The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1841-07-27 00:00:00

DREADFUL CALAMITY OFF DOVER-EIGHT
LIVES LOST.

DOVER, SUNDAY AFTERNOON.—A considerable degree
of painful excitement was created here yesterday by a report
that no less than 30 persons had perished by a fearful colli-
sion between two vessels off Southsand-head. There was so
much discrepancy in relation to the melancholy occurrence,
that I determined on going off in a galley to satisfy myself
if such a calamitous event had taken place. Upon getting
into the bay, I perceived, by means of a telescope, a remark-
ably tine bark with foreign colours, in a very damaged
state, and, upon pursuing my inquiries, I ascertained that it
was the Russian bark John of Riga, laden with timber and
long spars for the use of the Spanish navy. She was bound
for Bilboa, and was about four miles off Southsand-head
about one o'clock yesterday morning, when she ran foul of
the Prussian bark Prosperator, Captain D. W. Albretch,
bound to Stettin, from Newport, with a cargo of iron rails,
carried away her bow, and caused her to go down in about
30 fathoms of water, with eight souls on board, all of whom
perished. The mate of the Prosperator, the boatswain, M.
Hehendorff, and Euzan, a seaman, saved themselves by
jumping on board the Russian vessel. The latter, however,
sustained a severe injury on the knee, by being struck by the
mainyard, and h' now lies in the almshouses in Last-lane,
Dover. The John has had four or five of her stanchions on
her larboard side carried away, besides her jibboom, fore-
top-masts, and yards. A fishing smack belonging to a
shipwright named Johnson, of Dover, brought the John
into the bay, and in the course of the afternoon she was
towed into the wet dock alongside the harbour, where she
will remain to undergo repairs. The fatal occurrence appears
to have originated from the fluke of the John's anchor
coming athwart the bow of the Prosperator, and the vessels
steering a contrary course, the timbers of the Prussian bar k
were perforated, and for some minutes it was doubted by
the seamen on board either vessel if both would not go
down. The John, however, was extricated by cutting away
her anchor, and she thereby averted the dreadful fate of the
Prosperator.

STATEMENT OF ONE OE THE SURVIVORS

Since writing the above, I have seen the mate of the Pros-
peraor, Charles Ratlike. He is an intelligent man, and made
to me the following statement, setting forth the origin of the
collision, and the names of those who met a watery grave :
" About 18 o'clock we were S.S.E. quarter E., and five
miles distant from the Goodwin easterly light, keeping our
course N.E. half N. Our vessel was making about four and
three-quarter knots an hour, and about 12 o'clock we were
S.E. half E., and about six miles from the light, and one of
the men on watch said there was a vessel ahead. The night
was dark, and there were two men forward keeping a look
out, and there were also on deck myself and a man at the
helm. The captain had gone to lie down, and the other seven
hands were in their berths asleep. Our full number was 12,
but we lost one hand in the Bristol Channel. When I was
told there was a vessel abead, I sang out to the men at the
helm to keep off, and put the helm up alarboard. I also sang
out to those on board the John, but instead of her keeping to
windward, as she should have done, she ran foul of us, and
her larboard anchor fixed in our bow. I believe there was
no look-out on board the Jonn, and the captain told me that
he was below at the time making up the log, and all the crew
were aft hauling in the braces. The anchor of the John made
a hole in our bow of several feet, and we were both
fast: with our stern upwards, and did not know which
vessel would go down. I called to our captain, who im-
mediately came upon deck to see what was the matter,
and upon seeing us foul, he asked the other if they were
English. No answer was returned, and we afterwards heard
by their conversation that they were Russians. The captain
of the John inquired why our captain came so close to him,
and the latter answered, My name is Albrecht.' Our cap-
tain then called on us to try to get clear of the other vessel,
and half of us on deck set about hauling in the mainvards,
and the others were engaged in cutting away with an axe the
bulwarks of the Prosperata, for the purpose of disengaging
her from the anchor of the John. The carpenter, named
Wesling, was called, but did not come. I perceived at this
time that there was a large hole in the bow of our bark, and
I told the captain so. The sea now came up between the
vessels, and the captain ordered us to get the boats ready. I
immediately ran to do so, and was cutting away the lashings
when the John hove to, and struck us again, and our vessel
went down immediately. The captain, when he ordered us
to get the boat ready, went into the cabin to fetch his papers,
and he had not time to reach the deck again. I saved my-
self by jumping on board the John, and Heckendorff, the
boatswain, and Eugen, a seaman, did the same. Those that
have perished are D. W. Albrecht, captain ; Wesling, the
carpenter ; Schultz, Ladke, Worm, and Abraham, seamen,
and the coxswain's boy and the cabin-boy. They were all
in bed except the captain. My opinion is, that it was very
wrong of the crew of the John to be hauling in the braces,
and all to be aft at that time of night where we were, and for
the captain to be below. He told me himself this was so,
and I never heard of such a thing before. Myself, Hecken-
dorff, and Eugen have lost everything that we possessed."
The survivors, who are Prussians, appear to be deeply
affected at the untimely end which their shipmates have met
with.

IRISH ELECTIONS.—To describe the difficulties under
which, in this portion of the kingdom, this victory has been
achieved, would be literally impossible. No language can
convey an adequate idea of the magnitude. An outline,
however, but no more than an outline of the savage proceed-
ings resorted to under the direct sanction 0 the Romish
priests, will be found in our present publication, as it has
beea supplied by the provincial press. In Cork, Tipperary
Kerry, Louth, and Clare, bloodshed prevailed to an alarming
extent. In short, the reign of terror has been revived in
all the forogoing counties in its most revolting for, ; and as
to freedom of election, there was none. To talk of it would be
a mockery. Under these circumstances, the conservative can-
didates had no other alternative save to resign, with a formal
protest against the illegality of the sheriff's return, which,
there can be no doubt, must be set aside by any committee
of the House of Commons, on petition ; and a petition we
have the best reason to know, will be lodged by every disap.
pointed candidate for each of the above-mentioned counties.
The result, let the tribunals be constituted as they may, can.
sot admit of a moment's hesitation.—Dublin Packet.