person who has the slightest acquaintance
with the bold character of this coast, and the terrific
seas which prevail here at:this stormy season, must be
well aware that such an attempt required no common
courage, and furnished no ordinary proof that true
courage and genuine humanity are always found in the
same bosom.

Mr. Pearse, the active and indefatigable agent of
Lloyd's, at Penzance, and also agent of the Shipwrecked
Mariners' Society, was cn the spot at the earliest possible
moment, and, as usual, showed the utmost anxiety to
render every assistance.