The Massachusetts spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1831-1858, 1831-11-09
From the Liverpool Courier of August p.
WRECK OF THE ROTHSAY CASTLE
cTEA AMER


tressing circumstances of many years gone by
with the accumulated awiulness of their most af
fcing features, would hardly have been adequate
| to exceed. Following with such fearful proximity
but far exceeding horror, the tremendous storm o.
the preceding night it would present to many Sc
tious and contcmplative minds close a resem
blance to the visitation of retributive dispeasure
as without much aid from superstition. TO impress
the feelings with profound unaffected awe To
have known that more than an hundred of our fe |.
| low beings had by terrible catastrophe heed
violently hurried the limits of earthly exist.
ence, and plunged into eternity at 4 moment when
pleasure, perhaps, had banished every thought but
of the present, would have been sufficient to have
awakened sentiments of heartfelt regret ; but now
there claims for sympathy. The i'll fated indi-
viduas whose untimely end too many have the
misfortune to deplore belonged for the most part
to Liverpool and places at no great distance from
it, and the weight of grief has thus been increased
IN proportion as its sphere is contracted In addi-
| ton to this, the destruction Of steam packet at
sea is a thing of such occurrence that while
its improbabiity added, no doubt, to the number
of victims it would also tend to heighten the con-
sternaton which the melancholy Intelligence Gre
ated Most of the unfortunate passengers had
parted but in the morning. full of life and hope.
from aftectionate friends and relations in mutual
anticipation of a delightful excursion, and without
entertaining an idea, much less an apprehension,
| of danger; and, under these circumstances to
those who were left behind, the sudden and appal-
ling nature of the shipwreck in which the object
of their affection or friendship had persisted almost
within sight of their very shores, must have added
4 teniold poignancy TO their anguish and dismay.-
This disastrous event is the universal subject
of conversation as well as of compassion. through
out all ranks oftbe community far the loss h ad
been felt; and though the softening hue of years
may soon cause the general eye to look back upon
the frightfu scene in the calm light of sad but
not singular mschance, there will long remain
here and there some comfortess breast where
death alone can close the remembrance of that IA
tai day. 1t is now duty to lay before our read
relation of the whole affair, as complete and
accurate as we have been able to gather it. This
narrative exhibits a loss Of life more distressing
than we had to record as the wreck of a single YES
sci for long time past, and the few, the very
small share who were preserved from the ocean
grave of their haPless companions, were saved by
an almost miraculous interposition. Had they
been immersed in the water for the same space of
time during the cold of winter, or had the tide
been upon the cob instead Of bearing them towards
the land, their sufferngs would not long have sur
vved the destruction of their vessel, and the in
trepid exertons of those humane individuals to
whom the survivors mainly indebted for their
lives would have been spent in vain.
The Rothsay Castle was a steam pacekt which
formerly traded on the Clyde and since the occa-
sion upon which she finished her career in the
tempest that scattered, to the waves various opn-
ions have gone gone abroad with respect to her
soundness and efficiency, and suspicion on this
point has also been rumored in connection with
the fact of her being discharged from her original
station. 1t has been stated as a reason fer sup
posing her to be unsafe that she was at least IL
years old but it is very certain that vessel must
be of an inferior description indeed that would
not continue seaworthy considerably longer than
that time. That there was some material defect
however, in the condition of the packet during the
whole of her last voyage now placed beyond dis
mt The RothSav Castle he lopUed tn n Inns of
steamers which sailed from the port of Beaumaris
and Bangor and was furnished with one engine
only. She was commanded by Lieut.. Atkinson,
who has not escaped without share the blame
which has been circulated on account of the loss
of the steamer. At ten o'clock on Wednesday
last the vessel appointed to sail from the usn-
al place, Georges Pier-head, but casual delay
took place in starting, aud il eleven U'UluCk
before she had got every thing In readiness
Whilst taking passengers Oh board, carriage ar
rived at the Pier-head for embarkation. 1t be-
longed to M. w. Foster, Esq, of Regents park,
London, who, with his wife and servant, were CON
yeyed in it to the packet, and took their passage
at the time. They were all subsequently,
drowned. a little dog which accompanied them
being the only survivor of this unfortunate group.
| The detention of the packet beyond the custom.
AIRY hour of sailing had also been alluded to as
having materially tended, by Its influence upon
the time of her arrival, outwards, TO bring on the
heart-re ndng catastrophe which sacrificed so i'm
portant portion of human life. 1t is impossible
however, to ascertain the weight which may be
allowed to the various causes which have been al
legged conducting the necessity for the present
mournful details perhaps they may all have con-
tributed their share, and perhaps on the other
hand in the absence of them all, the disaster
might no less certainly have happened. by start
ing an hour too late they would, Of course, have
the tide turned against them so much the earlier
and thus their progress would be somewhat retard-
ed and independently of the loss Of time by this
means, the tide would be lower by just one hours
ebb at the period when the fatal crisis arrived. 1t
is accordingly stated that when the vessel struck,
the water extremely low. This may be very
true bat then it is not to be supposed that the
difference Of an hour in the time of vessels sail
! ing is OF such consequence as to decide whether
she s to go safely to her destination or to be inev
itably wrecked. Upon the whole, therefore, this
reason may be looked upon as by far the weakest
of the three. When the steamer left the Pier-head
her deck vas thronged with passengers, but the
precise number it would be impracticable to on
deavor to obtain, because. besides those whose
names were entered in the books, many individu-
ais were taken Immediately from the pier-hesd,
without any previous application. The captain,
crew, musicians, &c, amounted to Is, in addition
TO whom, 1t has been supposed by persons who
saw the vessel sail that 10 or 100 souls were on
board. The majority of the passengers consisted
OF holyday and family parties chiefly from coun-
| try places and in one of these companies who
came on Journey of pleasure from Bury, the hand
| OF death committed a merciless devastation. 1t
consisted OF 20 persons; in the morning, lOyons
with health and hilarity, they sat out upon the
waves, and when the shades Of that evening ap-
preached, it is with unuterablc grief we relate,
that every soul but two saw his last of suns 90
down.
The weather was not particularly boisterous at
| the time she sailed. When. however, il is recol-
lected, that the severe storm which had ragged in
| the morning must have agitated the water on the