The Sun.
London, England, 1866-07-19 00:00:00

The Amazon and the Osprey.

The Board of Trade (Marine Department) have
received the annexed official deposition made on
oath before the receiver of wreck by Captain Ste-
phen Burtridge, late commander of the Osprey
steamer, relative to the circumstances connected
with the recent extraordinary collision in the
Channel, by which the Osprey and her Majesty's
steamship Amazon both foundered, with loss of
life ;-44 Stephen Burtridge, late master of the
Osprey, states that the Osprey (screw steamer)
was 426 • tons register, and belonged to the
Cork Steamship Company. She was schooner
rigged, and built of iron at Cork in 1855. Her crew
numbered 20 hands, andher cargo consisted of gene-
ral goods, consignel to merchants at Antwerp. She
carried seven passengers. My -wife and three chil-
dren, and a little boy, a friend of the family, were
on board. The vessel left Liverpool on the 7th at 6
P.. 7 m weather fine, and a moderate breeze from the
west. We brought up in Crosby Channel, aboutfive
miles from Liverpool, for the purpose of adjusting
the feed valves. In about an. hour and a half got
under way and proceeded down Channel, weather
fine, and occasionally foggy. Rounded the Land's
End at about 11 a.m. on the 9th. The feed valves
acting satisfactorily, proceeded up Channel ; passed
the Start Light at about 8.45 p.m., all well. At 12
midnight the ;chief mate took charge of the watch,
having relieved the second mate. I had been on the
bridge up till 11.50. I went into the look-out house
on the same bridge, and stretched myself on the sofa,
having previously directed the second mate to call
me if there was the least fog or for any other pur-
pose. At about 12.50 a.m. the chief mate came to the
door of the watch-house, whichwasbroad open, and
called out, 'Look here, sir ; here's a fellow running
into us on his starboard helm. Ours is hard aport.'
I immediately jumped up and shouted to the man
to keep the helm hard aport, as had been previously
directed by the mate. I made the stranger out to be
a heavy steamship, under full steam, approachm. g
the Osprey rapidly. We were going at the. time
about knots. I hailed the ship and told inwrner
put his helm hard aport, but received noaanssin
single
point, did I observe that she altered
As she
point, but ran straight upon us. I her
pression she was tending starbdosai helm.
was a ram, and
myl ship had paid
under the port
wizen rigging neared us I clearly discovered
she struck us under the
fully 6 points. immediately
off to the southward.
and called down the
skylight
the cabin
quarter. At thetimeof theco
to
jumped to come up and save their lives, as
for the passengers
best they could, the crew having gone on board the
stranger. I placed the women and children into the
port after boat, and cut the lashings, in order that
the boat might float off the deck as the ship sank
from under us, the stranger having parted from us.
The ship sunk suddenly. The davits head caught
the gunwale of the boat, and she sank with the Os-
prey, drowning the seven passengers and three of
my own children. My wife • jumped out of her, and
was saved by the stranger's boat. I went down
with the boat, but saved my life by swimming, and
caught hold of a lifebuoy. When I came to the
surface, seeing the stranger's boat coming, I called
(Tinguler course
under
the
-
to them to pick up the women, for that I was all
right. From the time of the 'collision it was about