The Sun.
London, England, 1866-01-19 00:00:00

The Loss of the London.

(From the Western Morning News.)
DETAILS OF THE CATASTROPHE.
To the harrowing narrative of the loss of the
Australian passenger steamer London we have now
the good fortune of being able to add a multitude of
interesting details of the most melancholy event,
taken from the lips of several of the survivors during
their passage by train from Falmouth to London on
Wednesday. Very considerable astonishment has
been expressed that no effort was made during the
two days that the ship was in imminent danger of
going down to prepare rafts and use similar means
to give an additional chance for the safety of the
289 souls on board. The testimony, however, of
both passengers and the rescued crew goes to show
that Captain J. B. Martin—of whose skill as mani-
fested during the storm they speak in terms of the
highest commendation—did not order the construc-
tion of rafts because the wind blew with such seve-
rity, and the waves leapt over the steamer in such
quick succession and tremendous force, that no men
could have worked on the deck, and even if they
succeeded in building a raft there could be no hope
of any of the unfortunate people being enabled to I
cling to it alive for many minutes in such a sea. So
soon as it was determined to launch the lifeboat,
plenty of assistance was at hand to effect the launch-
ing, but the passengers and crew, who had beheld
the starboard lifeboat washed away on the preceding
day, were horrified at observing their only remain-
ing lifeboat slip through the stern davit, break into
two parts, and, of course, become utterly useless.
It was then resolved that the iron pinnace, capable of
carrying 50 persons, should be launched, and by
the aid of the donkey engine the pinnace was raised
and hung over the leeward rail. When let go, how-
ever, she foundered, one man, a Dutchman, being
.drowned, and three others, who were rescued, being
cast into the'surf to leeward. Two of the men who
were overboard were John King, an able seaman to
whose marvellous skill as steersman the survivors
all entirely and with gratitude attribute their preser-
vation, and Mr. Munro, a passenger, who hung in
the davit until brought in by Mr. Edward Gardner,
the steward. Bing had one of his sides bruised and
his thigh dislocated by being beaten against the
steamer, and Gardner received injuries in his back.
Nothing then remained on board the ship, but an
ordinary six-oared captain's gig and a still smaller
boat on the top of the cuddy or cookhouse. After
considerable hesitation it was agreed that a boat
should be launched for the second time, and an op-
portunity was presented for passengers to embark
in her, but only three passengers and 16 of the
crew wailed themselves of it, and if they had de-
layed three minutes longer than they did they would
have perished in the ship. The precaution was taken
that only three or four of the 16 of the crew who
committed themselves to the boat should be allowed
to jump into her while she was being lowered, and
by this means she reached the water without mis-
hap, and the rest were enabled to follow. The
crowd on board were afraid to leave the ship, hav-
ing naturally been frightened by the sinking of the
iron boat, and those who put off in the second boat
were shouted at not to make the attempt, as their
chance was hopeless. Some heroic sacrifices were
made. One of the passengers in the boat, Mr. John
Wilson, a native of Montrose, went down into the
cabin and endeavoured to persuade a friend, Mr.
John Hickman, from Ballarat, and brother to Mr.
Hickman, solicitor, of Southampton, to attempt to
save his life by going into the boat, but, after being
entreated, he said, " No, I promised my wife and
children to stay by them, and I will do so." The
water was then a considerable depth on the lee side
of the saloon, indeed over the top of the berths, and
he asked Mr. Wilson to help him removing his
four children to the windward side, out of the
water. This was done, and then he shook hands
with Mr. Wilson, with " Good bye, Jack," and
parted from his friend for ever. When last seen
Mr. Hickman was standing in a row with his
wife and children. This occurred about an hour
before the boat put off, but probably they had
perished by that time, as the water had before
then poured into the steamer through her cabin
windows, and when the boat ;eft the sea was flush
with the top of the poop deck, and the corpses of
drownel women and children were floating over the
deck. When the men were all in the boat, one of
the seamen cried, " There may still be room ; fetch
a lady." Mr. Wilson then sprang over a portion of
the deck in search of a lady he knew, but not see-
ing her, and knowing that every instant was pre-
cious, he said to a young girl, " Will you go?" She
did not refuse, therefore Mr. Wilson seized her and
took her to the bulwarks, but when she looked over
the rails and saw the distance which she must spring,
she said in despair, " Oh, I cannot do that." There
was no time for persuasion or parley, and Mr. Wil-
son was obliged to drop the girl and jump from the
steamer to the boat, which he fell into safely. The
ship was being washed over to the boat, towards
which it lunged heavily. The captain, who was
walking calmly up and down the poop, but refused
to leave his ship, but just before the boat put off he
had the consideration and presence of mind to give
those in the boat their course. He told them that
it lay E.N.E. to Brest, which was correct. Before
the boat could be got off it was in great danger of
being sucked down with the ship, which was rapidly
settling beneath the water. The swirl of water round
the stern that preceded the foundering had already
begun to be excessive, and the boat was therefore
hastily cat away. At that moment those in the
boat were piteously called upon by a lady about 23
years of age, who with a face which was, it is stated,
livid with horror, shrieked out an offer of " 1000
guineas if you'll take me in." But in'that solemn
hour millions of money would have been accounted
valueless, and to return must have resulted in de-
struction to all. One of the seamen has stated that
when the boat was pushed off, and the captain had
wished those in her" God speed," the men resolved
no danger must be allowed to accrue to them from
further crowding, and that some of them drew their
knives with a determination of cutting off the hands
of those who might leap from the ship and endeav-
our to cling to the boat's gunwales. It is also stated
that long before this, when it was first made known
that the vessel must go down, a passenger brought
on deck a carpet-bag, and that on his doing so the
captain gave a short melancholy laugh, and then
smiled, as one of the passengers expressed it, ‘‘ at
the preposterous idea of the man's thinking at such
a time of his property."
Down into the waves with 269 others has sunk
Gustavus V. Brooke, the famed tragedian, who
was bound for the country which had been the
Beene of a reverse of fortune to him, but previously
of many brilliant successes. He will be well re
membered as a tall man, of powerful build, and he
is stated by the rescued passengers to have exerted
his strength to the u
ship afloat. utmost in helping to keep the
number, refused The Dutch portion of the crew, 21 in
used to work, and according to the
English sailors w ho were saved' these men went to
their berths
and
work remained there, so that the pas-
sengers had to at the pumps for many hours
with the English seamen, Mr. G. V. Brooke ex-
erted himself incessantly. -
Attired only in a red
Crimean shirt and trousers, with no hat on, and
barefooted, he went backwards and forwards to the
pumps until working at them was found to be use-
less, and when last seen, about four hours before
the steamer went down, he was leaning with grave
composure upon one of the half doors at the
wcom-
panion. His _chin was resting upon both hands,
and on the top of the door,
h
gently swayed to and fro, while he calmly watched
hhede
and his arms
thescene. One of the passengers who saw him has
said, " He had worked wonderfully, and, in fact,
more bravely than any man on board of that ship."
To the steward, who 'made himself known, Mr.
Brooke said, "If you succeed in saving yourself,
give my farewell to the people of Melbourne." The
rescued men remember with gratitude and respect
the efforts put forth by ministers on board. The
Rev. Dr. Woolley encouraged the passengers to
work at the pumps, in which he was seconded by the
stewardess, who had a son on board, and cheered
the passengers by her collected demeanour and
constant attentions. Next must be mentioned a
circumstance the publication of which may prove to
be of great importance. Mr. Munro states that
a passenger named Eastwood, with whom he had-

Mention was made on Wednesday of the Rev. Mr.
Draper's exhortations to the unhappy people in the
chief saloon. The women sat round him reading
Bibles with the children, and occasionally some
man or woman would step up to Mr. Draper and
say, "Pray with me, Mr. Draper"—a request that
was always complied with. Up to the time the ship
went down the rev. gentleman ministered to those
among whom he moved constantly. He was heard
to say repeatedly, " Oh, God, may those that are
not convertedbe converted now—hundreds of them !"
About an hour before the vessel sunk Mr. Wilson
met Capt. Martin under the main deck aft and asked
him if it would be of use to help in carrying out the
water to the second deck. He replied, " I will see,"
and walked to the engine room, into which he looked
down, when he turned about, came back, and said,
" You may do it, but I think itis of no use." He then
walked on to the poop, and having declared he would
stay and sink with the passengers, he walked about
and silently looked clown on what was going on. When
the boat put off with the three passengers, 14 men,
and two boys, one being the youngest midshipman
on his first voyage, many of the passengers who,
although expecting death, little knew how very, very,
soon it was to come upon them, waved their hand-
kerchiefs, and cheered when the boat got about a
dozen yards from the ship, being apparently anxious
that some should live to tell their hapless tale. By
the time the men had rowed the gig about 80 yards
the viind came down upon them from all quarters so
boisterously that they could not hear each other when
shouting, and at this time they looked eagerly back,
and saw their noble new vessel sinking rapidly by
the stern. The stem rose so high that the keel was
observed for a moment to be completely out of the
water as far as the foremast. The boatswain, Sted-
ding, of Blackwall, who has left a wife and five chil-
ren, the butcher, from Blackwall, who has left a wife
and family, Ham, the cook, who is a married man
and a very old servant of the owners, the baker (un-
known), and the purser's mate, William Riley, had
made up their minds to leave the steamer in the re-
maining small boat over the cuddy, and had provi-
sioned and launched her; but no sooner were they
ready to put off than the foundered ship quickly slid
below the waves, and left a moment an awful gulf,
within whose walls of dark, whirling water they fell
with every human being and every article around,
and were soon swallowed up. Two passengers were
seen with lifebelts, but probably none were alive
when they came to the surface. The spectacle was
only to be seen, for in the din of the tempest no
cry from the sinking multitude could be heard, and
soon not a vestige was visible. As the ship sunk it
was seen that all on deck were driven forward, not
by water, but by a tremendous and overpowering
rush of air from below, which, as it escaped through
the deck as well as the hatches, impelled all on deck
forward with violence, and their dreadful struggle
must have been soon ended. It was remarked that
the third officer, who was named Angel, stood to the
last at his post at the donkey engine, which was em-
Iloyed in working the pumps, and that his hands
were on the engine even as the vessel disappeared.
The agony of suspense had been so long main-
tained that on the day the London foundered the
passengers were perfectly quiet and unexcited, and
a surprising degree of resignation was exhibited
throughout. Miss Marks, of Old Kent-road, Lon-
don, was at first almost frantic ; yet when the boat
left she stood calmly on deck bareheaded, and waved
an adieu to Mr. Wilson. Mr. Grant, one of the
officers, was lively throughout, and encouraged many
to toil at the pumps—a work rendered by the wind
highly dangerous and difficult. Miss Brooker, from
Pimlico, was heard to say as she wrung her hands,
" Well, I have done all that I could, and can do no
more." She then became outwardly calm. On Tues-
day night, after the passengers had been alarmed by
the shipping of water, Mrs. Price, Mrs. Wood, who
had with her her husband and five children, Miss
Brooker, and Miss Marks read the Bible by turns in
the second cabin. It was on that night that after
the sea had poured down the hatch the captain said,
" Boys, you may say your prayers." At 12 o'clock
on the following night Mr. Draper had a general
prayer meeting in the saloon. An extraordinary
fact deserves to be recorded. A poor old couple who
had three children with them had tried in vain three
times to go upon their voyage. First in vessel un-
known, and which was wrecked; next in the Duncan
Dunbar, which also was recently wrecked, and lastly
Gardner, the steward, saw the poor wife washed
overboard from the London, to leeward, her husband
following her presently beneath the billows. Among
the passengers were two stout old people who had
become favourites on board, and who had been sent
for by their only son. The poor creatures, on learn-
ing that they must drown, took a small quantity of
brandy and went below to die together in their cabin.
Mr. Bevan, a wealthy coach-proprietor, and his wife,
of Melbourne, who bad been enjoying a trip in Europe,
Mr. Lemon, ironmonger, Burke-street, Melbourne ;
Mr. M'Leen, owner of extensive baths, opposite
the Albion Hotel, Melbourne, who had brought his
son to be educated in England, and Mr. Barnett,
Russell-street, Melbourne, were among those who
perished. The doctor on board had relatives in
Plymouth. It is authoritatively stated that the emi-
grant steamer had no less than 1,200 tons of iron
in her, and that there were 50 tons of coal on deck,
which was washed about and stopped up all the
scupper holes. The masts of the ship were of iron,
and therefore could not be used as rafts. Several
revolvers were seen in the hands of passengers, who
did not conceal their intention of shooting themselves
when the last moment came, preferring to meet their
death, when inevitable, by a bullet rather than by
drowning. The steward, indeed, overheard an offer
by the owner of a pistol to a friend that he would
shoot him if he desired. The well-meant offer was
at that time declined ; and whether these intentions
were carried into execution is not known, but no
reports of fire-arms were heard as the steamer
foundered.

Leaving the sad circumstances connected with
those who have perished there is something to nar-
rate concerning the adventures of the small remnant
of the crew and passengers who were saved. A
compass had been given them by the captain, and
under the directions of Bing the men agreed that
whatever might
except when happen they would sit immovable
Pulling the oars. Two worked at each
oar, and they ran before the sea. Every nerve was
exerted to make the boat withstand the fearful
tossings and the strain as she mounted the waves,
and became surrounded by the surge. Before day-
light, and as the moon rose, the men were overjoyed
at descrying a vessel close alongside. They hailed
ship,the
and were heard, but, as they could present
no light, they could not be seen, although they could
see the ship tacking about for an hour trying to find
them. The search was fruitless, and the ship was
lost sight of. The boat had not been rowed during
the time the ship was sighted, but kept away before
the wind until daylight, when no vessel was visible.
The men adhered to their course, and at 9 o'clock
sighted two vessels, but were prevented from making
for them by the cross seas. They rowed for one of
them, however, for five hours. When at last they
came up to her, they found her to be an Italian
bark, the Marianople, Captain Cavasa. Just as
they were approaching the vessel they were struck
by a heavy squall and shipped a sea, so that all in
the boat gave themselves up for lost, but by only
one of the men moving in the boat to bale her out,
and no fresh seas striking her, they were enabled to
bale her clear, and bring up alongside the bark. A

been acquainted prior to the voyage, said to him, line was thrown to them, and they were drawn up
" Well, Jack, I think we are going to go." The to the deck, where they found themselves com-
answer was, " I think we are, Eastwood." The re- pletely benumbed by the exposure to which they
ply was, "We cannot help. it. Ther._!'s only one had been subjected. Captain Cavasa, who could
thing I regret about it ; of a draught for £5OO on speak little English, to whom the men feel grateful
the Bank of Victoria, Ballarat, I only received £2O, to the extremest extent, used more means for their
which I gave to the captain in the office of Money recovery and for their comfort than simple humanity
Wigram and Co. I should have liked my poor father would dictate. He had the men stripped, rubbed,
to have got the balance." The speaker was among clad in fresh warm garments, and killed for them
those who perished, but, fortunately and singularly a turkey, besides providing tea and soup, and set-
enough, his communication was made to one of the ting apart for them warm bedS. At that time the
three surviving passengers, and as the deceased Mr. ship was in 46.48 N. latitude, and 7.13 W. longi-
Eastwood's father is known to live near Liverpool, tude, and was bound for Cork or Falmouth. They
the probability is that his son's wish will be fulfilled were landed at the latter port, and yesterday pro-
-a wish that was so fervent that Mr. Eastwood ceeded by train to London.
shed tears as he expressed it. There were some slight inaccuracies in the list of
We have endeavoured to obtain information from passengers published yesterday; but the following
the survivors as to any one they can recollect among muster-roll issued by Messrs. Money Wigram, the
the passengers, and to any word or act that may owners of the vessel, may be taken as anthentic :
tend to satisfy their friends of their state of mind. LIST OF PASSENGERS.—First Class.—Rev. Mr.

and Mrs. Draper, Mrs. Owen and child, Mr. and
Mrs. George F. Urquhart, Mr. and Mrs. John
Patrick, Mr. and Mrs. G. Vaughan, Mr. and Mrs.
James Alderson, Mr. and Mrs. Philip Benson, Mr.
and Mrs. Fenton, Mr. A. and T. R. Fenton, Mr.
G. M. Smith, Mr., Mrs., Master, and Miss Chap-
man ; Mr. and Mrs. Clark and son, Mr. F. Lewis,
Mr. and Mrs. Bevan, Dr. John Woolley, Mr. and
Mrs. Debenham, Miss Laura Maunder, Mr. James
Robertson,. Mr. T. M. Tennant, Miss D'Ovoy, Mr.
G. Palmer, Mr. T. Brown, Mr. and Mrs.
Amos, Miss Catharine M'Lachlan, Mr. E. Brooks,
Mr. J. Ruskin Richardson, Rev. Mr. and Mrs.
James Kerr, Miss Mary Cutting, Mrs. and Miss
King, Mr. and Mrs. J. Thomas and two children,
Mr. A. Sandilands, Mr. E. Youngman, Mr. H. J.
Dennis, Mr. E. A. Marks, Mr. D. F. De Pass,
Master W. D. Burrell, Dr. Hunter, Mrs. Trail and
child.
Second Class.—Kaye Eastwood, Frederic Stone,
H. J. White, Annie White, Helen Price, J. L. Wil-
liams, Mr. and Mrs. Graham, B. G. Rowe, J. E.
Wilson(saved), Helen Morling, Georgiana Graham,
Jas. Dothie, Chas. Gough, Allan Brace, Jas.Wood-
house, George Cross, William Day, D. W. Lemon,
Mr. and Mrs. Giffett, George Chennells, W. A,
Wood, Elizabeth Wood, William Clayson, Mary
Clayson, Thomas Wood, Elizabeth Wood, Godfrey
Wood, Bennett Beran, Susan Brooker, Henry Davis,
Thomas O'Hagen, H. W. Hardinge, Francis Fryer,
John Munro (saved), D. C. Wain (saved), Peter
Fenwick, Ellen and Mary Ann Meggs, G. H. Camp-
bell, Elizabeth Marks, E. Glynn, Jobn, Jane, Eliza-
beth, Harry, Alfred, and Emily Hickman, Archibald
M'Lean, Charles Johnstone.
Third Class.—Wm. Passmore, Hugh Milan, C.
J. Chandler, Benjamin Hay, Ellen Jones, Selena and
Alice Simpson, John and Elizabeth Henson, Mr. and
Mrs. Wm. Graham, George, Ann, and Maggie
Graham, George Rolwigan, John, Elizabeth, Helen,
George, and Henry Sarcombe, David McVittie, David
Graham, Mr. and Mrs. Flack and four children ;
Richd. Trevarrow, D. Block, J. Gerkem, Zulec Morris
and Zulec Barnett, S. Bolton, Thos. Skeggs, David
and Elizabeth Smith, A. Umpway, Samuel Spring
(boy), A. Hogan, James Walls, Wm. Barrow ;
Susan, Caroline, and Mary Lampes ; A. S. Oster,
John Little, and Henry M'Covey.