The Sun.
London, England, 1845-12-01 00:00:00

DECEMBRI-1

DREADFUL LOSS OF THE MART
EMIGRANT SHIP, OF LONDON.
. STATEMENT OF THE SURVIVORS.
The melancholy details of the appalling shipwreck of the
Mary, an emigrant ship, of London, while on her homeward
voyage from Sydney, and the dreadfnl fate of nearly all the
passengers, have been received by the arrival of the Penyard
Park packet ship, yesterday, in the London Docks.
The Mary, which was built at Ipswich in the year 1811,
had for some years been engaged in the conveyance of pace
sengers and• emigrants between London and .New South
Wales, and was the property of several persons. She was
barque-rigged. and measured 368 tons burthen. On her de-
parture from Sydney, in addition to her crew, she had on
board forty-three passengers, viz.:—Captain . G. Collins,
late Captain 13th Light Dragoons, his lady, four daughters,
a son, and an attendant, named Sarah Saroom • the wife
of the commander, Captain Newby, and three daughters;
Mrs. Evans, five daughters, and one son ; Mrs. Heather,
and three sons ; Mrs. Turnbull ; Mr. and Mrs. Bushel, with
child ; Sarah Guy, Sarah Fontes, Eliza Robinson, Mr. and
Mrs. Hofferman, Mr. and Mrs. Reeves, and ter. emigrants
nained J. Abbott, W. S. Hall, Heather, M. Nicholson, S'
Gayer, G. Hannon, G. Jones, J. Neale, J. Wilkinson, and T..
Newman. She was also freighted with it valuable cargo,
comprising wool, talloW, oil, and other merchandise, with a
case of bullion.
The loss took place, xis days after leavilig Sydney, en a
sunken rock oil' Flinder's !island, in Bass Straits, between
three hundred end four hundred miles from Sydney. So
sudden was the catastrophe, which happened in the middle of
the night, that seven minutes only elapsed from her striking
and breaking up, and seventeen women and children met
with a watery grave.
As considerable blame has been imputed to the owners of
the vessel for navigating her in the condition she is alleged
to have been in, and to the surveyor of Lloyd's at Sydney,
who certified that she was sde and sound, the following
statement of the survivors will more fully explain the cite
cuinstance attending the wreck :
Captain Collins, of the 13th Light Dragoons, states—The
Mary sailed from the heads of Port Jackson on Monday
morning, the 19th of May, and the wind being unfavour-
able for New Zealand; Captain Newby coasted to the south,
and attempted the passage through Bass's Straits. After
doubling Wilson Promontory, the wind veered to the west,
and the captain, fearing that at the advanced season of the
year the wind would continue for a length of time to the
westward, resigned all hope of going home by the Cape of
Good Hope, and putting about ship, made for New Zealand.
He expressed regret at the disappointment he had met with
as from the leaky state of the ship, which made six inches
of water per hour, he wished to keep near the land as
long as he possibly could, the rigging being also defective,
and not having a second set of sails on board. At about
a quarter past eleven o'clock on Saturday night, the 24th
instant, the alarm of the ship being in danger was given
by Captain Newby to the cabin passengers,. who were all in
bed, and he • desired them to dress and hasten upon deck.
The cabin passengers were Mrs. Newby, her three daugh-
ters, and servant, Mrs. Turnbull, Mrs. Collins, four daugh-
ters, and one son at the breast, two maid servants and my-
self. We had scarcely left our berths when the ship struck
upon the reef .-and the crushing noise of the timbers was
distinctly heard above the roar of the breakers, and in less
than three minutes the water rushed violently into the
cabin as high as our knees, when she struck a second time.
The mainmast than sank through the bottom of the
ship, its maintop and topmasts being supported by the
main deck. The same shock that caused such devastation
forced the cabin door, which opened and shut in a slide, to
close nearly on us, the ship at the time being so much on
her starboard -side that it was doubtful whether she would
not capsize. Fortunately I perceived the door closing in
sufficient time to introduce my hand into the open space so
as to push back the door, and with the utmost difficulty I
succeeded in getting upon deck all the passengers. This
was scarcely effected when the bottom of the ship separated
from the sides, carrying away the lower cabin deck, which
we had just left—the tuns of oil and cargo dashing against
the reef. and the breakers washing over us with fearful vio-
lence. The only boats that were available were the whale-
boat, on the larboard quarter, and the long boat., on the
main deck. Some of the passengers were put into each of
these boats, and I had just placed Mrs. Collins in the long
boat, when I heard Sarah calling for me to take the boy
from her, as she was unable to hold him any longer. I with
great difficulty reached her, and put a rope into her hand,
which I desired her to hold by until I had put the child into
the boat, when I would return for her and my two girls—
Augusta and Kate. I had scarcely left her when a breaker
broke over the deck, carrying me with great force
against a water-butt. I effected my way to the long
boat, and, while giving the child to its mother, the main-
topmast fell overboard, crushing the whale-boat, which was
lying upon the skids alongside of it, and immediately after
the fore and mizenmasts, with all their sails set, also fell
overboard on starboard side, on which the deck righted, but
the rigging of these masts, all lying across the deck, inter-
cepted the communication fore and aft. I was searching for
my two daughters, Augusta and Kate, and the maid Sarah,
when I saw the captain, who informed me that he had just
put them with his family, a moment before, in the whale
boat on the larboard quarter, when they were all safe ; that
the deck was about breaking up, arid if I valued my life I
would follow him. He wished to have returned to the whale
boat, but the deck beginning to separate, he made imme-
diately for the long boat, which we contrived to reach. The
breakers continued to wash over us, and the masts being
gone, we had no power to launch the boat. At this critical
moment, when all hope of preserving life had nearly aban-
doned us, the deck suddenly parted between the main and
foremasts, and the long boat pitched stern foremost into the
sea, and, notwithstanding the quantity of water and people
in her, she quickly righted. We discovered that both the
plugs were out ; on which one of the men tore the sleeve off
his shirt, and by its aid partly succeeded in stopping the
water. With the aid of boots, shoes, and hats, we
contrived to keep the boat afloat, but having only
one oar, we bad the greatest difficulty in avoiding the
numerous casks and broken wreck which threatened us
on every side. From the time the ship struck, until the
deck broke up, only seven minutes had elapsed. While we
were surrounded by the floating pieces of the wreck, a huge
wave dashed a cask of tallow over my head against the in-
side of the starboard side, near the stern, and carried away
eighteen inches of gunwale and upper streaks; a tun of oil
followed the course of the cask of tallow striking off my hat
in its passage ; but the cask of tallow having already made Si
breach in the side of the boat, it met with no resistance, and
passed into the sea, deluging the boat with oil. One f the
sailors named Todd swam to the boat from the wreck with '
an oar, and we then got into smooth water. The sea outside
the reef as well as the wind being nearly calm, we heard
the voices of some sailors, which we supposed to be the men
in the whale boat, and we steered in the direction the sound
came from. On nearing these men they stated that the
whale boat had foundered, and that Mrs. Newby was the
only person saved. Her escape was effected by her catching
a rope alongside the broken deck in the water, when one of
the men hauled her on deck. The piece of the ship that
was afloat was the quarter-deck. on which we found twelve
men and Mrs. Newby. We obtained six oars more
and two tubs, the men also found a cask of brandy,
and asked whether they should drop it into the boat, but the
sailors, noble fellows! were unanimous in rejectiug the
brandy, from a sense of the evils it might cause. Nothing
could surpass the undaunted self-possession which charac-
terised the conduct of the captain and crew throughout this
fearful night, and the men we rescued from the wreck waited
there in the most collected and steady manner until each
was called by name, when he dropped quietly into that part
of the boat assigned him. The ladies and children were sit-
ting up to their waists in water and oil, and the boat was
stove in three places. The large breach made by the tallow
cask the carpenter had contrived partially to repair with
his coat and some tallow he found in the boat, and the
broken piece which he picked up. In this Wretched
state, the water gaining on •us whenever the least inter-
ruption took place in bailing the boat, we continued for nine
hours and a half, and at half-past eight o'clock on Sunday
morning we landed on the island, about eighteen miles
distant from the reef struck by the ship. On reach-
ing the shore those who were piously disposed returned
their grateful and unfeigned thanks to the Almighty for the
miraculous interposition he had been pleased to manifest in
so signally preserving us from the numerous dangers that
had threatened us. The very rottenness of the ship, in the
end, insured our safety, for had not the bottom separated
from the sides, and the deck broken up, we could not have
freed the long-boat ; we probably should have died from
hunger, or been crushed by the casks, &c., which the breakers
dashed about in all directions. The day was mild and warm,
and we commenced arrangements for our future conduct.
On reckoning the number landed, we found that 42 per-
sons had been saved, and 17 drowned. On the afternoon of
Sunday Capt. Newby, with five of the crew, left us in search
of the settlement, as we knew Government had a station on
Filmier's Island ; but we were uncertain that the Island wo were
on was the same. The only food the party took with them was
one slice of pumpkin each. All Monday passed over, the
ladies and children began to sink, despair waeexpressed by
many, and fervent were our prayers to God for aid. Never
did the words of our Lord's Prayer appear to me so impres-
sive as they then did—" Give us this day our daily bread."
On the morning of Tuesday, the third day, my eldest sur-
viving daughter, near seven years old, showed greet symp-
toms of debility, and death seemed stamped in her counte-
nance. I had succeeded in collecting some limpets, and was
entering the bower when I heard a cheer, and in a few mi •
nutes a strange man and boy, with a havresack, made their
appearance. The man said he brought supplies of food and
clothing. The distance from the settlement was twenty-five
miles, and the road impracticable to delicate females and
children. The wind was unfortunately adverse, and we de-
termined to await the return of the captain, ho arrived in
the middle of the night. The next morning, the wind being
still against us, the captain sent off all the crew and passen-
gers capable of travelling by land to the settlement. The
rain continuedto descend in torrents, and the wind remaining
unfavourable and strong, the communication with the set-
tlement both by land and water became impassable for ten
days, only the females and children receiving an allowance
of food. We, on the eighth day from our landing, got into
the long boat, and proceeded by water towards the settlement,
and reached it about half-past ten o'clock that night, Captain
Collins concluded by stating that it is evident, from the man-
ner in which the old rotten bottom separated from the sides,
which were comparatively new, that the Mary would have
foundered in the first gale of wind; at all events, she could
not have been reasonably expected to double Cape Horn.
The owners of the Mary, in the most positive terms, re-
futed the declaration of the ship's unseaworthiness, and in
proof produced the certificate of her soundness, as given by
Mr. Ashmore, surveyor for Lloyd's,
Those who perished were Mrs. Heather and two daughters,
Mrs. Guy, Mrs. Turnbull, Sarah Folkes, the whole family of
Mrs. Evans (six in number), the three daughters of the com-
mander, Captain Newby, and the Misses Augusta and
Katherine, daughters of 'Captain Collins.
The ship was a total loss, and all she contained, valued at
between 20,000/. and 30,000/.

SouTnwattic.—The free traders of this influential
borough are up and doing. Not content with the declaration
of their opinion in favour of an immediate opening of the
ports, incidentally made at a meeting called by the League
on Tuesday last, they have since then got up a requisition,
very numerously and respectably signed, and had it pre-
sented to William Pritchard, lisq., the High Bailiff, who,
with his usual promptitude, has appointed a public meeting
for Thursday next, at the Town-hall, when another over-
flowing assemblage of friends to the unrestricted importation
of every description of grain, is expected. In the requisi-
tion the objects are specified to be, a memorial to her Ma-
jesty's Ministers in favour of the immediate admission of
every description of vegetable food, and an unconditional
repeal of the corn• laws.
FATAL KICK WHILE CUPPING A flouss.--On
Saturday Mr. Wakley, M.P., held an inquest at the Middle-
sex Hospital, on the body of George Holloway, aged 24. On
the 4th ult. the deceased was assisting a clipper named
Hughes, at the stables of Mr. Hill, job-master, High-street,
Marylebone. The deceased was sitting on the ground. just
finishing off one of the hind hocks of. a very timid horse,
hlclied out its hoof,
when a dog passing by startled it and
was. removed to the
striking deceased in Ali; for4ead.
hospital, where fie was found to be suffering from depression
and concussion of the brain, and a severe fracture of the
skull. The operation of trefineing was performed and every
remedy used to save life, bnt he never rallied, and remained
in a state of insensibility till his death, which took place pn
Tlaursthq last. Verdict; " Acci,de;4414.0a..",