The Sun.
London, England, 1858-12-30 00:00:00

WRECK OF THE .TEANNIE JOHNSTOI

The following is the report of Captain Johnston
to the Shipping Gazette of the circumstances at-
tending the wreck of his vessel, and the sufferings
of himself and his crew :
"We sailed from Quebec at daylight on the
morning of Oct. 5 (deals) for Hull. Our crew con-
sisted of 11 men, my mate and myself, besides my
wife and child, a little bey two years old, making
altogether 15 of us. We went on well, with mode-
rate breezes, until the evening of the 21st, at 11
o'clock, when it came on to blow from the N.N.E.
rather freely, and we shortened sail and kept on
our course as before. At half-past one a.m., on the
22d, it became squally, the wind blowing strongly
from tlie same point. We were then in lat. 47 45,
long. 41 25 W. The gale increased, and we were
obliged to stow up all our sails and heave-to under
the topsail, which we set to keep the ship steady.
We discovered that the ship was making water
very fast, so all hands were immediately set to
work at the pumps. At six a.m. we shipped a
heavy sea, which washed away our quarter-boats
and davits, stove the galley doors in, washed away
the coppers for cooking, quenched the fires, and
swept many small articles overboard. The gale
continued unabated until 1.40 p.m. that day, when
we were boarded by another heavy sea, which
washed away the cabin skylight, the binnacle, &c.,
and stove in the top of the cabin. We then spread a
sail over the cabin to keep the water from washing
down on us, as it did prior to this every time a
wave struck the vessel since the roof of the cabin
was stove in. The gale continued in full force
till 9.30 p.m. of the same day, when a third mon-
strous sea: struck the ship, which stove in the
front of the cabin, which was a house on deck,
filling it with water, and washing everything in
the starboard side of it overboard. It washed
away the long boat and jolly boat, and split
the covering board abaft the main rigging.
At 11.40 p.m. the ship was full of water, and the
pumps were of no further use. The ship's bulwarks
were nearly all washed away, and the sea made a
clean breach over her. All hands now determined
to take to the main rigging, as they did not know
the moment the ship might go down. My wife was
in bed in the cabin, with her child, and I came to
her and told her that we must all take to the main
rigging. She was very much affected by this news,
but said she would go. So great was the danger
that she had no time to put any clothes on, with
the exception of a coat and one or two other loose
garments. The night was not very cold at this
time. We gathered up what bread we could, as
some of it lad been spoiled by sea water. We also
took up a round of salt beef, some raw potatoes, and
a ham of bacon. We tried to get some freshwater,
but found that all the casks containing it had been
washed overboard, except those in the forward
part of the ship, near the forecastle, which we
could not get near, on account of the heavy seas
that were now always rolling uninterruptedly over
the ship. We were consequently without. water.
We secured ourselves in the maintop with canvas
and ropes, which served us for shelter also. We
could not sleep any scarcely that night. At seven
next morning, the 23d, we saw a sail to leeward;
she was also a barque, and passed within about a
mile of us. We managed to set a signal of distress
but the barque passed us without taking any notice
of it, and we supposed she did not see it. The storm
continued to rage violently, and we were in conti-
nual danger, expecting the mainmast to go over the
ship's side. The 23d was spent in a miserable man-
ner by the whole of us. Our clothes were wet. We
could not stretch ourselves, but all were huddled
together without room to stir. Some of the men
went to the top of the deckhouse for the purpose
of stretching their legs. My child was quiet, some-
times slept a little, and occasionally cried for a
drink, which he could not get. I cannot say that
my wife was more frightened than any of the
rest of us, or that she said more about the dan-
ger. We kept our flag of distress flying now
continually, but no vessel hove in sight after the
barque passed until the 24th. On the 23d we all
began to feel the want of fresh water. Every part
of the vessel, except the upper part of the cabin and
the masts, was always under water. On the night
of the 23d some of the men slept on the roof of the
cabin, and every night afterwards till we were res-
cued. On the 24th, at noon, we saw a brig to lee-
ward of us pass to the westward ; but she did not
notice us. I sometimes managed to get down from
the rigging to stretch my limbs ; but my wife never
came down from the time she went up but once,
when she tried to take a sleep in the cabin. This
was the sixth day after she went up to the main-
topmast. She no sooner lay down, however, than a
large sea came over the stern of the ship, washing
into the cabin, and sweeping away the bed she was
sleeping on, and drenching herself and the child
with water. She then went up to the rigging again
and never came down afterwards till the ship came
alongside to rescue us. On the night:of the 24th our
rudder was unshipped by a heavy sea, which car-
ried away the counter under it, and the ship was
henceforth unmanageable and tossed round and
round by the wind and waves. The want of water
was greatly felt by every one on board now •On
the 25th some light showers fell, but they sere so
dashed about by the force and fury of the wind
that we could not catch them in the sails, and were
glad to receive some drops which fell from the rig-
ging into our mouths, though they tasted strongly
of salt .and tar. This was the first supply of water
we received, and before we got it we were nearly
exhausted for the want of it. My wife's lips were
almost parched, and I was ready to faint myself
from weakness. The water made me sick, and when
the rain was over we were nearly as thirsty as ever.
On the 26th we had another supply, of rain, which
we drank in the same way as the first we got. This
water was better than the other, not so brackish,
and more of it. We were relieved by this supply
considerably. We did not eat the salt beef lest it
should provoke thirst, and we were frequently
obliged to slice the raw potatoes and eat them that
the juice might wet our mouths, and keep chewing
them to keep our mouths cool, and we fancied that
this allayed our thirst in some measure. The weather
continued much the same as I have described it ;
the wind from the same point that it had been
blowing from all along, until the evening of the
27th, when the hurricane shifted to the north and
we had intense cold. We were now exhausted for
want of proper sleep or a place to stretch ourselves,
and this unfavourable change in the wind almost
drove the men to despair. My wife was now the
greatest sufferer. She could not stretch her limbs
at all, and was nearly famished with cold and thirst.
My child was suffering very much from the same
causes, and cried a good deal. The wind continued
in the same point until the 30th and 31st, and the
weather continued cold. On the 30th, some snow,
hail, and rain fell. We caught some of the hail, and
relieved our thirst more than we had hitherto been
able to do. About four o'clock on the afternoon of
the 31st we espied a sail to windward: she bore
down on us, and passed under our stern after five
o'clock. She proved to be the Dutch barque Sophia
Elizabeth Vanderhoef, from Amsterdam for New
York. The captain then came to leeward, and hove
to close by us. He then spoke us thus Have
you any boats P' and we replied We have not.'
He then lowered his quarter boat and sent her over
to us. Five of us got into her, and she returned to
the Sophia Elizabeth again. There was a very
heavy sea running at the time, and it was with
great peril that the boat could live. She then made
two other trips, and took the remainder of us off;
and it was after six o'clock in the evening when we
were all safely on board and the ship again on her
course. When we left the wreck she was much in
the same condition as when her rudder became un-
shipped, and she was tossed about in all directions.
We could scarcely move when we were rescued ;
but we met with great kindness from the captain
and crew of the Sophia Elizabeth. I could not bear
anything to touch my feet for several days, and even
to-day my boots cause me some pain. The limbs of
every one of us became so sore that we could not
walk the deck for the first two or three days. My
wife and child were very bad when they were
taken off the wreck, and my wife could not stretch
her limbs for some days. They are both now almost
recovered, but still delicate from the effects of
their sufferings. I will always feel deeply grateful
to the captain and crew of the Dutch ship who res-
cued me and my wife and child from the condition
we were in on board the wreck."

TERMINATION OF THE COLLIERS' STRIKE AT OLD-
IIAM.—A meeting of the colliers on siriko at Oldham was
held on Monday at the Old Mess House Inn, Yorkshire-
street, when it was resolved that the men should present
themselves at the pits of Messrs. Jones, Lees and Co., yes-
terday morning, to work at the price offered—an advance of
one penny in the shilling. The men struck work on the
29th July last against a reduction of 2d. in the shilling, and
after they had been out ten weeks and two days they were
informed that they might commence work at the obi price
but that they refused to do, and demanded an advance of
2d. in the shilling, that amount having been obtained by
some of the minors in the district. On the 9th inst.l au
offer of the rise of a penny in the shilling was refused, but
a few of the men accepted it, and on Monday the general
body of the Oldham miners 4eciC*l gn PeCciiatin the offer.

LITERATURE.

Curiosities of Science. By .John Timbs, F•S•A''
author of " Things not Generally Known," &x•
Kent and Co.

This is another of the little treasuries of knowledge
which Mr. Timbs offers to the public in this unpre"
tending form. The present volume fully maintains
the character of those which have preceded it;
indeed, in some respects it surpasses them. Air'
Timbs rightly calls it a book for old and young, for
there are few readers who may not learn some'
thing from, it, while the succinct and simple manner
in which the marvels of science are familiarly..
explained might well attract the most superficial
or indifferent reader. To the large class who'sre
unable from press of business, and want of leisure
to prosecute scientific studies, this little volatile,
will be invaluable from the variety and extent el
its information, and the clear and condensed
manner in which it is gives. We subjoin a few.
samples :

" THE UNDULATORY SCALE Or LIGHT.
" The white light of the sun is well known to be composed
of several coloured rays ; or rather, according to the theory
of undulations, when the rate at which a ray vibrates is
altered, a different sensation is produced upon the opto
nerve. The analytical examination of this question shows
that to produce a red colour the ray of light must give
37,640 undulation in an inch, and 458,000,900,000,000 in e
second. Yellow light requires 44,000 undulations in sn
inch, and 535,000,000,000,000 in a second ; whilst the effect
of blue results from 51,110 undulations within an inch, and
622,000,000,000,000 of waves in a second of time."—Hunrs
Poetry of Science.,,

" 'VELOCITY OF LIGHT.
"It is scarcely possible so to strain the imagination 10 to
conceive the Velocity with which Light travels. 4-Vaa
mere assertion will make any man believe,' asks Sir John
Herschel, that in one second of time, in one beat of the
pendulum of a clock, a ray of light travels over 192,02,1
miles ; and would therefore perform the tour of the 'Or
in about the same that it requires to Wink with our eyelid;
and in much less time than a swift runner occupies in
taking a single stride ? ' Were a cannon-ball shot dire%
towards the sun, and were it to maintain its full speed, L
would be twenty years in reaching it ; and yet light trace°
through this space in seven or eight minutes.
" The result given in the Annuaire for 1842 for the
velocity of light in a second is 77,000 leagues, which col"
responds to 215,834 miles • while that obtained at the Pul-
kowa Observatory is 189,746 miles. William Richardson
gives as the result of the passage of light from the sum to
the earth Bm. 198.-28, from which we obtain a velocity' °,
215,392 miles in a second.-llfemoirs of the Astronomical
Society, vol. iv.
" ALL THE eALT IN THE SEA.
"The amount cf common salt in all the oceans is esti-
mated by Schafhautl at 3,051,342 cubic geographical nliles'
This would be about fives times more than the mass of the
Alps, and only one-third less than that of the HimalaYal'
The sulphate of soda equals 633,644.36 cubic miles, or le
equal to the mass of the Alps; the chloride of magnesium,
441,811.80 cubic miles ; the lime salts, 109,339.44 cubic
miles. The above supposes the mean depth to be but 30°
metres, as estimated by Humboldt. Admitting,
Laplace, that the mean depth is 1000 metres, which is more
probable, the mass of marine salt will be more than double
the mass of the Himalayas."—Silliman' s Journal, No. 1%
"Taking the average depth of the ocean at two miles, and
its average saltness at 3i.per cent., it appears that there. 1"
salt enough in the sea to cover to the thickness of one rell
an area of 7,000,000 of square miles. Admit a transfer
such a quantity of matter from an average of half a will
above to one mile below the sea level, and astronomers
show by calculation that it would alter the length of 144
day.
" These 7,000,000 of cubic miles of crystal salt have net
made the sea any fuller."
" ELECTRIC GIRDLE FOR THE EARTH.
" One of our most profound electricians is reported to
have exclaimed : Give me but an unlimited:length of wire,
with a small battery, and I will girdle thetuniverse with a
sentence in forty minutes.' Yet' this is ne vain boast ;
so rapid is the transition of the electric current along the
line of the telegraph wire, that, supposing it were possible
to carry the wires eight times round the earth, the 0111114'
would occupy but one second of time I "
" CONSUMPTION OF THE ELECTRIC TELEGRAPH.
"It is singular to see how this telegraphic ageneY.,,"
measured by the chemical consumption of zinc and a°l"'
Mr. Jones (who has written a work upon the Electric Tele;
graphs of America) estimates that to work 12,000 miles'"
telegraph about 3,000 zinc cups are used to hold the acidi
these weigh about 9,0001b5., and they undergo decomp°ll
tion by the galvanic action in about six months, so tht
18,0001bs. of zinc are consumed in a year. There area,
about 3,600 porcelain cups to contain nitric acid ; it reel.lll'
4501b5. of acid to charge them once, and the charge is re-
newed every fortnight, making about 12,0001b5. of nitric
acid in a year."

Messrs. De la Rue's Diaries and Almanacs.
Messrs. de la Rue's Diaries offer all the advalr
tages that combined utility and elegance possess'
The variety of valuable information they contain el‘"
tends beyond that usually met with in works of
similar character. In addition to the post-office,
regulations, the cab fares, the dates
moveable holidays, and other necessary le;
telligence, a foreign money table, and a series a`
French weights and measures of capacity are given
in full, with a list of other foreign weights and mea-
sures expressed in English standards. The amount
of astronomical information afforded is wine'.
thing unusual, while a table of spec&
qualities and expansions will be found very lute;
resting and useful. The lists of the Parliaments
Great Britain, and the Administrations since the
accession of George 111. to the present time, will be
serviceable to the politician. Their outward ar
pearance is all that can be desired, and the
blue and red type, tho, smooth and shining
paper and handsome binding, considerably enhance
their attra4tions. The illuminated almanac
issued by the same publishers are also excellent
combinations of beauty and utility, and are among
the best of these useful compendiums that the Pre'
sent season has furnished.

Deane's Illustrated Almanac for 1859. Deane

and Co.

A very interesting and useful little almanac. It
gives us a great variety of household and cooking
receipts, extracts from books, both prose and pall'
besides a multitude of scraps, either useful or mans'
ing. A list of the Post-office regulations will be
found very useful to correspondents. The illus..'
trated advertiser of the goods manufactured 11
Deane and Co., and sold ,at their well-known City
warehouses, will be very acceptable to housekeepers'
who obtain a list of the different prices and a COr"
rect idea of the article.