The Sun.
London, England, 1866-01-18 00:00:00

The Loss of the Steamship London.

-vl,----

A profound sensation was created among a]
classes yesterday morning upon receipt of th
sad intelligence that Messrs. Money Wigram am
Sons' auxiliary screw steamship the London hac
foundered in the Bay of Biscay, with upwarch
of 200 souls on board. The fame this fine vesse.
had acquired as a passenger ship partly
owing to the fact of her last outward passage
having been made in 59 days—was in itself calcu-
lated to dispel all anxiety on her behalf, ever
during the late tempestuous weather, and it is be.
lieved that her owners and the underwriters con•
cerned were least of all prepared for the terrible
disaster that has happened to her. It is a remark•
able fact, moreover, that the London is the first
ship belonging to the famous house of Money Wig-
ram and Sons to which any seriously casualty has
occurred. In a century's experience, Messrs. Wig-
ram have enjoyed a perfect immunity from loss,
with the single exception of the True Briton, which
belonged to a former generation of the firm, and
foundered early in the present century in the same
fatal bay.

The London, which has been commanded ever
since she was launched from Blackwall yard, in
1864, by Capt. Martin, an Australian navigator of
great experience, left the East India Docks on
Thursday, the 28th of December, and dropping
down to Gravesend sailed thence on Saturday
afternoon under charge of Mr. Thompson, a river
pilot. As the night was wild and the wind dead
ahead the ship brought up at the Nore, and lay
during the whole of the following day. There were
two clergymen on board, the Rev. Dr. Woolley,
Bishop of Sydney, and the Rev. Mr. Draper, and
both of them took part in the usual Sunday ser-
vices. At daybreak on Monday, the Ist of January,
the anchor was weighed, and the ship steamed
down Channel, still against a head wind, but
making fair way. While passing outside the Isle
of Wight the wind increased to half a gale, and
Captain Martin deemed it prudent to put back and
lay to for the night in St. Helen's Roads. On the
morning of the 2d inst. the London proceeded
through the Needles into the open Channel, the
wind being still ahead, but light. As the ship ran
down Channel the wind rose and the sea increased,
and a couple of hours after passing the Needles
the wind blew a gale right ahead with a heavy
sea rolling, which continued all'the way to Ply-
mouth, where the ship arrived about noon on
Thursday, the 4th inst. A sad casualty occurred
here. A pilot cutter put off a small boat, having
on board the pilot and his assistant, to bring the
London inside the breakwater. When the boat 'vas
about 100 yards from the London a sea capsized her,
and both the pilot and his assistant were thrown into
the water. Captain Martin instantly ordered
one of his lifeboats to be lowered, and with great
difficulty the assistant pilot was rescued, but the
pilot was drowned. The London came to an an-
chorage inside the breakwater at 1 p.m. on the 4th
inst., and during the afternoon took on board those
of her first and second class passengers who had
arranged to join the ship at Plymouth. At midnight
on Friday she proceeded on her voyage, the weather
being at this time calm, with a light wind ahead.
She had full steam on during the whole of Saturday,
and the voyage proceeded very satisfactorily until
Sunday morning, when the wind increased, and a
head sea gradually rose. During the day the London
passed several ships, and nothing occurred to create
the smallest uneasiness in the minds of any of the
officers of the ship. During Sunday night the wind
increased to a gale and the sea rose considerably.
On the morning of Monday, the Bth inst., the ship
was well clear of the land, and Capt. Martin having
ordered the engines to be stopped, set his topsails,
and so endeavoured to keep the ship moving slowly
ahead. At noon on this day, the wind having some-
what lulled, the engines were again sec in motion
and kept steaming slowly ahead through the night.
At 8 a.m. on Tuesday, the 9th inst., while the cap-
tain was still endeavouring to keep the ship in her
course by means of the screw, the violence of the
gale carried away at one sweep the jibboom, the
foretopmast, the topgallautmast, and the royals.
These large spars were not wholly detached from the
ship, but, hanging fast to the stays, swung to and
fro with such violence that the crew were wholly
unable to secure them. About two hours later the
mainroyalmast was blown completely out of its
socket and added to the general wreck. Captain
Martin, who had not been in bed since the previous
Sunday night, was not at all disheartened up to
this moment ; but, as the gale continued to increase
during the morning, with a sea already running
mountains high, the position of the ship was
undoubtedly felt to be one of some peril. Still, as
the wind had somewhat veered round, the engines
were kept steaming easy ahead, and it is believed
that at this moment no person on board felt any
anxiety for the ultimate safety of the ship. About
3 p.m. on Tuesday; however, a tremendous sea
struck the ship and carried the port lifeboat clean
away from the davits. All that evening and
through the succeeding night the wind blew a very
heavy gale and the sea ran very high, but the screw
was still kept steaming' easy ahead. At 3 a.m. on
'Wednesday, the 10th inst., Captain Martin sent for
Mr. Greenhill, the chief engineer, and informed him
of his intention to put the ship about and run for
Plymouth, and he desired that full speed should be
got up directly. 'lhis was immediately done. In
half an hour after the ship's course had been al-
tered, she was again struck by a tremendous sea,
which carried away the starboard lifeboat, and the
same sea stove in the starboard cutter. At noon on
this day the ship's position was lat. 46 48 N., 8 7
W. A very heavy cross sea was running, with the
wind now dead astern of the ship, which caused
her to roll heavily. But no danger was even now
anticipated, and all through the evening of Wed-
nesday, and long after midnight, the ship continued
to steam slowly ahead, the captain and his officers
remaining steadily at their posts, and the passen-
gers appearing to have full reliance upon the skill
of Captain Martin to bring them safely to port.
At 10 30 p.m. on Wednesday, the ship still rolling
deeply in a heavy cross sea, and the wind blowing
a whole gale from the south-west, a mountain of
water fell heavily over the waist of the ship, and
spent its destructive force upon the main hatchway,
over the engine-room, completely demolishing this
massive structure, measuring 12ft. by Bft., and
flooding with tons of water this portion of the
ship. Instant endeavour3 to repair the hatch-
way were made with a promptitude and vigour
commensurate with the imminent crisis. Every
spare- sail that could be got at, and even
blankets and mattresses from all parts of the
ship, were thrown over the aperture, but each suc-
ceeding sea shipped by the vessel tore away
the frail resources of the moment, and not more than
10 minutes after the hatchway had been destroyed
the water had_
risen above the furnaces and up to the
waists of the engineers and firemen employed in this
part of the ship. The lower decks were also now
flooded with the rush of waters the ship was con-
tinually taking in. The chief engineer remained at
his post until the water had rise above his waist,
when he went on deck and reported that his fires
were out, and his engines rendered useless. Capt.
Martin, with calm conviction, remarked that he was
not surprised ; on the contrary, he had expected
such a result. Finding his noble ship at length
little more than a log on the water, Capt.
Martin
Ordered his rnaintopsail to be set, in the hope of
keeping her before the wind. This had scarcely
been accomplished when the force of the wind tore
the sail into ribands, with the exception of one cor-
ner, under which the ship lay to throughout the re-
mainder of the night. The donkey engine was sup-
plied with steam by a boiler upon deck, and all the
deck pumps were kept going throughout the night,
and the passengers of all classes, now aroused to a
sense of their imminent danger, shared with the
crew their arduous labours. Notwithstanding every
effort the water still gained upon the pumps, and
the gale continuing at its height, cross seas with
tremendous force were constantly breaking over the
vessel. The motion of the ship became low and
heavy, and she refused to rise to the action of the
waves. At a quarter after 4 o'clock on Thursday
morning she was struck by a stern sea, which car-
ried away four of her stern ports, and admitted a
flood of water through the breach. From this time