The Sun.
London, England, 1860-11-03 00:00:00

lIIE WRECK OF THE ST.E_AMER _ARCTIC.

The following account of the wreck of the steamer Arctic
is translated from a Danish paper:—
Meanwhile the steamer was about I,t mile from shore,
the brig had gone southward, but came beck with all sails
set. "In half an hour we shall have them both," said an
old fisherman, " the steamer first." The crew of the life-
boat were ready with the rockets. It was about 4 p.m., and
the storm was beginning to abate somewhat, though the
sea was still violent. The captain of the steamer, in order
to leave nothing untried, let two anchors go at the outer-
most shoal. " That will never do," said the old fisherman;
"he is lying too close to a dangerous place." "He does
not know Harboore Strand," said an old man ; " only look
at the brig, she knows more about the matter—they must
have been here before." And in truth, at the same mo-
ment, I saw the brig with all her sails set dash over the
shoal like lightning straight towards the coast.

I remained looking after the steamer; it was lying on the
shoal, and the waves were continually washing over it. The
storm abated more and more, and I began to hope she
might be saved. I went in front of the cliffs to get to the
brig, which was lying about 2,000 yards more to the south;
the cliffs thus hid the steamer from sight for a time, but
all at once I saw its masts further towards the south, and
a great deal nearer land. Without suspecting anything
wrong I went again over the hills, so as to come down to
the sea, when suddenly from the top of the cliff I saw the
fearful extent of the destruction in all its fulness. The
vessel had sprung a leak, and had drifted to about the
middle of the shoal, about 700 yards from land, and had
foundered on this dangerous place. The quarter deck was
under water, while the remaining part of the vessel was
still above. The crew and the passengers had crowded into
rigging, and their heart-piercing shrieks resounded over
the sands. It was a night I never have seen before, and I
pray the Lord I may never witness such another. The
only hope was that the ship might hold together until the
storm had sufficiently abated to permit of the lifeboat being
used ; to use the rocket apparatus was impossible, as the
ship lay too far from land. I remained standing on the
shore, and could see how every moment the sea gained on
the ship ; after half an hour it reached the foremast. All
at once I heard a hollow sound ; it was the deck which had
gone to pieces ; and at the same moment a bale of cotton
went overboard and was hurried along with terrific velo-
city towards the shore. And then, without intermission,
boats, tubs, and packages and bales of goods, boxes and
trunks, were precipitated out of the vessel,:and soon covered
the whole shore. It continued thus for about one hour.
The wind lulled more and more, and the ship, thanks to
God, still remained entire. It began to grow dark; I re-
mained standing as long as I could catch a glimpse of the
passengers—the one moment in frantic despair, the next
full of hope. As yet I had seen none leave go of the mast
or fall overboard.

Night came on, and I could see no more. I offered up a
silent prayer for those in the masts. As soon as day dawned
I looked again for the steamer, and was thankful to see that
it had become comparatively calm. It lay still on the same
spot without having settled down further in the water. I was
convinced that all in the mast were saved, but unfortunately
it was not so. The lifeboat had come early in the morning
from the station, but its crew con& idered any attempt useless.
The day advanced till it was nearly noon. Mr. Claude
used every means, both threats and promises ; he pro-
mind any one who sustained injury a handsome pen-
sion, and assured the people that if any of them perished in
the attempt he would provide for their families, and offered
any who would go out 100 dohs. from his own pocket. Any
one who knows his influence, character, and fortune, knows
also that he both would and could keep his promise ; but it
was all in vain. Mr. Anderson, from Lemvig, hastened
down to a Norwegian brig which was in the neighbourhood,
and returned with the mate and some sailors ; but when
they saw the danger they refused, with the exception of the
mate, to venture out. Mr. Andersen was the first to volun-
teer. The mate engaged to take the helm; an old English..
man, Mr. Earl, civil engineer, who was on the spot, also
joined the volunteers. It was a hazardous enterprise. The
boat, which required a complement of eight oars and ton
men, had to make the attempt with seven men—the Norwe-
gian sat at the helm. It was a fearful sight ; ten times was
the boat hurled back on the shore. Andersen, who rowed
bow oar, was washed overboard ; but we fortunately
pulled him in again. The Norwegian steered the boat with
as much calmness and cheerfulness as if on a plea-
sure trip; one could hear his voice through the storm
" Cheerily, my lads, again she goes." And, indeed, God is
the protector of the bold. The boat at length arrived in
safety over the surf to the vessel, and was received by a
hearty cheer from the Englishmen in the masts. The
mizen was speedily emptied of its living freight, and then
they began to rescue those on the foremast. When as many
passengers as the boat could hold had got in, they put off,
and reached the land in a few moments. On its arrival a
hearty hurrah sounded again from the ship. This fortu-
nate result gave encouragement for another attempt. Tho
bat set out again, with the addition of one or two mor•