The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1843-01-17 00:00:00

DISASTERS ON THE BANKS AND IN THE RIVER

The only casualties that we are aware of in the river, are
the sinking of a schooner in the quarantine ground, (the
crew of which were saved) and the blowing away of the land-
ing stage at the George's-pier. The Woodside boats ceased
to ply at half-past nine, and those at the other ferries about
an hour and a half previously. The Cleveland, Woodside
ferry steam-boat, was obliged to return to Woodside without
being able to land all her passengers on this side, a few of
the younger ones only having reached the pier by jumping
from the boat : the remainder prudently returned to
Cheshire, where they remained all night.
.Lieutenant Sarsfield, R.N. of the Mail-packet, Princess,
who arrived on Saturday morning, about eleven o'clock,
from Dublin, states that he never encountered a severer
night. As he was coming through the Formby Channel, he
saw a schooner sunk off Crosby Point. The gallant officer
immediately took measures to save any of the crew who
might survive. • The schooner was the Hale, from Creetown,
on the'south coast of Scotland. The crew had consisted of
five persons : four• of these had been swept off and drowned :
the master was the only survivor, and had saved himself up
to the moment of his rescue by clinging to the vessel's rig-
ging. He was taken on board the steamer, and the means
there used restored him to a state of comparative sensibility.
Two other vessels in a crippled state, which had suffered in
the tempest, were enabled to reach port safely, through
Lieutenant Sarsfield's pilotage and instrumentality. Captain
Evans, of the Hale, has written a letter of thanks to Lieut.
Sarsfield, and to Mr. Sayers of the receiving-house, for their
kind attention to him.
The American ship St. Petersburgb, from New Orleans,
in attempting to run in, got on shore on Jordan Flats, about
eleven o'clock at night. Captain Trask ordered the masts
to be cut away, which was promptly executed. This deci-
sive measure enabled the ship to hold together during the
night, until succour arrived in the morning. As soon as her
perilous situation was perceived from the shore, the life• boat
anti one of the steam-tugs went alongside and took off the
crew, who were brought to town by the latter. Many of the
poor fellows were in an exhausted state, but they all soon
recovered on being brought on shore. On Saturday night
the vessel was got off, and, full of water, brought into dock.
Thousands of people have visited the dock to see the wreck.
The following authentic particulars are derived, by our own
reporter, from an intelligent person on board :
The St. Petersburgh, of Boston, sailed from New Orleans
on the 17th December, with 2,900 bales of cotton. Nothing
of importance occurred unti lshe took a pilot off Point Lynas,
on Friday morning, when about half way between the N.W.
buoy and the above land shortened sail; but so terrific was
the gale, that eighteen men, the first and second mate, were
on the maintopsailyard from five o'clock until nine, without
being able to furl the maintopsail, and were, at length, com-
pelled to relinquish the task, allowing the vessel to drift in-
wards. At half-past twelve the pilot called all hands to rouse
the cables on deck, and clear away the anchors. At about
one o'clock, when near the light-ship, cut away the mizen-
mast, and at two o'clock cut away the mainmast. At about
half-past two let go both anchors, one with one hundred, and
the other with ninety fathoms of chain attached, in about ten
fathoms of water: at three o'clock cut away the foremast.

At four in seven fathonms of water, striking heavily, cleared
away the long-boats, and left her till daylight. At half-past
eight slipped both cables, their being no sign of a steamer,
made sail on a jurry foremast, and run for the beach. A 4
about nine observed a steamer steering for them, hauled their
wind, and let her lay close at it amongst the breakers.
Shortly after which the Albert Steam Tug took her in tow
with two hausers, but both parted ; she now hove heavily
on the edge of Jordan flats, and cracked amid ships with a
fearful crash. The captain, pilot, and all hands, then went
on board the life-boat of the Steam Tug Company, but we
understand the pilot afterwards returned, and remained with
the mate until she was got off by two of the Steam Tug
Company's boats. We visited the vessel yesterday. She
was brought into the George's Doek Basin, where she yet
lies. During the whole of Sunday, parties were employed
in discharging the cotton from the water-logged vessel, and
the whole quay is yet covered by the bales, of which proba-
bly upwards of 1,000 have been discharged, most of them in
a damaged state, being saturated with water. The hold was
filled with water up to between-decks, and vast numbers of
persons went to see her as she lay alongside the quay, and
walked along the stages to look into the several holds.
The St. Petersburgh is a very large handsome vessel. Her
rudder andipart of her stern post below have been smashed
off. The wheel house, several of the deck-houses further
forward, and other erections, as well as several of the boats,
are made complete wreck off—having been dashed about the
deck, by the seas she shipped. She will be taken into the
Graving Dock for survey, and, no doubt, extensive repairs.
The American ship John Cumming, Captain Thayer, from
Savannah, which was at anchor in Bootle Bay, was in im-
minent danger of becoming a total wreck. The sea made
repeated and complete breaches over her. The violence of
the storm and the sea caused both her anchors to drag, until
she tailed on the Bootle sands, where, at the fall of the tide,
she lay high and dry. The bottom being soft sand, the ves-
sel has not sustained much damage. On Sunday, however,
some fears were entertained lest, from the very softness of
the sand, she should get embedded in it before she could be
got off. We have since ascertained that on Sunday morn-
ing two steamers went down at tide time to endeavour to get
her off, but failed in the attempt. She was nearly high and
dry at low water, and her anchors being got out, the crew,
with assistance, succeeded in getting her afloat at high water
the following tide (Sunday night) ; when two steamers towed
her up to port, and she is now in Waterloo Dock gut, ap-
parently with little or no damage.

The American ship Adirond;ck, Captain Hackstaff, from
New York, arrived on Saturday morning; sailed on the 22d
ult., from Sandy Hook, and on the 20th, from New York.
Captain Hackstaff bad two men blown off the foreyard, and
two men maimed by being blown on deck, during the night.
He himself sustained personal injury. He describes the
tempest as having been as severe as any he ever encountered.
When the ship lurched, it seemed as if the waves actually
washed over the mizen topmast head.
The schooner Isabella, of Belfast, bound to Runcorn, laden
with pipe clay, &c., was wrecked on West Hoyle during the
night. Whether the crew were saved or lost we have not
heard. They were. it is but too probable, lost.
Several pieces of wreck, painted yellow inside, apparently
part of a large vessel, have been washed on shore on Hilbre
Island, at the mouth of the Dee. Part of a barometer, made
at Marseilles, has also been washed on shore on the island.
Two flats were driven on shore at Hoyllice.

The packet-ship Hottinguer, Captain Bursley, which sailed
on Wednesday, for New York, put back on Saturday morn-
ing. Captain Bursley saw the packet-ship North America,
Captain Lowber, on Friday, about one mile to leeward, off
Ramsey, Isle of Man. On Saturday she yens off the Great
Ormshead, all well, and is, by this time, well round Holy-
head.

The Acorn, for this port, is on shore near Southport.
The Holyhead letter, received on Saturday morning, which
was posted on Friday night, at seven o'clock, stated that the
it, " a whole gale." The
barometer continued to fall during the day, and that, at half-
past four in the afternoon, it blew,Abeona, as the writer expressed
Attridge from this port to
Cork, had put back with foretopsail split. The St. George,
in, with loss of main boom,
main gaff, and loss of bulwarks.
Lever, from Demerara to this port, had put in with loss of fore-
topgallant mast. The Catherine, of Glasgow, had also put
The letter added, that several other vessels had taken refuge
at Holyhead from the effects of the tempest.
The 'Prince of Wales, iron steamer, running between this
port and Cork, got into Cove at six on the evening of Thurs-
day, so that she escaped being at sea during the height of the
gale. She got up to Cork, where, at two in the afternoon, it
began to rain and lighten. It blew so violently during the
night that followed, that the posts on the quays at Cork were
torn away, and it was necessary to carry the Prince's an-
chors on shore, and bed them jrl
the quay to bold her on.
She started from Cork on Saturday afternoon at one o'clock,
and arrived here in safety on Sunday. The usual passages
made by this fine vessel are from 22 to 23 hours. The dis-
tance all the way to Cork is little short of 290 miles. The
mate states that the city of Cork has suffered very severely,
many of the houses having been thrown down or much da-
maged. The ravages of the storm on the whole line of coast,
both in the west and south of the island, are said to have
been very 'great; and it is rumoured that upwards of one
hundred fishing-boats and other small vessels were lost, be-
sides some ships. The captain had never observed the ba-
rometer so low before.
The little Manx steamer " Mona's Isle" was out during
the whole of the hurricane, and weathered it well. " The
Queen of the Isle," the largest vessel, should have gone that
day, but was not ready, and the Mona took her passengers.
She left at ten o'clock on the morning of Friday, and got in
on Saturday morning, with no other damage than the loss
of a few boards from her bulwarks. An old man on board,
who had bee* thirty-six
ex-
perienced such a gale, at one period of its violence. It quite, ,
he said "put his years at sea, states that he never
Pipe out."- She was full of passengers. 1
No accident took place.
The fine, large Glasow steam-ship " Princess Royal" was
at sea during the storm, and fully proved her excellent qua-
lities as a sea-boat. She left Glasgow at eight o'clock on
Friday night, and Greenock at half-past eleven o'clock. They
experienced the greatest severity of the hurricane from twelve
o'clock to about three, on Saturday morning, and arrived
safely here, without the slightest damage, at five o'clock on
Saturday—having completed the run (certainly with fair
wind) in 18 hours.

On Friday night, the small steamer Skimmer, from Wales,
with pigs, got into the George's Slip to discharge them, and,
through some mismanagement, when the tide fell, she got
her paddle-boxes much damaged.

LOSS Or LIVE STOCK IN THE GALE

We have ascertained from authority the number of pigs,
i sheep, &c., lost n several of the Scotch, Irish, and other
steamers, during the storm :
The William Penn, from Waterford, which arrived on
Saturday night, had on board 37 Pigs, 2 sheep, and 1 cow,
which died on the passage, by the violence of the wind and
sea.

The Nithsdale steamer, from Scotland, had 9 sheep that
perished on the passage,

The Royal Victoria, which arrived on Saturday morning
from Carlisle, had on board 116 dead pigs and 3 dead oxen.
They died from the water flowing over them on the passage.