The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1853-05-31 00:00:00

PPALLING WRECK OF AN EMIGRANT

SHIP FROM LIVERPOOL,

LOSS OF NEARLY TWO HUNDRED LIVES

One of the most disastrous shipwrecks on record
occurred on the 3rd instant, at Stirrup Key, among the
Bahama Islands. The news of the dreadful calamity was
taken to New York on the 16th instant, by the brig
Reuben Carver, from Sagua la Grande, which had on
board the captain, first and second mates, and six of the
crew of the ill-fated vessel William and Mary.

The barque William and Mary, commanded by Captain
Stinson, left Liverpool for New Orleans on the 24th
March, with a cargo of railroad iron and 208 passengers,
4°,l°6Pally German, Irish, and Scotch emigrants. No-
thing particular occurred, with the exception of fourteen
deaths among the emigrants and one birth, until the 3rd
of May, when they entered the dangerous channel of the
taharnas, with the most unfavourable weather, the wind
blowing strong from the south-east, with a heavy sea.
About seven o'clock in the morning, the barque passed
" The Hole in the Wall," the most southern point of the
Island of Abaco, so called from one of the most prominent
-rocks on the coast being perforated with a large hole,
which is visible a considerable distance at sea. Passing
this in safety, Captain Stinson steered for Stirrup Key,
which at twelve, meridian, was about ten miles dis-
tant, the weather becoming more clouded, and the
wind increasing. Till the afternoon the vessel kept on
her course without accident of any kind, but at half-past
eight she struck on a sunken rock, on which she remained
for about fifteen minutes, and received extensive damage.
The passengers were all on deck, running and screeching
We are lost ! we are lost !" and crowding the deck so
that it was almost impossible to get from one part of the
ship to another. The captain ordered the boats to be
cleared and launched. The two life-boats were launched
first, and four men got into the starboard boat, taking
with them two cans of water, a compass, and some bread.
They remained in the boat all night, and with the greatest
difficulty kept her from being stove. The larboard boat
was safely launched, but about half an hour after was
stove under the quarter, the decks being so crowded aft
that the boats could not be dropped astern. The boat at
the cranes was so filled by the passengers that they bent
the cranes down to the water. This boat was stove also.
The long_boat was still remaining on the afterhouse,
unfit to be launched without caulking. Part of the crew
were, ordered, however, to get that ready, and the re-
mainder to lay forward and get ready to cut away the
mast. The ship was now rolling very heavily, the sea
breaking over her every few minutes during the squalls.
Some of the headstays were cut, and everything got ready
'to let the foremast go overboard ; but the captain gave
orders not to cut it, as the sails kept the ship from rolling.
Her anchors were let go as soon as possible, and after drift-
ing a few rods she struck again so heavily that it prostrated
many on the deck, and it was evident to all that the ship
could not possibly stand many more such shocks. The scene
-was now dreadful beyond description. Some were upon
• their knees, praying to the Lord to have mercy on them;
some were crying, others were running, catching hold of
'the officers and crew, begging them to save them, telling
them that they were unfit to die, that they were unpre-
pared to meet their God. Some who had the evening
Previous been boasting of their infidelity were the first
upon their knees, and loudest in their cries for God to
have mercy upon them. It now seemed evident to all
that the ship
would go down immediately. Men, who
before this, had acted their part nobly, now ceased to
-make any effort to save themselves or others. Some
went to a cask of liquor that was between decks, and there
loreot their dangers and troubles. At midnight the water
had gained so rapidly on the sinking vessel that it was
four feet ha the hold, and, at 4 a.m., eight feet. Scarcely
.hod the f day dawned when it was announced that there were
nickeee tnnodap
f despair, in the hold, and the pumps were aban-
doned The boats, the last resort of the terror-
Passengers, were unshipped from the davits ; but
all except the life-boat and long-boat were swamped. The
captain, his officers, and a portion of the crew got into
the life-boat and abandoned the ship, which was then
y Sinking. The captain was the last who got into the
befor
life-be
at, and even then be had to he urged very strongly
be ould consent to leave the vessel. When the pas-
s saw him leave the ship they knew there was no
o nger any hope, and became perfectly frantic with despair,
screaming and calling wildly for that assistance which it
lvas impossible to render them. As soon as the captain
eft, six of the crew, who still remained in the ship, got
ready the long_boat, into which some of the passengers
jumped indiscriminately.
The scene on board the sinking ship was most heart-
rending. Women and men jumped overboard from the
after part of the vesssel, near where the boat lay, and
,Fnanny were drowned. One of the crew, who was in the
log-boat, was compelled, with a hatchet, to keep off the
Passengers who were crowding into the boat, and who, if
allowed to enter it, would have sunk it. The life-boat,
occupied by the captain and crew, was so crowded, that
before. cutting the rope, they debated the necessity of
drawing lots to see who should go overboard. At that
jtime a poor fellow was standing on the side of the vessel
ust as the rope was about to be cut. He asked the mate
if he might jump in ; but receiving no encouragement
from
him, he was about giving himself up for lost when
he thought that by rendering some service he might be
allowed to get into the boat. Knowing that they were in
want of a sail he took one of the ship'sskystahi les
boatand
handed it to those in the boat, who,
although
was already overcrowded, could not refuse him a chance
*for his life. The rope was cut by another sailor,
named
Ridley, who immediately after jumped into the water and
was taken on board. The long-boat ultimately got away
with about twenty passengers and one or two of the crew.
In about half.an-hour after the barque was left she went
down, and all on board are supposed to have pe-
rished. After beating about for some hours the life-boat
was picked up by the brig Reuben Carver, and conveyed
to New York. The captain stated that about noon on the
4th, the day after the wreck, he saw the long-boat picked
nP by an English vessel bound up the Gulf. On the 11th
instant the American schooner Smith Shuttle spoke an
Reeftsbarque, one hundred miles north of Marita nilla
-"-eef, bound for Liverpool, with cotton, from New
Orleans. She had picked up twenty-five passengers from
an American ship the day previous. The barque was
bound to Europe, but Capt. N. could not ascertain her
tarne. There is every reason to believe that the persons
rescued were some of the passengers of the William and
Mary. The Reuben Carver was twelve days at sea from
.the time she picked up the crew of the lost vessel till her
arrival at this port. She fell in on the 10th May with the
barque Oneco, of Portland, and received a supply of pro-
visions, which was greatly needed, after receiving the
captain and part of the crew of the William and Mary on
board. There is every reason to hope that the passengers
who had thrown themselves into the long-boat have es-
caped the melancholy fate of their companions who were
unable to leave the vessel.
in The William and Mary was 512 tons burthen, was built
Eowdoinham last year, and was owned by J. Harward,
Of that place. She was insured for 406,000, at the fol-
lowing offices :-.New England, S'lo,ooo ; City, =B'B,ooo ;
ndAbHouotpeeig:ty" the:
was James Chambers The passenger-agent in Liverpool
got , u company o t of
pany.,wh passengersthe
intentionwere
settling w ho
oweren
a
large tract of land which had been bought in Illinois. The
remainder were composed of English, Irish, and Scotch,
the Irish forming the largest portion. One of the sailors
is of opinion that some of the passengers may have formed
a
_ raft and saved themselves upon it, or by floating on some
fragments of the vessel. This he considers not at all im-
probable, as there were two or three sailors left behind on
the vessel ; and these, he believes, would have devised
tne such means of saving themselves and some of the
gioassengers. Should they have done so they would not be
ong floating about before they would be picked up by
rtne vessel, as the place where the liam and M
totandered is a general highway to vessels William
bound sou hart'

U_ _
HESHIRE AND WALES.
CHESTER AND HOLYHEAD RAILWAY.--Traffic for the
we ended May 22, 1853:—Railway: Passengers, parcels,
`-,_.£3,095 6s. 3d. ; goods, £1,219 Ils. 9d. Steamboats :
469 175.11 d. T0ta1,£4,754 155.11 d. Increase as compared
With the corresponding week last year, £1,665 14s. 6d.
Ila• TAYLOR, gardener to Harold Littledale, Esq., of
Liscard-hall, has been presented by his fellow-workmen
with a silver cream jug, in testimony of their appreciation
(31 lais uniform kindness towards them. Mr. Taylor is
about to retire from his present situation.
THE CHINESE JUNK.—During the past week crowds
moved ef visitors have patronised the junk, which has been Moved to the Permanent moorings close to the
at Ronk Pe Ch' se war-vessel is
rry. to tis ine really apay-gate,
gratification
Walvis
d one which our readers should
speedily avail themselvesnn of.
DAN
ki - cEttous SPORT.—As three young girls were walking
own the shore, from Rock Ferry to Tranmere, on Tues.
,tiaa lat,
4•Trorhaerotfwa: of
ther°
used by one of a party
were struck in the face with shots
the shots penheetgirls were dangerouslyowf opigeon
,-shooters.
CONCERT. raoted the skin in both instances.
concert at the—crliiiv Friday, Mr. Ryalls gave another
feature of which
wasenthrccaas, Birkenhead, the principal
'Birkenhead, of Aliss appearance, for the first time in
Welsh vocalist. The th. L. Williams, the celebrated
consisted of Welsh son ird part of the entertainment
-very well received, gs, sung in costume, which were
EASTHAM FERRT.--The exhibition c
figures at the romantic ferry of Ealsilll °. moving life-size
crowds during the 'Whitsuntide holid
feFrriyve
ana has drawn great
Persons from Manchester visited tallies.
exhibition in one day. Children a ahnudn d
ther e d
with the " show," and it is with dgegreatly delighted
induced to leave so attractive and bu "IIY they can be
sY a scene.
A., BEAR ENCOUNTER.--On Friday, at a William Fowles, of Nantwich, fell in with late hour,:Yife.
had escaped from its kennel. The ani la bear wh'eb
Muzzled, attacked Mr. Fowles very f • ma
' which was
uriously but by dint
great
. strength and presence of mind, he succeeded in
knockingire him down three times, when the owners, who
re.in search of it, came up and took it away, to the
seeming delight of the brute, who hadevidently
had the
worst of the encounter.
SHIP
LAUNCH AT CHESTER.—On Tuesday, a handsome
I..crew steamer, the property of the Australian Coal and
nter-Colonial Steam Navigation Company, was launched
It.._?r :11 Mr. Cram's shipyard, Chester. The day was delight-
ully fine, and crowds of spectators were assembled to see
the launch. A little before one o'clock the vessel was
released from the stocks, and glided into the water most
majestically, Mrs. Alfred Peeler, of Manchester, named
the vessel " The Golden Queen." Her length is 175 feet,
beam 26 feet 3 inches, and depth 15 feet.
Rulecoas Cnui ORGAN.—On Trinity Sunday, this
Organ, which has been enlarged by a powerful trumpet-
stop, and an octave and a half of pedals with pedal-pipes,
'was re-opened by Mr.Litler, jun., organist of St. Augustine's Church, Liverpool. The position of the
Organ has been changed, for the purpose of giving fuller
"effect to the volume of sound. A handsome carved oak
screen, presented a member of the conegation, has been erected, which by
separates the organ from the body of
the church. The cost of the enlargement was about £B,O,
50 of which had been subscribed by the congregation.
Three sermons were preached on the occasion, and the
collections after the services amounted to £25,