The Sun.
London, England, 1860-01-02 00:00:00

iAW INTELLIGENCE.-(THIS DAY.)

COURT OF BANKRUPTCY.
(Before Mr. Commissioner Goulburn.)
IN RE J. L. ANDERSON.

This bankrupt was described as formerly of Cannon-street
West, linen draper, under the style orfirm of Anderson and
Co., and now carrying on business with Theodore Allen in
Milk-street, City of London, under the firm' of Anderson,
Allen, and Co.

Mr. Curwood now appeared for the bankrupt, and asked
for an adjournment sine die with protection, on the ground
that the bankrupt was suffering under consumption, and
not likely to recover. •

Mr. Hughes, from Mr. Linklater's, said that the bank-
rupt had applied to the Insolvency Court, where his
schedule had been filed, and it was only from that that the
creditors could ascertain the state of the affairs, and as
there were no assets the assignee did not feel bound to incur
any expense. He (Mr. Hughes) thought that an adjourn-
ment with protection from month to month would be
sufficient.

His Honour said that, under tha circumstances, he should
grant protection for three months.

IN RE SAAR AND SHAW.
These bankrupts were described as of John-street, Cam-
bridge-heath, boiler makers, and came up to pass their last
examination unopposed. The debts are small, and it was
stated that the creditors might have been paid in full, had
an offer been accepted ; but there was a quarrel between
the partners and a third party. The only question of the
slightest interest in the case was on the application for an
allowance, each bankrupt claiming £2O as excepted article'
out of the joint estate.

His Honour considered that only £2O could be allowed
out of a joint estate to be divided between the bankrupts ;
but where there were separate estates, each bankrupt could
take £2O of property at the broker's valuation, but he did
not think that the bankrupt could not afterwards claim on
the joint estate, but he would not make an order at the
moment.

CRIMINAL COURT-(171IS DAY .

OLD COURT.

The January sessions of the Central Criminal Court
commenced this morning before the Lox d Mayor, Recorder,
Aldermen, and Sheriffs.

The ralonder contains the names of 42 prisoners for trial.
The Recorder, in his charge to the grand jury, expressed
his satisfaction that the number of prisoners for trial was
less than he ever remembered since he had the honour o
a seat on the bench. There was one charge of infanticide,
and although, undoubtedly, crimes including violence to
the person generally were certainly on the decreasexhe was
afraid that this particular crime was not only not decreasing,
but was on the increase. In the case that would now be
brought before them the principal question for their consi-
deration would be, first, whether the child was born alive ;
and next, whether it was made out to their satisfaction that
the death was the result of violence, and that the prisoner's
was the hand by which the violence was inflicted. If all
these acts should be made out to their satisfaction it would
be their duty to find a true bill. 'I he learned gentleman
concluded by stating that he did not know that there was
any other case likely to present the least difficulty, and he
should therefore dismiss them to the performance of their
duty.

POLICE INTELLIGENCE-(TRIS DAY.)

MELANCHOLY ACCIDENT ON THII

RIVER MERSEY.

FEARFUL LOSS OF LIFE.

On Friday afternoon one of the most melancholy
accidents that have for some time occurred took
place on the Mersey, by which more than twenty.
Hires have been. sacrificed. It appears that a vessel
' called the Grand Trianon, commanded by Captain
Henry Clarke, left the Birkenhead Dock on Friday
morning at high water, and anchored near the
middle of the river, off Rock Ferry. She is an
emigrant ship, bound for Adelaide. A number of
men were on board, consisting of riggers and other
artisans, who had been employed in various ways
in fitting up the ship id getting her ready for sea.
.These men, having completed the work on board
ship, were desirous of going ashore; and, with this
object in view, availed themselves 'of a boat that
came alongside. The boat belonged to Thomas
4lackay, a man well known as a boatman on the
river. With regard to the exact number of persons
on board there are various statements, but, so far as
can at present be ascertained, the'number must have
been at least 2.0 or 27 ; some of the survivors esti-
mate it as high as 39. It was intended that the
boat should run into what is called the Cockle-hole,
near the Brunswick Dock, and land her passengers.
A strong breeze was blowing from the south-west,
with rather a heavy sea, the tide being on the ebb.
The boat, which was under sail, approached to
within a short distance of the Brunswick-pier, when
a sea struck her and she shipped some water. Im-
mediately afterwards she gave a lurch and filled, and,
as one of the survivors expressed himself, " she went
from under them." All the occupants of the boat
were thus thrown into the water, and, as may
readily be imagined, a fearful scene ensued. Owing
to the heavy.sea the unfortunate men could do little
towards saving themselves, and the struggles of
most of them were of brief duration. The accident
having been observed by several persons on the
Brunswiek pier, two boats put off immediately to
render assistance. One of, them was manned by
James Godson, Thomas Slack, Wm. Minshull, and
Wm. Reece, and by dint of great exertion they
reached the scene of the catastrophe. The boat
picked up Captain H. Clarke, the commander of
the ship ; Thomas Killing, a labourer ; Thomas
Mackay, the owner of the boat; and a man un-
known, supposed to be a rigger.. All of them ex-
cept the last-named were taken' to the Southern
Hospital, where they received prompt medical as-
sistance. Mackay was so little injured that he left
the hospital immediately and proceeded to his own
home, in Park-road. The others were, by the usual
appliances resorted to on such occasions, soon placed
out or danger, and arc progressing .favourably.
Another of the survivors, John O'Hara, a seaman,
saved himself by swimming towards the pierhead,
where a life buoy-was thrown to him, and he was
brought ashore at the Cockle-hole slip. The other
boat previously alluded to which put off to render
assistance was mannedloy 11rni. Morton, Wm. Hill,
Stephen Benjamin; and a seaman. This boak
picked up Thomas Grue, who was brought to the
George's Pier, and conveyed thence to the receiving
house at Prince's Dock. After being placed in a
warm bath, and other means adopted for his restora-
tion, he gradually recovered. We regret to add that
all. the other poor fellows who occupied the boat
met a watery grave. Supposing there were 28
persons in the boat, this would leave 22 unaecounted
for. A large portion of them were riggers, and the
remainder artisans and labourers who hsd been
employed in various ways on board the ship. It is
said that the boat was rather deeply laden, though
the accident is not ascribed to this cause.
Themes Grue, the boatman who was removed to
the receiving-house at the Prince's Dock, made the
following statement relative to the melancholy
occurrence :—Thomas Mackay, the owner of the
boat, and myself were engaged to attend the Grand
Trianon, and we accordingly went over to Birken-
head and saw that vessel out of the dock into the
middle of the river opposite Rock Ferry. At about '
half-past three o'clock the captain of the ship and a
number of riggers, labourers, and others got into our
boat for the purpose of going on shore. There were
about 28 or 29 of us altogether. The wind was
blowing fresh from the S.W., but the water round
the Grand Trianon when we left her was not very
rough, and we did not consider it dangerous to go
ashore in the boat. Wo had a foresail up. When
about 200 yards from the Coburg Dock Pierhead the
sea was very rough, and I had some foreboding that
something wrong would take place. 'To prevent
accident the people on board were told by Thomas
Mackay to sit steady, but immediately afterwards
the boat was struck with a very heavy squall,
and the back sea from the pierhead filled her
with water, and she instantly went down under
our feet. I leaped as far as I could from the
boat, and then I found that a lad had hold of
one of my legs, but in order that both of us should
not be drowned I kicked him off. The screams of
the people in the water for assistance were dread-
ful, but I could not see many of them, owing to the
great swell and the heavy waves. I heard Wm.
Robbins, the rigger, who had a wooden leg, sing
out as the boat went down—" 0 Lord, save me ;
we are gone !" I succeeded in getting off my coat,
and then swam with the tide towards the shore. I
had my head frequently under the water, and at
times thought that there was no use in continuing
my efforts to reach the land by swimming, as I
felt certain I should be drowned. I however per-
severed, and was ultimately picked up by William
Hill and William Morton, in the boat Jane, near
the Queen's Dock Basin. I was much exhausted,
but, nevertheless had to walk from the George's
Pierhead to the receiving-house, owing to the cab-
driver refusing to take me because my clothes were
wet. Mackay's boat was about 24 feet long and 7
feet beam, strongly built, and I could have trusted
her almost in any sea.
The names of the whole of the sufferers by this
melancholy occurrence are not yet ascertained, but
the following are known to be some of them :—Wm.
Robins, Grafton-street ; Robert Jones, Whitley-
street ; John Thwaites, Dalton-street ; Alexander
Johnson, Kirkdale ; George Wilham, Watkinson-
street ; Edward Butler, Grafton street ; William
Browne, Upper Frederick-street; Daniel Whaling,
Mann-street ; James Irving, Rathbone-street ;
William Williams, George Sherman, and a boy.
All these are married men, and have families.
They were riggers, in the employ of Mr. Evans,
Upper Frederick-street. Up to a late hour last
evening none of.the bodies had been recovered.