The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1846-06-02 00:00:00

AWFUL COLLISION ON THE RIVER ON TUES-
DAY NIGHT.-DREADFUL LOSS OF LIFE.

Through the skill and painstaking care of the com-
manders of the various craft which navigate our river, it

is not often we are called upon to record any very de-
structive casualty ' • but it is now our duty to give the par-
ticulars of a most heart-rending occurrence which took
place en the Mersey last night. and which was unfortu-
nately attended with the most lamentable consequences
both to life and property. We may say at the outset
that from all we can at present learn the accident seems
to have been occasioned through no neglect or inattention,
but seems to have been one of those casualties which no
human care or effort could have averted, though the con-
sequences are most distressing to those who have been by
the accident bereaved of their relatives and friends. We
have had an interview with Captain Thompson, the in-
telligent commander of the Sea Nymph, (steamer), one
of the vessels which unfortunately has been in collision,
and he has politely favoured us with the. following par
titulars

The Sea Nymph, which trades between this port and
Newry, was proceeding last night on her outward passage
to the latter port, when, about eleven o'clock, just as she
was off New Brighton, a steamer was seen coming up,
which afterwards proved to be the Rambler steamer,
coming into this port from Sligo. Unfortunately a most
disastrous collision took place between the two vessels.
The starboard bow of the Sea Nymph struck the
larboard bow of the Rambler, and scraping on towards
the paddle carried away her stem. The Rambler
was run on shore near the Rock, and Captain
Thompson having ascertained that she was there safe
from sinking, brought his vessel into the Clarence Dock,
and discharged his cargo which has not suffered we are
informed any material injury, though the damage done to
the vessel is great, and it is said that her not sinking is
owing entirely to her water tight compartments. We
have not been able to ascertain so far what injury the
Rambler has sustained. Both vessels had their lights up.
But, melancholy as are the particulars we have already
given, the loss of life is still more lamentable to contem-
plate. It is impossible to say, at present, what number
of persons have been injured ; but we fear that it will
turn out that upwards of twenty are already dead, and
many others more or less injured, some of them very seri-
ously, if not fatally. In the Magazine Boathouse there
are nine dead bodies ; three more are in the Ship public-
house, and one in the Black Horse. Two more are lying
dead in the Northern Hospital; and twelve other persons
are at present in that exceltent institution, having their
necessities arterinea ro. Among h t.me vrfn;--arc—frrftrrcri
and at present in the Northern Hospital. are—Catherine
Gill, Mary Rowland, Patrick Feeny, John Roach, Mary
Carney, Bridget O'Meally, Eliza Connolly, Mary Batty,
Margaret M'Oundy, Bridget Lelly, Michael Finney, and
Mary Connelly.

After t',e Rambler grounded, some of the passengers, de-
spite of the persuasion of Captain AV Allister, who, we
learn, exhibited great presence of mind, took possession
of the starboard boat for the purpose of getting ashore.
They let go the fore davit fall, and at that moment some
one cut away the stern fall. The weight of persons in the
quarter-boat (some say 7, some 11) caused her to upset,
previous to her reaching the water, and the actual result
it is impossible to ascertain ; but, as we state below, at
all events five were saved.

On going on board the Rambler, which we did by en-
tering through the chasm made through her larboard side
into the steerage, a most extraordinary sight presented
itself. Part of the flooring of the quarter deck was
smashed through, and the remainder, a confused macs of
smashed tables, forms, boxes, &c., some floating in the
water which had filled this part of the vessel. The scene
on deck was still more horrifying, the whole, both fore
and abaft the funnel, being covered with dead pigs,
part crushed to death, and another portion of which
seemed to have been stabbed, the whole saturated in the
blood. The most awful sight, however, was the bows of
the vessel, which were completely bedabbled with human
blood, and strewed with crushed salmon, broken boxes,

cordage, &c., &c., and the fragments of the windlass.
From this part of the vessel thirteen human beings
had been extricated, some with broken arms or dis.
severed legs—all dead, and so crushed as to be al-
most beyond recognition. One poor woman, with her
infant child, was taken up from underneath the broken
windlass, the iron spindle of which Lad fallen upon her
head, and smashed it completely. A portion of her brains
were to be seen adhering to the iron spindle. When taken
up her infant had fast hold of the nipple of the poor mo-
ther's breast. These thirteen poor unfortunates now lie
in the Magazines Life-Boat House for recognition, which,
in many cases, from the crushed state of their bodies and
features, appears to us to be very improbable. We were
informed, that on the bodies being searched by the con-
stable of Wallasey, Mr. Scambler, not a coin of any kind
was found upon the whole.
We believe that nearly all the persons on board the
Rambler were persons intending to emigrate to America.
We could not ascertain precisely the quantity of cattle
on board or lost. About 120 pigs, however, as near as
we can compute, (for the sickening sight precluded the
possibility of counting them) were laid dead on deck.
The captain thinks there were 700 pigs and 20 bullocks.

Many Of the former were washed overboard, in addition
to those killed. Only one of the bullocks was killed.
The remainder were on board when we left the steamer.
The loss of life from this astounding calamity, so far as
we can at present ascertain it, is as follows :

Dead and lying at the Maiazine Boathouse.... 13
Dead at Northern Hospital..

Lost from capsizing of boat.. unknown. 1./
The master of the Magazine Life-Boat states, that at
the time the accident occurred be was seated in his house.
and, on hearing toe crash, went out and procured one or
two men—the first he could find—and that with these he
manned the smaller life-boat, and proceeded on his way
to the Rambler. Before he reached her, however, he
found a boat, bottom up, with a man clinging to her keel;
another man was holding to an oar, and three others were
floating on the water : all these the life-boat saved. They
then made for the Rambler, but the scene on board was
such that the men in the life-boat, unaccustomed to
such a sight as presented itself, turned faint, and
the commander then manned the larger life-boat with
his usual hands, and succeeded in bringing 220 persons from
the Rambler. He states that, though he has been
eighteen years on the station, he never knew such a dis
astrous night before. Of course it is impossible to say
how many were in the boat which was found bottom up.
At the Northern Hospital the sufferers are going on as
well as can be expected, with the exception of John Roach,
who has since died. The following are the additional
persons at present lying in the Northern Hospital :—Han-
nab Tossey, Fergus Brown, Patrick Williams, and Patrick
ureoghan.
Both vessels are nearly new, haying been built last
year, and are entirely constructed of iron The Rambler
is consigned to Messrs. Martin and Burns, and the
Sea Nymph to Mr. Thomas M`Tear, by whom
she had been purchased only a few months ago from the
North-west of Ireland Steam Navigation Company for
about £20,000.

[We published the preceding, along with some other
particulars of this melancholy disaster, in second and
third editions of the Standard last week.]