The Sun.
London, England, 1859-11-26 00:00:00

DISTRESSING SHIP TVRECK.

On Sunday morning, the 16th October, at eight
o'clock, the barque Charles Thompson, from New
York, bound to Havannah, 10 days out, struck on
the Elbow Reef, Abaco, about four miles from the
Elbow Cay, in a heavy squall of wind and rain.
The accident was seen from Hope Town, from which
place several wrecking vessels went forth immedi-
ately to render such assistance as might be in their
power. On reaching the spot they found the barque
lying head on to the reef, her main and mizen masts
both gone, and the sea, tossed into tremendous fury
by a heavy gale which was blowing at the time,
was rolling in frightful billows over the stern, and
sweeping everything forward. The crew hud
already thrown their three boats into the sea, in an
attempt to save themselves ; but the boats had
hardly touched the water before they were all stove
and sunk, leaving the distressed mariners to the
tender mercies of the remorseless waves. At this
crisis the wreckers arrived, and seeing the situation
of affairs, despaired at first of saving a single living
thing. The sea was so heavy that no boat could
approach the wreck. Two attempts were made by
the best boats, but they utterly failed. For some 15
minntes after this all hope of saving life was extin-
guished in the breasts even of the bravest wreckers.
Bat the generous impulses of these men soon revived
and drove them to new exertions. A happy thought
had occurred to the wreckers, which they communi-
cated by signal to the captain, to the effect that he
should cut away his foremast, which, with all its
hamper, and the other masts and spars previously
detached from the barque, might make, when lashed
and massed together upon the reef, where the water
was shallow, a strong and heavy raft, as a solid
basis of communication with the wreck at about 70
yards' distance from it. All this was done, and then
a warp attached to a spar was thrown overboara,
which, on being washed by the waves towar:is the
boats, was seized by the wreckers, tied to the raft,
and then drawn tight by the capstan on board the
ship. Before the warp was fastened to the raft, 14
wreckers got on board by means of it. It was neces-
sary that all these men should be good divers, be-
cause the force of the billows at the surface of the
sea was irresistible, and would have driven them
upon the reef, where they would have been dashed
to pieces in a few moments, On reaching the wreck
these brave men assisted the crew in making their
final preparations for leaving the ship, the stern of
which was already gone, and the whole mass seemed
likely in a short time to be broken into a thousand
pieces in the roaring den of waves in which it lay.
The escape from the wreck was effected in the fol-
lowine, manner :—A strap, in which one person
could sit, was fastened round the tightened warp
which communicated with the raft. When thus
seated he could gradually slide down the warp from
the ship to the raft, where he was received into the
arms of his gallant deliverers. In this way all on
board, being 13 persons, were:saved from a watery
grave before sunset of the day of their sad misfor-
tune: Thanks to our wreckers, who could only ae-
complish this result after hours of watchfulness and
labour. It is worthy of remark that the personal ef-
fects of all on board have been saved, and given up
by the wreckers without any claim for salvage. This
would not have been done either in England or the
United States. We regret to learn that in working,
out this wreck very formidable difficulties and dan--
gershave been encountered. Several severe casualties
have occurred. Three fine boats were entirely lost,
with all the tackling they contained, and the crews
were saved only by a miracle. One man had his
knee pan badly injured, and several others received
contusions from which they will not readily recover.
In fact, losses of boats, warps, and blocks, and
in-
juries of the person, have in some cases bCen so
severe, that if all the property saved were awarded
to the wreckers, it would hardly compensate them
for the sacrifices they have made. It is supposed
that scarcely any vessel will
the losses sloe his sustained get enough to repair
"ThThlhatna Herald.