The Sun.
London, England, 1859-08-24 00:00:00

THE LOSS OF THE ALMA,

(From the Shipping Gazette.)
The following is the report of Mr. James Miller,
late first officer, and others of the si.ip Alma, 1,187
tons (Captain Minim, late master), of Belfast, from
Calcutta for Mauritius, which was wrecked on the
sth June on the middle ground, eastern or Saugor
Channel of the River Hooghly, the captain, his
wife and child, Lieutenant Ruck and lady, and his
servants (passengers), Mr. Lang, a pilot, and 14 of
the crew, drowned :
" The Alma left Calcutta on the sth, in a tow of
a steamer, Mary Stuart. The Alma's crew num-
bered in all 32 hands. It was a very wet, dirty,
thick morning, the wind N.W., fresh. The steam
tug towing was plunging very much, and the Alma
also had a great deal of motion. The tug left them
about half-past two p.m. She was not cast off, but
the ship's starboard hawser parted, and she shot
away to windward of the steamboat. The sea
was all this time increasing, and the ship was
pitching heavily. When they parted with the
steamer they had topsails set, with foresail, jib, and
spanker. The floating light was riding to the ebb
tide, but the master could not tell how long the ebb
tide had run; The wind, which had been westerly
when the tug parted, was now southerly, so that
from laTing down the channel, the Alma went off
across it, being obliged to tack to the westward.
Upon this tack they continued about 20 minutes,
during which one foretopsail burst, a staysail was
carried away, and another staysail burst. The ship
was in charge of the pilot, Mr. Lang, who at this
time was aft, on the poop. The sea hit the ship on
the bowsprit end, and the inner jib was disabled.
so that they had nothing forward but the foresail.
They managed, however, to get the ship round on
the starboard tack, stood across the channel, but was
not going much through the water. The floating
light was still in sight, its position being about N.W.
of the ship. The Alma, about half-past 4 p.m., when
still on the starboard tack, struck heavily about the
mainrigging abaft the beam, and she lodged upon
the bank. She several times lifted and struck
again. Mr. Lang, the pilot, then shouted to put up
the maintop-gallant-sail, to assist the ship across.
She continued to strike, and was soon completely
fixed. He tried several times to get her before the
wind, but failed. When she was settled on the
bank, the pilot gave orders to sound the pumps,
which the carpenter, however, had not time to do,
and he (witness) received orders to clear away the
boats, as this would be quite as much to do as there
was time for. He set to work to get out two small
boats ; the lee boat on the port side was the pin-
nace, which, with the assistance of 15 or 16 men,
was, after great difficulty, launched. At this time
the captain was aft on the poop, about the mizen-
mast, and his family, consisting of a lady and one
child, were with him. The pilot was also on the
poop. By this period the ship had sunk up to the
poop deck, so that all communication was cut off
between aft and forward. There were a number
of men aft in the poop, and they could not get for-
ward. The ship was going over on her port beam
the whole time. She did not roll, but settled over.
It was about 20 minutes after the ship struck that
they succeeded in getting the first boat out, which
they attached to the ship by a rope. Five men got
into her, with directions to take her aft, for the
purpose of saving those who were on the poor.
The boat was sheltered to leeward of the ship
against the sea, but there was a strong tide setting
down against the boat, which, driving it against
the ship, obliged the rope to be cast off, and thus,
in consequence of the heavy weather, it was found
impossible to get the boat aft, as had been endea-
voured. The boat drifted away to the S.E., clear
of the ship altogether. There were six oars in her,
but no thowells ; she was therefore unmanageable,
and was never nearer the ship than half a mile
after the line had been cut. She was riding the
sea quite light, being very buoyant. He could see
three oars pulling. He thought if the boat had
been possessed of thowells, and otherwise prepared,
she could have taken the people off the wreck. He
could give no reason for the absence of the thowells,
except that they were seldom kept in the boat, but in
a locker in the fore cabin. The part of the crew then
on the forecastle now commenced to launch the other
small boat, which was the jollyboat ; they would not
have got it off, but she went off the forecastle head
herself, going to windward. All who were forward,
excepting three men who were up in the maintop,
got into her, The jollyboat had five oars, but no
thowells ; however, one of the men had five or six
thowells in his jumper pocket, and these, with some
others made out of a camp stool which floated by,
served them to pass their oars. He shortly after.
wards saw the longboat, which had been floated off
the ship's lee before they got the second boat over,
in the water near him. He secured it to his own
boat, and prevailed on four in the jollyboat to take
charge of it, but no others volunteered to get in.
It would have held 20 persons. The wreck at this

time was distant from them about two or three of
her own lengths.t) windward. Had it been properly
appointed, and a sufficient number .had got in to
man her, he thought the whole on the wreck
might have been saved. The longboat was decked
over, and no oars nor any thowell pins in her. As
it was he took the longdoat, which was quitebuoy-
ant, in tow, intending, if possible, to take her to the
after part of the wreck, but every effort that was
made .for this purpose was rendered futile by the
heavy sea. He was obliged at length to cast it off.
At this time, about an. hour after the ship struck;
he could see the people on the, deck of the wreck,
which was lying oh her beam- ends. The longboat
'floated towards the wreck, p.eking up the carpen-
ter, who had jumped overboard from the ship. They
in the jollyboat stopped where they were till halt=
past nine, a.m., having in the meanwhile made re-
peated efforts to get close to the wreck in the hopes
of saving those clinging to it, but all without avail.
As soon as the tide came in they pulled to the light
ship, and. were taken onboard of her. Nothing has
been heard since of Captain Munce, his wife and
child, three apprentices, one • of the crew, Lieut.
Ruck and wife (passengers), :Mr. Ruck's servants,
and pilot, Mr. Lang. It was his impression they
were all drowned. A seaman,• named Charles Sim•
mons, states he was below when the ship struck.
He was ill. He got on deck as they were getting out
the second boat. He was washed out of the fore-
rigging, and found himself at the mercy of the
waves. He caught hold of a small piece of wood,
and swam about till it was nearly dark. He after-
wards found a spar, with the assistance of which he
got to land the next day.
Wm. Jones, the ship's carpenter, states that w hem
the ship struck the, pilot gave orders, to clear the,
boats away. The mate and crew' were getting the
weatherbow over, but the ship sunk so low that the
boat floated off her sides. All the people forward
got into her except three, who went into the fore-
top, leaving the captain's party,
.the pilot, leads-
man, and five of us' and a boy on the poop. The
leadsman and captain were shouting to the mate to
pull for the longboat, which had floated off the
chocks, and come for those who were left. When
they saw the boats could not near them, the captain
asked the pilot where he thought they had better
go ; the, captain said the maintop. The pilot took
the child to the mainrigging ; it was quite an in-
fant, and he (the carpenter) carried it to the main-
top. The pilot followed the two ladies and captain
into the top. They all sat huddled together upon
the masthead. From that, as the mast went under
water, they went to the maintopmasthead and top-
gallantmast, and remained there till about half-
past 9, when the topmast broke, and they were all
thrown into the water together. He saw the cap-
tain swim after his wife and child, and then lost
sight of them altogether. He (the carpenter) could
iot swim at all ;he got on the maintop. The ste-
ward and himself saw some one swimming. It
proved to be . Mr. Ruck. He saw the pilot (Mr.
Lang) on a spar under the maintop. The sea was
jerking him against. the mast. They could not get
near him to assist him.- There were altogether 10
men ,on the wreck. They were eventually rescued
by the boats of the Nimrod and Como, which'en-
tered the port on the 6th. They were all hauled
from the wreck by a line into the boats.
A marine inquiry took place at the Master At-
tendant's-office, Fort William, on the .25th, to in-
vestigate the circumstances of the loss of the Alma,
When the surviving portion of her crew were exa-
mined, the commissioners present being Captain T.
Hill, first assistant master attendant ; Capt. F. Lay-
cock, of her Majesty's brig Minx ; Mr. T. Smart
and Mr. IV. Davis, branch pilots. The proceedings
lasted two days. Up to the departure of last mail
the commissioners had not presented their report.