The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1849-03-13 00:00:00

BOAR

Mr. Smith, Bebington

EXTRAORDINARY ADVENTURES OF A BRIG
BELONGING TO LONDONDERRY, AND WON-
DERFUL ESCAPE FROM SHIPWRECK.

We have received the following narrative from the lips
of one of the crew of the steamer Maiden City, which runs
between this port and Londonderry, and entertain full
confidence in the accuracy of the facts :
The fine brig Unicorn, of Londonderry, under the ex-
perienced command of Captain Boyle, sailed from that
port for Quebec on or about the 12th of December last,
with her complement of emigrant passengers, 230 in num-
ber. She took her departure from Cape Clear in due
time, and proceeded on her way across the Atlantic. No-
thing particular occurred affecting the vessel, and she
made good way until about three weeks, when, during a
severe gale, she lost her rudder, and being unmanageable,
was driven back to near Cape Clear. During the gale
that disabled her, the caboose, with the cook in it, (Wm.
Clark,) was forced from the deck by a sea; but on its
striking the bulwark, the poor fellow was safely dropped
from it, just before another wave carried it clear overboard.
A hawser was payed out, and bowsed from side to side on
the taffrail, by way of rudder, and very inadequately sup-
plying its place. From Cape Clear the vessel was gra-
dually and perilously driven along the south coast of Ire-
land. When off the Cove of Cork, she was for a long
time in constant danger of being hurled upon the rocks at
the mouth of the entrance; but got a slight offing, and
was driven to the eastward, close to the land, and past
the Tuskar Rocks and Light-house. Thence she was
borne along the whole east coast of the island, often dri-
ven shoreward by one wave, and again outward, and out
of immediate danger, by the next. In this way she was
drifted northward by wind and wave, along the whole
length of the east coast, passing successively Wexford,
Wicklow, Dublin, Drogheda, Dundalk, Belfast, and
thence westward past Larne and Port Rush, without being
able to make into any one of them. From opposite the
last-named port she was next floated on till opposite the
entrance to Loch Foyle, early on the morning of the 7th
February, when a lantern. presented from her quarter,
was observed from the steamer Maiden City, Captain
Richard Crompton, which was entering the harbour, on
her way from Liverpool. Captain Crompton cautiously
approached her, and, from the waving of her lantern to
attract attention, thinking that it was some vessel in dis-
tress, he eventually got alongside of her, when a short
parley confirmed his conjecture. She had been eight
weeks out of port, and the last five without a rudder.
The passengers had but six or seven weeks' provisions on
board when she sailed, the usual passage to Quebec aver-
aging aboutfive ; so that they had necessarily been upon
short allowance, each having latterly been served with
but one pint of water per day. They were naturally de-
lighted to be rescued, after so long a succession of dan-
gers and privations, and were more than astonished to
learn that they bad finally been driven back into the very
port from which they had sailed two lunar months before.
No one on board was hurt during the gales they had en-
countered, with the exception of the gallant captain, who
was slightly lamed. One child had died when they were
at sea. But the most curious circumstance in this
" strange eventful history" is, that the brig bad made
(out and home) the entire circuit of Ireland, besides a sail
westward and back ! It is also remarkable, that they saw
very few vessels in rounding the eastern coast, and these
so distant that they could not make known to them their
distress. They were all allowed to go on board the Mai-
den City, the captain of which, observing their ravenous
condition, ordered tea, coffee, and provisions to be given
to them ; his own passengers and crew being requested to
relinquish, in behalf of the unfortunates, all solid food
until they reached Londonderry, which was not far dis-
tant. They readily complied. Great praise is due to
Captain Crompton, and his crew and passengers, for their
prompt humanity. The brig was safely towed into the
harbour. She had not leaked.