The Sun.
London, England, 1832-08-11 00:00:00

MELANCHOLY SHIPWRECK.

The Shannon, of Hull, Captain Davey, was lost at
Davis' Straits on the 26th of April, and we give an cx-
traet of the Captain's letter, stating the sufferings of the
chip's company

" Davis' Straits, June 13, 1832.
" On Thursday, 28th April, at three, r. at , we were
running under double-reefed topsails, with a strong wind
and sleety weather, when the ship run stem on to an ice-
g; there were three men on the forecastle, and never
faxv it, until it knocked them down ; it entirely knocked
rbn the starboard bow, broke the main stern, rose the
is bolt sprit, sent the cook's coppers as far aft as the foremast;
short, the ship was knocked all to shivers forward, and
:in going along the berg struck with the starboard quarter,
head
smage unknown. We then hauled the ship to, with her
to the north-east, and got a top-sail out of the line
room to put in the hole, and set on both pumps, but to no
purpose; for in about ten or fifteen minutes the ship filled,
and turned on her broadside, where some of us got for
safety, while others were drowning before our eyes, and
we expecting the same fate every moment. I was washed
from the main chains, and caught hold of the main-top.
I had not been there long when the lower rigging was cut
away, and the fore and main toasts broke, and then the
ship righted a :
little ; the starboard of the forecastle was
dry, and fortunately I reached the ship again, but, when
we counted our men, we were seventeen men and two boys
abort. We then rigged a tent, with a sail, to shelter us
from the sea ; every thing went off the deck, and the sea,
making a fair breach in forward, soon began to burst up
every thing below; boats, bed cabins, bulk-heads, and every
thing between decks broke up and came up the hatchways,
but we were not able to save one single article. There
were two ships in company with us the night before, and
I thought they might fall in with us, but we never saw
them, the weather being thick. We made many attempts
to get some provisions, but there was so much sea we
Could get nothing but a cask of flour, caught hold of in
the hatchway, so that we had nothing to eat or drink but
salt water, flour, and raw beef, for seven days and six
nights. We were in a deplorable state : some of the peo-
ple were out of their minds with salt water, and two died
that morning, the 2d of May, but the Lord had mercy on
UP, for about 2 r. sr., to our great joy and surprise, we
saw two vessels coming towards us, which proved to be
two Danes, bound to Davis' Straits. I and the mate,
and twelve more, went on board the Navigation, Captain
Bang; the Doctor and twelve more on hoard the Hoalfes-
hen, Captain Groens. Five died on board of this vessel,
and two on board of ours. *They were all out of their
minds, and in a shocking state. From some of their legs
the flesh had rotted off their hones, from the affects of the
atilt water ; but, thank the Lord for his mercy, I never
ailed much, for I drank as little as I could help. We have
been in one port, and are now in a second, and have an-
otser to go to in lat. 62. N., where we sent the mate
and another to get a leg each taken off. The Undaunted,
of Burntisland, has been taken into Willeford very much
stove."