The Sun.
London, England, 1859-03-18 00:00:00

DREADFUL SHIPWRECK.-LOSS OF
FIVE LIVES.

STROMNESS, March 12, 1859.—1 t is our painful task to
report one of the most fearful shipwrecks that has occurred
on our shores for these many years, being the total loss of
the barque Lord Mulgrave, of Hull, a vessel about 500
tons register, commanded by Captain Robert Atkinson, a
fine young man, a native of Hull. The ship was bound
from Shields to New York, with a cargo of coals, and had
only been about three weeks out of port. She had passed
the Orkney Islands about eight days previous to the sad
occurrence, and had experienced fearful weather to the
westward, and had spent some sails, got decks swept,
and bulwarks carried away. The gale continuing, the cap-
tain resolved to put about ship, and run for the Orkney
Islands. They sighted Dunnet Head on the night of the
Bth. The gale still increased on the 9th, and towards even-
ing it blew a perfect hurricane ; as they neared our islands
sail after sail were blown to shreds, and no sooner had the
poor fellows bent on another than it shared the same fate.
At last, for want of canvass, the vessel became unmanage-
able, so that she could not weather the point of Brackness
to get into Hoy Sound, but began to drift to leeward, and
as a fearful sea was running it became evident that the ill-
fated vessel was hurrying fast to destruction.:The captain
and his noble crew, as a last resource, resolved to give the
ship her anchors, as it might check her rapid progress lee-
ward, until the life-boat could be got out, so that they
might endeavour to reach the shore by it. Anchors were
dropped, and the life-boat was launched, and some of the
crew had got into her, when a tremendous billow struck
the vessel and capsized the boat, drowning two of the
crew, the one an old man, cook on board, and the other a
fine young boy about fifteen years old, son of a most re-
spectable gentleman in Hull, and who had only joined the
ship in the way of a trial voyage. Before the boy was put
into the life-boat the captain tied his own life-belt on him,
but to no purpose ; the little fellow, was seen after the boat
upset, floating away to leeward amongst the raging surf,
and waving his hand to his shipmates as if by way of
farewell. This took place about six o'clock, p.m., when the
anchors dragged and the vessel drifted rapidly to leeward,
and soon struck on that ridge of rocks known by the name
of Bailie Crowe, near Brackness, and, close by the Black
Craigs. Very soon after she struck, the mizzen-mast went
over board, and the mainmast soon followed; some of the
crew had been in the main rigging, hut fortunately got out
before the mast fell overboard. The foreehains were now
the only stand by for the poor fellows ; wave after wave was
passing over the ship, with fearful rapidity, and with tell-
ing effect. The shore to a considerable distance became
strewed with the wreck, and the noble ship, which a few
hours before seemed to defy both wind and wave, was now
a helpless wreck on the shore, billow after billow dashing
her to pieces, and sending the scattered fragments to the
beach. About this time the foremast fell overboard, and
the ship was fast breaking up. The anxiety amongst the
crowds who had assembled on the shore became most in-
tense, as they were almost giving up hopes of seeing any of
the helpless crew in life ; and to add to the horrors of the
scene, it was getting quite dark, and nothing of the crew
could be seen from on shore. About 8 o'clock the ship
parted amidships, and the stern portion drifted a little
shoreward. A cry was then heard in the direction of
the
,whisch proceeded from the crew, and was
answered out from a few young men who were
wreck
by a h
nearest the wreck, and who, headed by a young man, Wil-
liam Louttitt to name, a native of this place, determined to
strain every nerve to save them, and after extraordinary
efforts and great risk, he, along with the other four, suc-
ceeded in getting the poor fellows to the land, greatly ex-
hausted from cold and fatigue. Had it not been for the
timeous assistance of these young men, who deserve all
praise, they would have soon been swept from the rock
where they had got a footing. When the ship parted nine
of the crew got on a piece of the wreck and floated to the
rock, and were thus miraculously save& The poor fellows
were immediately assisted to the houses of 111 r. George
Inkster and Thos. Linklater, at Brackness, who kindly
warmed, fed, and gave them beds for the night. The crew
consisted of 14 in all. The following is a list of thew
drowned and saved :
DROWNED—Robt. Atkinson, master; Francis Chatham,boy 15 years old • Thomas M'Clusky, cook; Charles Dolli.
son, second mate; Edward Kirk, seaman.
SAVED—Francis Anderson, mate ; Henry Sellers, sea-
man • William Appleby; Richard Taylor; George Glen;
John Kight, steward ; Thomas Smithson, apprentice;
James Campbell, seaman ; James Holmes, apprentice.
The body of the second mate was found yesterday, and
was decently interred in the parish churchyard to-day.
None of the reniahib of the other persons drowned have as
yet" been found.

- Part of the crew are members of the Mariners' Ship-
wrecked Society, and have got temporary relief from
Garrioch, agent here for that society.--.Yorthern Ensign.

---
ROYAL NATIONAL LIFE BOAT INSTI-
TUTION.

Yesterday the annual meeting of the friends and Mr"
porters of this national and philanthropic institution war
held at the London Tavern, Sir John S. Pakington, Bart.,
M.P., First Lord of the Admiralty, in the chair. The
meeting was influentially and most numerously attended,
and amongst others there were present Thomas Baring,
Esq., M.P., chairman of the society; Thomas Chap-
man, Esq., F.R.S., V.P., deputy-chairman; Admiral
Bullock; Captain Lean, R.N. ; M. Gore, Esq. ; Ad"
miral Sir Thomas Herbert, K.C.B. ; Captain Perrott;
Captain Washington, R.N., F.R.S.; Sir James Tyler;
Captain Collinson, R.N. ; Captain Stopford, R.N. ; John
Roberts, Esq. • General Moore ; T. B. Chanter, Esq. ;
J. S. Brickwood, Esq. ; John Barrow, Esq. ; John Chap-
man Esq. • Francis Lean, Esq. ; C. H Cooke, Esq. ;
Admirali Esq.
; E. Pepys, Esq. ; Capt. L. Perrott,
Capt. Hall, R.N., C.B. ; Capt. Robertson, R.N. ; Capt.
Sullivan R.N. ; Sir Charles Pasley, K.C.B. ; Willie=
Roupell, Esq., M.P.; General Dixon; John Dyer, Esq.
George Hanson, Esq. ; General Blanshard, C.B. ; and
many other gentlemen.
The. CHAIRMAN explained that he had consented to take
the chair in consequence of the indisposition of the President,
his Grace the Duke of Northumberland. He had great
pleasure in presiding over the meeting, as he thought the
institution most valuable, and one which deserved the sup-
port of every man. He thought the report most gratifying,
especially when they saw that whereas the average of the loss
of life on the British coast was to the extent of 800 persons 2
during the past year it was only 343; whilst there had
been saved by lifeboats 427 persons, of whom the lifeboats
of the institution had saved 106. 'He trusted through the
exertions of the society, and a royal commission which he
had had the honour to be instrumental in having appointed,
that there would soon be lifeboats and harbours of refuge
all round the coast ; but even then the exertions of such
a society as this would be most important, and he trusted
it would receive the support its usefulness demanded.
He thought there could be no more appropriate time
for the society to meet than that day when they were ex-
periencing the effects of a heavy gale of wind which would
probably render necessary the efforts of the boats of the
society. Indeed they had been so called upon during the
last few days for assistance, as was shown by letters he
held in his hand. One from Padstow stated that five lives
had been saved from a wreck on the 15th inst., and on the
same day another letter said a crew was taken off a vessel at
Fishguard, but the weather moderating they returned to it.
Having borne testimony to the value of the self-righting
lifeboats, and the rule of the society which compelled
every one of the crew to wear a life-belt, Sir John called
upon Mr. Lewis, the secretary, to read the annual report,
which commenced by expressing gratification at the con-
tinued enlargement of the sphere of the institution's opera-
tions, and its accompanying advancement in public favour :
—" The society now possessed 81 lifeboat establishments,
thoroughly equipped in every way; 15 of which had been
added during the last 12 months. A new boat is building
for Kilmore. All these boats are on the self-righting prin-
ciple. Transporting carriages and boat-houses had also
been provided for the same, viz —at Cromer, Mundesley,
Becton, Winterton, Yarmouth (two boats), Exmouth,
and Fleetwood ;in Ireland—at Dundalk, Carnsore, Tra-
more, Dungarvan, and Newcastle, the last named in lieu of
a previous boat ; and in Scotland—at Fraserburgh and
Lossiemouth. The committee continued to receive the
most satisfactory reports of this class of lifeboats, many of
which had rendered important services in saving life
during the past year. Lifeboats on the same plan had
been ordered by the Goverment of Russia, Prussia, and
Portugal, and by some of our own colonial Governments,
from the builders to the society; and the institu-
tion had in every case been requested to superintend
their construction. The lifeboats of the institution had
been instrumental in saving 106 persons during the past
year. They had also been off on 29 occasions to the assist-
ance of vessels showing signals of distress. The institution
again acknowledged the important and cordial assistance
which it continued to receive from its several branch com-
mittees. It appeared from the report of the Board of
Trade presented to Parliament, that the number of ship-
wrecks on the coasts of the United Kingdom during the
past year had been nearly the same as that of the previous
year-1,170 in all—from which 343 lives had unhappily
perished. It was, however, gratifying to find that the
total number of lives saved from shipwrecks by lifeboats
and other means on our coasts during the same period was
1,555. The total number of persons saved from shipwreck
since the first establishment of the National Lifeboat Insti-
tution, and for rescuing whom the committee had granted
honorary and pecuniary rewards, was 10,902. The lives of
427 persons from 64 wrecks on the coasts of the British
Isles had been rescued during the past year, through the
instrumentality of the lifeboats of the institution, and of
other means—in acknowledgment for
which services one
gold medal, 23 silver medals, 37 other honorary distinctions
and £952 had been voted. Since the formation of the in-
stitution it had expended on lifeboat establishments
£28,061, and had voted 81 gold and 629 medals for distin-
guished services for saving life, besides pecuniary awards
amounting together to £11,65L" From the financial
statement it appeared that the institution had expended
on new lifeboat carriages and boat-houses and their
equipments £8,051 4s. 11d., and £1,203 18s. sd. for exer-
cising the crews of its lifeboats—making altogether a total
of 49;255 3s. 4d. This great and national work had, how-
ever, only been accomplished by the society incurring fur-
ther liabilities to the extent of £3,047. The report referred
to a donation of £5O from his Royal Highness the Prince
Consort, K.G., vice-patron of the society; to Lady Rolle,
who had promised to defray the cost of the Exmouth life-
boat establishment, amounting to £367; to the following
gifts-4150 from a lady who had previously presented the
society with the like amount towards the cost of a lifeboat
station;. £l6O 9s. 10d., being the produce arising from the
sale of the contents of a plate chest, presented by Mrs.
Coles, of Tunbridge-wells, whose husband had previously
bequeathed to the institution £200; £3OO, being the cost of
a lifeboat station, from a lady whose life had been provi-
dentially saved from drowning on the Irish coast; £242
from the sister institution, the Shipwrecked Fishermen and
Mariner's Society, chiefly collected in threepences from its
members; £2l from Viscount Bury, M.P., and his fellow-
passengers, being the amount collected amongst themselves
in aid of the funds of the institution, on their homeward
voyage from New York, on board the steamship Asia ; and
£3O from the boat-builders, sawyers, and other workmen
in the employ of the Messrs. Forrestt, of Limehouse. The
report concluded by earnestly soliciting the support, of all'
those who are able to render it.
The report was adopted, and a special resolution carried,
to the effect that the meeting heard with great satisfaction
of the continued success which attended the operations of
the institution during the past year, and taking into consi-
deration that the institution had now 81 lifeboats under its
management, and that the same required a large permanent
annual income to maintain them in a state of thorough efficiency, the meeting was of opinion that the society emi-
nently deserves continued and extended public support.
Votes of thanks were then given to the Lords of the
Committee of Privy Council for Trade, and to the Marine
Department of the Board of Trade, for the important and
cordial aid afforded by the board to the institution ; to the
Commodore Comptroller-General, the Deputy-Comptroller-
General, and the officers and men of her Majesty's Coast-
guard service, for their valuable assistance to the society ;
to the various officers of the institution; and to the chair-
man for presiding over them.