The Sun.
London, England, 1857-11-16 00:00:00

THE StJN, LONDON, MONDAY EVENING, NOVEMBER l6, 1857.

the look-out for land. The third mate was on the
forecastle with the two men, and the second mate was
afterwards sent there also. The captain sang out,
`Do you see anything of the North Head ?" and the
mate said 'No ; I see nothing of it.' I was on the
poop at this time standingby the braces. She had the-
light a bit on her port bow when I saw it at this
time. Then the captain sung out to the man at the
wheel to keep his Tuff ; the yards were about a yard
or so to port. I heard these words—it was done.
The course of the ship was changed a small bit by
this. Shortly after this the second mate sang out,
" Breakers ahead." This was a few minutes after.
The captain sang out to the man at the wheel to
port his helm. We were all at the braces. He told
us to haul in the port braces, and brace the yards
sharp up. It was done, and done quickly, without
delay. There were 13 able seamen in each watch.
There was no want of hands. We were well manned,
and we could see the light ; it appeared right over
us. I heard no further orders given. A few minutes
after we hauled the yards round—about two minutes
after—she went side on to the rock 4. She was try-
ing to stretch out to the eastward, her head lying
along the land to the north ; then we struck."
On Friday, the 21st of August, at half-past seven
in the morning, a pilot first discovered that a vessel
had been wrecked near the lighthouse. Capt. Wise-
man, of the steam-ship Grafton, entered the Heads
at half-past nine o'clock the same morning, 'and
from the floating fragments about the Heads saw
that a vessel had gone ashore and had been wrecked,
and brought to Sydney the alarming tidings at 10
o'clock. The state of the weather prevented the
signals from the Heads being seen at the Sydney.
station, and thus no information of the disaster had
reached the city at that hour. Without delay many
persons proceeded to the wreck. Public vehicles
were engaged, and hundreds, notwithstanding the
state of the weather, went on foot to the scene of
the disaster, six miles from Sydney. An awful
spectacle presented itself before their eyes. The
waves, agitated with the fury of storm, threw the
mutilated bodies of the dead upon the rocks—now
bearing them back into the deep, and now hurling
them back again on the crest of the wave. A steamer
proceeded down the harbour shortly after the re-
port of the wreck, and obtained complete evidence
that the lost vessel was the Dunbar (a mail-bag and
a cask both marked " Dunbar"), and not, as sup-
posed by some, a North American vessel, or by
others, the Vocalist, an emigrant ship then due, and
since safely arrived.
The agents of Government, Capt. Pockley of the
harbour department, the police, and the members
of the pilot establishment, commenced an active
search to rescue and guard whatever might be floated
to the shore; Capt. Denham, and several officers of
the Royal Navy, assisted in this task. The violence
of the surf prevented their approaching the scene
of the wreck. The weather continued boisterous
and waves rolled with unabated force, and deafen-
ing noises continued to dash against the cliffs. Seve-
ral bodies were carried by the current into Middle
and North Harbours.

Johnson has given a clear account of his own
preservation. He states that the inizenmast went
first, and then the mainmast ; that he was on the
poop when the vessel struck, and was thrown down.
He then caught hold of a stanchion ; when that
gave way he made for the cabin, but the rushing in
of the water prevented his passing through, as he
intended. He then went below, and got out of the
skylight to leeward, and up the aide of the chain-
plates of the fore-rigging. These being broken, he
was thrown over, holding by the chain-plates which
held some of the fore-planks together. Johnson re-
members that several seamen were near him ; one
(the old boatswain) who said to him, "We shall
have a watery grave."
Johnson having found himself on a shelf of the
rock, was enabled to obtain some shelter behind a
projection, and there he slept. When the morning
broke, he saw the wreck and the bodies of his late
companions. He endeavoured to make signals, but
was undiscovered. He uttered cries, but the boil-
ing ocean prevented them being heard. A careful
search was, however, making. Every spot was oc-
cupied by spectators where there was a chance of
seeing any object below. At last a cry was heard—
" There is a man upon the rocks." A rope was
lowered without delay. After some failures it was
brought within his reach. There was danger from
the projection of the rocks, but having entwined
the rope with seaman's skill around him, he gave
the signal, and ha was drawn up some 200 feet, and
was received by the crowd with cries of gratulation
and joy. He had passed about 30 hours upon the
rocks. Johnson is a native of Drogheda, Ireland ;
he is about 23 years of age.
After his rescue an incident occurred such as
always excites the enthusiasm of an English people.
It was reported that there were other persons upon
the rocks. It was impossible to approach them by
sea. An adventurous Icelander, Antoine Wollier,
an apprentice to a jeweller in Sydney, offered to
descend. He was lowered by a rope from that dread-
ful height, and continued more than half an hour in
his search. Nothing was discovered, and Wollier
was drawn up in safety, amidst the shouts of the
crowd. The mayor of Sydney, at the suggestion of
Captain Loring, of her Majesty's ship Iris, opened
a subscription on the spot, and presented him with
101. as an acknowledgment of his intrepidity. In
answer to the congratulations of the mayor, he said,
"he did not go down for money, but for the feel-
ings of his heart." A considerable sum has been
added by the merchantsto this subscription.
A large quantity of goods, broken and shattered,
were cast upon the shore. Some were articles of
dress. There was also a piece of crotchet work,
with the needle and reel of cotton attached, a num-
ber of children's toys, and a small hat with a feather
in it, recognised by Johnson as having been worn
by a child on board the Dunbar in the tropics. There
wore also found a few fragments of dress, marked
with the names of the owners.

An inquest was held on the 24th, at which John-
son's evidence, part of which we have given above,
was taken ; and the jury returned a verdict, in
which they say—" There may have been an error of
judg,ment in the vessel being so close to the short) at
night in such bad weather, but the jury do not at-
tach any blame to Capt. Green or his officers for the
loss of the Dunbar." At the same time th,3y call
attention to the inadequacy of the pilot arrange-
ments of the port of Sydney.
_

A ratker eager controversy as to the course
adopted by Captain Green seems to have taken place
in Sydney. A Lumber of captains of vessels in the
port signed a circular to the effect that they consi-
dered his bearing up for the port quite judicious,
while other nautical authorities are of opinion that
he should have stood out to sea. The Sydney
.Herald states that several plans had been suggested
since the wreck for the better lighting of the har-
bour.

The following is a list of the Dunbar's passengers
-Chief Cabin : Mr. and Mrs. A Meyer and six
children, Miss J. Wake, Mr. and Mrs. K. Waller
and six children, Miss S. Fothergill, Miss E. King,
Mr. C. Troughton, Mr. and Mrs. Mylne, Misses A.
and E. Mylne, Mr. A. D. James, Mr. F. Tindal,
Mr. C. Davidson, Mr. and Mrs. Culnac, Mrs.
Egan, son and daughter, Mr. Simmons, Mr.
M'Quoid, Mr. and Mrs. Peek, Mr. Downey, Misses
Hunt (2), Capt. Steane, R.N., Mr. Severn, Mr.
Levein, Miss Logan and two' Masters Logan, and
Air. Cuthbert. Intermediate : Mrs. Debell, Mrs.
J. Berry, Miss Graham, Messrs. W. Byron, J.
Holl, Wiesmer, E. Hill, W. Beach, Mr. and Mrs.
Clark and two children, Mr. and Mrs. Saint, Mrs.
Brown and child, Mrs. Annan and three children,
Mr. and Mrs. Healing and three children, and Mr.
and Mrs. Strange. We feel certain that Messr4.
Devitt and Moore, brokers to this fine vessel, will
give every information that lies in their power to
the relatives or friends of any of the unfortunate
passengers.
The following is the list of the crew :-Captain
Jaiaes Green, of London, commander ; Mr. James
Banks Shuthers, 26, of Aberdeen, first mate ; Mr.
James Spence, 24, of Orkney, second mate ; Mr.
John Pascoe, 18 Cornwall, third mate ; Mr. Alex-
ander Fraserßayne, 28, of London, surgeon ;
George du Veenet, 16, Southampton, midshipman ;
William B. Williams 16 Newport, midshipman ;
Thomas D. Kay, 14 'Hav'on, midshipman ; A. D.
Heisch, 17, London:midshipman ; George Groom,
19, Walwor th) midshipman ; James Ward, 30,
London steward ; Samuel Wood Simper, 23,
London, caddy servant • Robert Payne, 20, Nor-
folk, cuddy servant ; Richard Lee, 24, Ireland,
cuddy servant ; William Snowdon, 37, York, car-
penter ; John King, 37, London, boatswain ; John
Jack, 26, Edinburgh, cook ; Peter Addison, 24,
Musselborough, cook's mate ; James: Kent , butcher's
Parks, 34,
Louden, butcher ; Geo. Fish, 19
mate ; C. Hopper 20, London, midshipman's
servant ; Robert Smith, 34, York, quartermaster and
A. 8.; R. Deauness, 31 Orkney, quartermaster and
A.B. ; J. Lewis, 37, Gibraltar, quartermaster and
A.B. ; J. Alger, 23 London, sailmaker ; T. Chap-
pell, 40, London, A.B. ; F. Smith, 23, London,
A.B. ; A. Manrow, 32 Sweden, A.B. ; R. Wood-
worth, 28, Sweden,-A.8.; W. Lobb, 39, Plymouth,
; B. B. Williams G. 21, Kent, A.B. ; C. Lup-
pel, 36, Kent, A.B. ; Lemar, 34, Kent, A.B. ;
J. Colston, 46, Kent, A.B. ; I. Anise, 24, Finland,
A. B. ; J. Whiffin, 24 London, A.B. ; J. Prayer,
3'6, Arundel, A. 8.; A.,Hoine, 24, Hamburg, A.B. ;
rf. Bey, 31, Hamburg, A.B. ; J. M‘Givereen, 26,
Liverpool, A.B. ; J. Douglas, 21, Limerick, A. 8.;
D. Knox, 40, Bunk Island, A.B. ; J. Gray, 27,
Gloucester, A.B. ; W. Home, 23, Orkney, A.B. ;
W. Miller, 31, Gneuock, A. B. ; J. Auchter wind,
19, St. Andrews, O.S. ; J. H. Cummins, 16, 10, -
quay, U.S. ; J. Bruce, 25, carpenters' matJ ; W.
Mackay, 25, ship's steward ; C. S. Grant, London,
apprentice ; J. M‘Guffie, London, apprentice ; T.
Home, Plymouth, apprentice ; F. Watts, Sydney
(N. S. W.), apprentice; J. Allan, Plymouth, dAte.