The Sun.
London, England, 1859-05-03 00:00:00

STORM ON THE IRISH COAST.

As it approached daybreak yesterday morning
veryl;e
same har d
point. from
the wind, which had been blowingt
r-S.E., rose to a full gale from
Soo after six o'clock the sky became overcast
with dense masses of cloud driven in from sea-
ward, aid about five o'clock rain came down in
t compelling
e
wayfarers to run for shelter. r°
torrents, `hooding the streets
Nothing gfareaasn
thebe
well imagined
eye could reach no
more terrific than theali
fury of he
ea„
from Howth up to
the Drogheda bar. A
nothing
foamcoastmassesin
and spray caused by
under to the shore, clearly
showing that any sailing er,aft, getting embayed be ,
tween Laytown
and e
coast
chance of any assistance
a mba7 must to a certainty
drift to leeward and go
to pieces, with little or no
being rendered by persons
on
from Kingstown to Arklow
did not present a less terrific aspect, and the sea
ran so high that everything afloat had to make for
the nearest shelterd
say that the very sheltered anchors We
i sareso
that could
have been form of shi p
wa pr
oporke
aennds onloss of life had
been more than realised. Three fine vessels have
been totally wrecked, and it is said not less than 30
lives lost. Yesterday morning, when the sea was
breaking over the ironbound coast at Laytown, a
fine schooner-rigged vessel, despite of every exertion
on the part of her crew, drifted helplessly on shore,
and on taking the ground she heeled over from the
pressure of the seas which broke over her in deluging
showers. The point at which she struck is much
dreaded by mariners trading along the northern
coast, and is known as Ben-head, rendered remark-
able as being the scene of four terrible shipwrecks,
all occurring within the last seven years. After
the schooner had struck the crew got the jolly boat
over the bulwarks to leeward, and, availing them-
selves of the partial shelter which the hull of the
vessel afforded, they contrived to get away from the ,
wreck, and providentially got ashore with their
lives in the midst of the furious sea breaking among
the rocks bounding the coast. A fine clipper French
schooner, laden with iron ore, also went ashore off
the Skerries, when, we regret to say, the captain
and a boy were washed overboard and drowned.
There being little or no chance of the vessel holding
together, one of the sailors jumped into the sea and
struck out for the land, which he miraculously
reached alive. The poor fellow was
ex-
hausted, but every care and attention much
him by the good people of Skerries. was paid to
crew remained on board the Two of the
vessel, which
threatened every moment to break up and go
to pieces. Time being of the greatest importance,
not a moment was lost •
In getting the lifeboat in

r

-

‘,;EW S PAP

17
e(rWll-1 ift. (
i s for "thy ppse of r wing the tvrd-feelKti %.\
Frenchmen from their per ous position 6,0014114! ,
wreck. The lifeboat crew succeeded in their hinillinigilA ' 4`..=. fi
0
and perilous undertaking, and brought the tw'cl-iii* 7 141"
fellows safely to shore, when every attention. . = ,
paid to their wants. Yesterday evening large fr.g.v. a 1
ments of wreck, borne to the shore at Howth, told—
the tale of another sad disaster. For a considerable
time it was not known to what vessel the broken
timber and spars belonged, but all doubt on that
score was set at rest by the sternpost, rudder, and
after portion of a large ship coming to land. On
the latter was painted " Dusty Miller, of New-
castle." This vessel is supposed to have been about
240 tons burden, and must have gone ashore at the
north-east side of Ireland's Eye during the fury of •
the gale on Wednesday night, and broke up imme-
diately. Of the fate of the crew, said to be 11 in
number, there is not the remotest doubt. From the
fearful sea that was breaking in on the almost up-
right cliffs of Ireland's Eye at the north-east after
the vessel striking, escape must have been hopeless,
and the unfortunate captain and his crew must have
perished miserably. The storm has not in any way
decreased, and its howling amid the roar of the seas
in the pitchy darkness of last night was fearful,
and it is much dreaded that homeward bound ves-
sels if caught in the Channel will fare badly. All
outward bound vessels have been detained in the
port, and none of the steamers left the North-wall
yesterday or the day previous. Two vessels are
reported to have been seen off the Wicklow coast
yesterday in a crippled condition, and there was
every reason to fear that they would go ashore
during the night. The rain and storm continued -
unabated up to daybreak this morning.—Dumia
Freeman,

THE NAVY.

The Lizard paddlewheel steamer, Lieutenant-
Commander E. E. Maunsell, arrived at Chatham
yesterday afternoon, and disembarked a detach-
ment of the Royal Artillery from Sheerness, con-
sisting of 107 non-commissioned officers and men,
under the command of Lieut. Maunsell and Lieut.
Gyll, R.A. The detachment proceeded yesterday
afternoon to Devonport, where they are to be quar-
tered. The Lizard afterwards embarked at Chat-
ham dockyard First-Lieutenant J. R. Mascall,
First-Lieutenant J. M. Sadleir, and 100 non-com-
missioned officers and men of the Royal Marine
Light Infantry, for service on board the Minotaur,
at Sheerness, which has been commissioned- by
Capt. E. P. Halsted, late of the:Cressy, 80, as guard-
ship to the steam reserve, the screw steamer Cressy
having been ordered to be fitted to join the Channel
squadron.
The Lord Raglan troopship will land her troops
(invalids) at the Pitch-house Jetty, Portsmouth
dockyard, this morning.
The Melbourne screw steamship, of 1,450 tons'
register, and the Sir William Peel screw steamship,
of 1,340 tons' register, will both embark troops at
Portsmouth, on the 9th inst., for Corfu. Tho
Cunard steamship Etna, of 2,250 tons' register, will
also embark troops at that port, on the 12th inst.,
for Malta.

The Agamemnon, 91, screw steamship, at Ports-
mouth, is ordered to be immediately advanced from
the second to the first class steam reserve.

The Falcon, 17, screw steamsloop, at Portsmouth,
having been docked to clean copper, &c., has been
removed to her harbour moorings, ready for com-
mission.

The Assurance, 4, screw steam despatch vessel,
has been removed from No. 2 dock in Portsmouth
yard to th© fitting basin. The Flying Fish, 4,
screw despatch vessel, was afterwards placed in the
same dock.

The Bullfinch and Pincher gunboats, at Ports-
mouth, were yesterday undocked from No. 7 dock,
and placed in the steam basin.
In accordance with the Admiralty order, the
Ariadne screw corvette, of 26 guns, will be launched
at Deptford dockyard on the 2d of June next.
The Duke of Wellington will be placed in No. 7
dock at Portsmouth, to be succeeded by to Han-
nibal.

The Galatea and Barossa, screw steam vessels,
now on the stocks at Woolwich, are ordered to b.
got ready for launching, with all despatch, and for
this purpose the shipwrights work overtime.
The Hood, screw line-of-battle ship, will be
launched, at one o'clock to-morrow, at Chatham.
The Lucifer and Pigmy will proceed to the
westward to pick up men under the advantages of
the Queen's recent proclamation.
The Grasshopper gunboat went out of barbel*
to Spithead to test her machinery.
The Odin, 17, paddlewheel steam frigate,has beeb.
brought down Portsmouth harbour, and placed in
the fitting basin.
Orders have been received from the Admiralty at
Portsmouth dockyard for the entry of 300 ship-
wrights, 50 joiners, 30 sawyers, 33 caulkers, 70
smiths, 21 braziers, plumbers, and millwrights, and
150 labourers.

Every exertion is being used to bring forward
the Neptune, 91, razeed screw steamship, at Ports-
mouth, as quickly as possible.
The screw steamship James Watt, 91, Capt. E.
Codd, is detained at Devonport on account of her
propeller having got foul of a ship's moorings,
which were broken and twisted round several times.
The divers were employed all Saturday night in
clearing the chain. She will discharge her powder
and go into dock.
The paddlewheel steam vessel Vivid, Master Com-
mander Allen, from Portsmouth, arrived on Satur-
day at Plymouth to be in attendance on his Royal
Highness Prince Albert.
The paddlewheel steam sloop Virago, 6, Com-
mander M. B. Dunn, from Sheerness and Ports-
mouth, arrived at Plymouth on Sunday ; after
landing supernumeraries she proceeded to Pembroke
to accompany the screw steamship Revenge, 91, to
Plymouth.
The paddlewheel steam vessel Avon, 3, tender to
the Impregnable, Second-Master T. H. Lawrence,
took on board a detachment of Marines at Devon-
port on Sunday, and proceeded with them to the
screw steam ship Nile, 90, Capt. A. P. E. Wilmot,
C. 8., at Queenstown.
The screw steam ship Aboukir is ordered to be
put in the first-class steam reserve at Devonport, in
place of the Exmouth, 90.
The screw steam ship Algiers, 91, Captain D.
O'Callaghan, took in her powder at Plymouth on
Sunday.
The gunboats Procris and Jackdaw were un-
docked, and the Sheldrake and Lark docked on
Saturday
e following
oa tw Devonport.
ng
appointments were made yesterday
at the Admiralty :
Commander—F. Dent, to the Cressy.
Mate—C. It. Macdonell, to the Hero.
Paymaster—C. A. Thorne, to the Exmouth.