The Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1837-1867, 1842-12-20

GRACE DARLING-WRECK OF TIE FOR
FARSliIRE

We have ately seen in an English paper an &C
count Of thed cath, by consumption, of Grace OAR
ling, whose heroic conduct in aiding to ship
wrecked crew, is already familiar to many renders
and extract for their perusal further orth
wreck of the steamboat Fofarshire on the coast Of
England few years SINCE from Il little volume cn,i-
tied 'Tacs Of Shpwrecks'
''The Forrarshire left Hull on the evening Of We'd
nesday, September Is, 1898, having on board val
liable cargo, and upwards of forty passengers. Her
consisted of twenty persons; the captains
wife accompanied him on the voyage
The Forlnrshire had not proceeded far when leak
was discovered in the boiler. This rendered it ne
cessary to extinguish two ofthe fires, which were,
however, rclighed when the boiler had been par
TALLY repaired. The vessel continued her
until the following evening, by which time she had
proceeded as far as Berwick Bay, when tho leak
again appeared. 1t had now became great that
the greatest difficulty experienced in keeping
the boilers filled, the water escaping through the leak
fast it pumped in The wind was blowing
strong and the running high, and the leak ncrcas
ed so much from the motion of the vessel, that the
fires extnguished and the engines, of course,
became entirely useless. 1t about ten
O'Clock at night and they off ct. Abbs's Head
a bold promontory on the Scottish coast. There be-
ing great danger of drifting ashore, the sails were
hoisted fore and aft, and the vessel put about in
der to get her before tho wind, and keep her off the
land. She soon became unmanageable, and the tide
setting strong the south, she proceeded in that di.
rection 1t raincd heavily during the whole time,
and the fog dense that it became impossible to
tell the situation of the vessel. At length breakers
Il
Lights which about the same time became visible
put end to all doubt as to tho imminent peril Ct
the unfortunate vessel. An attempt made to
run her between the Ferne Islands, but she refused
obey the helm, and at three O'Clock on Friday
ning she struck with tremendous force against outer
or Longstone Island.
At the moment the vessel struck, most Oft the pas
sengers below and many of them asleep in their
ber,hs. One alarmed by the shock, started up, and
Selling his trowsers only, rushed npon deck When
he reached it. he found everything in confusion and
seeing part of the hosting out boat, he sprang
into it. The raging ofthe instantly separated it
from the vessel, and though several of the other
passengers attempted to reach it they unsuc-
cessful, and persisted in the attempt. The boat it.
self escaped by something little short ola miracle
There was but other by which it could avoid be-
ing dashed in pieces the breakers by which it was
surrounded. This outlet it provdentialy took with
out its crew being aware Of il; and after being ex
posed to the storm all night, it picked up by a
sloop, and carried into Shields.
In less than FIVE minutes after the vessel struck
second shock separated her in two parts-the STERN
quarterback, and cabin, being instantly borne away
through passage called the Piper Gut, by tremen
dous current, which with considerable violence
even in temperate wsasher-with a rnpidty ofnbou,